Matt Damon has gone into damage control mode after his tone-deaf statements on the #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns led to immense backlash. In an interview, Damon said he should have listened and ‘weighed in’ more on the issue, before making statements.
The Downsizing star addressed the issue of sexual harassment in an interview with ABC News, and the results of the conversation show how insensitive he was towards the whole issue. While saying that men should not be judged on a ‘spectrum’, Matt Damon had said,
“You know, there’s a difference between, you now, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?” he said. “Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated, right?”
Damon’s comments on the issue earned him flak from all quarters. This is how many celebrities on Twitter reacted:
God God, SERIOUSLY? https://t.co/NDZFrLDXil
— Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) December 15, 2017
Dear Matt Damon,
It’s the micro that makes the macro.
(Thread)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017
We are in a “culture of outrage” because the magnitude of rage is, in fact, overtly outrageous. And it is righteous.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017
I have been a victim of each component of the sexual assault spectrum of which you speak. They all hurt. And they are all connected to a patriarchy intertwined with normalized, accepted–even welcomed– misogyny.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017
Also read: Black dresses to dark humour: Golden Globes had everything, expect the Weinstein accusers
After the outrage, Damon seems to have learned from his mistake. In the recent interview, Damon said,
“I don’t want to further anybody’s pain with anything that I do or say. So for that I am really sorry. A lot of those women are my dear friends and I love them and respect them and support what they’re doing and want to be a part of that change … But I should get in the back seat and close my mouth for a while.”
“A lot of those women are my dear friends and I love them and respect them and support what they’re doing and want to be a part of that change … But I should get in the back seat and close my mouth for a while.”
Matt Damon on the #TimesUp movement. pic.twitter.com/jNjiIjuhVl
— Kathie Lee and Hoda (@klgandhoda) January 16, 2018
Also read: Alyssa Milano schools Matt Damon for his controversial comments on sexual harassment
Here’s hoping the next time any actor wishes to talk about sexual harassment, they do so with a little more sensitivity.
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