2017: The Year of the Asshole?

fashionlyfe (25)in #life • 7 years ago

As we look back on 2017, we can account several movements that have occurred since Trump took office. This was a year full of women coming forward with sexual misconduct claims, sparking another sexual revolution it would seem. We finally got a female-led superhero film directed by a woman. In fact, "Wonder Woman" made $820 million, with Patty Jenkins becoming the highest paid female director in history. As we celebrate women, we are also bringing light to the very real issues happening everyday in mainstream society.

The year started with women marching together in protest, and it's ending with women saying no more sexual harassment and abuse. According to Time magazine, "the MeToo Movement is Person of the Year". This movement has created a wave of awareness and bravery over sexual harassment and assault, taking down powerful men in the process. Alyssa Milano made the hashtag popular in the wake of high-profile accusations against Hollywood produce Harvey Weinstein. Afterwards, thousands of women began sharing their stories. "The reckoning appears to have sprung up overnight. But it has actually been simmering for years, decades, centuries," Time's Stephanie Zacharek, Eliana Dockterman and Haley Sweetland Edwards write. "Women have had it with bosses and coworkers who not only cross boundaries but don't even seem to know that boundaries exist."

http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-donald-trump-runner-up/

How ironic that Trump was Time's POTY in 2016. With that being said, I can't call 2017 "The Year of the Asshole". I mean, it's been a lifetime of assholes, a millenium, a light year, but certainly not just 1 year. After what has transpired this year, as a women, it feels damn empowering. I truly believe that if Trump hadn't won the election, we wouldn't have received this uproar of women taking back their power.

So I have a few thoughts about the years to come following 2017. If in the runnings, I predict our next president will be a woman, especially in spite of Trump's controversial presidency. I also see more women choosing independence and respect over opportunity, as we have started to see in Hollywood. I often consider how this will impact gender roles in society. Let me elaborate...

After pondering the evolution of male and female roles, I started asking men how they felt about women being more equal with men. To my surprise, several men stated how this was unnatural because women are much different than men; they're more nurturing and are "better equipped" to raise children. I asked this man "So you're saying men cannot raise children on their own? Or are you saying you would feel emasculated that your female significant other makes as much or more than you?" He admitted that he would not only feel emasculated, but that children would be raised much more ineffectively if both parents were working. This brought me some insight into how women's accomplishments would affect society. With the rise of women gaining their power and equality, it is also creating a power struggle.

After the responses I received, I imagine that some men are feeling threatened by the push for gender equality. Could this potentially lessen chivalry? I also have to question if more men are refusing to raise their children because mothers have better means to do so, it's just less of an obligation. Back in the fifties, it was expected that men work and women stay at home to raise children. After women gained their right to vote and started working, how did men feel their purpose in society changed? We need to consider this today with the shifts in gender roles and how men really perceive these changes. With a better understanding between men and women could bring better outcomes in my opinion. Indeed there is much to reflect on now that 2017 has happened. What are your thoughts on what has transpired and how do you predict it will impact future society?