When it comes to the debate on sexual harassment and misconduct in Hollywood, Alyssa Milano has just made it very clear:
She’s the boss.
The actress – who has been as responsible as anyone for promoting the #MeToo movement and who has been a vocal supporter of every woman who has recently spoken out – took to Twitter on Friday night and straight up owned Matt Damon.
The typically beloved star has been criticized mightily over the past 24 hours.
He spoke to Peter Travers of ABC News this week and made far too many attempts to parse the differences between various acts that have gotten men in trouble of late.
From Al Franken resigning from the Senate for grabbing the butts of women… to Louis CK admitting he masturbated in front of women… to Matt Lauer being fired for alleged rape and other heinous behavior, countless stars have gotten in major trouble for treating women with disrespect.
Asked about this watershed moment in the country, Damon initially told Travers:
“I think it’s great. I think it’s wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories – and it’s totally necessary.”
But then he kept going, sticking his foot deeper and deeper into his mouth.
“I do believe there’s a spectrum of behavior,” he said, stating the obvious and missing the point of the #MeToo movement.
“There’s a difference between patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?
“Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated.”
Minnie Driver, who co-starred with Damon in Good Will Hunting, immediately shook her head over Damon’s comments.
“There are so many men I love who do NOT frame the differentiation between sexual misconduct assault and rape as an excuse or worse- our problem. Such bollocks,” Driver Tweeted.
But Milano went even further.
Focusing especially on Damon’s assertion that men are being punished these days because we live in a “culture of outrage,” the actress took the actor to school.
She also explained why rape and the occasional sexist comment may be different, but they contribute to the same thing.
“Dear Matt Damon, It’s the micro that makes the macro,” Milano wrote to open her response.
Continued Milano:
“We are in a ‘culture of outrage’ because the magnitude of rage is, in fact, overtly outrageous. And it is righteous.
“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.”
We really can’t say any of this better than Milano, so we’re just gonna let her keep going…
We are not outraged because someone grabbed our asses in a picture. We are outraged because we were made to feel this was normal.
We are outraged because we have been gaslighted. We are outraged because we were silenced for so long.
There are different stages of cancer. Some more treatable than others. But it’s still cancer.
Sexual harassment, misconduct, assault and violence is a systemic disease. The tumor is being cut out right now with no anesthesia. Please send flowers. #MeToo
BOOM, right?
Game, set, match, Alyssa Milano.
Most people seem to agree that Damon meant no harm with his comments and that he was just trying to be understanding.
The thing is, he was trying to be understanding of the men, not the women.
The best thing men can do in this climate right now is simply listen.
The worst thing they can do, even the well-intentioned ones? Pretend they know best, as Damon did here.
