As we reach the 15th anniversary of the #MeToo Movement, some men have become nervous and even scared to interact with women, fearing they will be accused of inappropriate behavior.

While some men see themselves as victims of cancel culture, their discomfort is a fraction of the anxiety, fear and sexism women have experienced throughout history. Excellent news, men have failed to learn their lessons and this is long overdue.

Social-media activist Tarana Burke started using the phrase “me too” on MySpace in 2006 to advocate for victims of sexual assault. In 2017 the #MeToo ignited a viral movement, exposing people to the massive scale of sexual violence, according to the movement’s website.

MySpace is an American social-media platform created in 2003, according to Britannica.

Now that western culture has started to hold more people accountable, many men are finally facing the consequences of their words and actions toward others, especially women. 

Former film producer Harvey Weinstein was convicted of criminal sexual assault and third degree rape in 2020. Former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was convicted of criminal sexual assault in 2018 and singer R. Kelly was also convicted of sex trafficking in September. 

As men are learning to be more mindful regarding their interactions with women, some men are nervous to interact at all, according to a 2018 Harvard Business Review survey.

The online survey of 1,100 people found 63% of respondents described the #MeToo movement as “healthy,” but also revealed men and women are mingling less in the workplace. 

​​“There is fear of not wanting to say the wrong thing, to be blamed, or to be part of what could be a harsh workplace environment,” Ellevate Network researcher Marcus Patterson said in an Ellevate article.

Ellevate Network is a community of professional women striving for gender equality in the workplace, according to its website.

Although men shouldn’t be paranoid, the increasing number of men who worry about offending women can only be beneficial.

A 2019 poll by Lean In found 60% of male managers said they felt “uncomfortable” when mentoring, socializing or working alone with women in the workplace.

Lean In is a global community committed to aiding women’s success, according to its website. 

Just because it may be uncomfortable for some men to mentor a female employee, doesn’t mean men are now the victims. Women have been forced to feel uncomfortable in professional situations for as long as they’ve been allowed to be professionals. 

It wasn’t until the early 1960’s, the second wave of feminism, that women began to enter the world of politics, careers and power that men previously populated most, according to the National Women’s History Museum website.

Although women penetrated the occupational domain, they would still face sexism and harassment from the men who were supposed to be their peers. 

About 60% of women have experienced unwanted sexual attention, sexual coercion, sexually crude conduct or sexist comments in the workplace, according to a 2016 U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commision study.

Consider the 60% of women who came forward were the ones who felt comfortable sharing their experiences. There are always more.

But what about the men who aren’t fearful of offending women? “Strangely, it’s men who aren’t doing anything wrong who are feeling needlessly nervous,” Dr. Arin Reeves said in the same Ellevate article. “The men who are not nervous are probably the ones to worry about.” Reeves is a researcher in workplace leadership and president of Nextions, a consulting firm based in Chicago, Illinois aimed at creating diversity and inclusion in the workplace, according to its website.

While accountability and mutual respect sounds like a win for everyone, communities exist across the country that fight for “men’s rights” and condemn the evil “cancel culture” for stealing their free speech.

Steven Crowder, one of cancel culture’s fiercest opponents, is a conservative political commentator and host of the podcast and Youtube channel, “Louder with Crowder.” He is best known for his “Change My Mind” series conducted on many college campuses.

“[Cancel culture is the] ever-changing rules, designed to change at a moment’s notice in order to box you in, in order to box in our speech, ultimately to separate all of us from one another,” Crowder said in an April 10 Youtube video-podcast. 

Crowder’s description of what cancel culture is, explains exactly what it prevents. 

Most of the individuals who get “cancelled” face consequences of their actions that either offended or hurt someone. It’s goal is to create a safe environment for people of all genders, races and backgrounds, so a stupid white guy can’t try and make a sexist joke and ruin someone’s week. 

Crowder continues to complain in the same video about how “there used to be a thing called a joke,” but fails to see that people can make jokes without demeaning or objectifying others. 

His position implies that it’s everybody else’s fault no one likes his rude comments. 

Crowder has 5 million subscribers on his Youtube channel, many of whom are young white males. 

His views reflect the many men across the country who believe they are victims of cancel culture and they need to defend their right to free speech against the enraged “feminazis” and “social justice warriors.”

Their perspective lacks empathy toward women’s constant fight for fairness. It exposes their ignorance to the long history of women being objectified and belittled by men, purposefully or not, with the inability to defend themselves. 

Why is it so hard to treat others with respect? 

It’s male privilege. 

Sometimes equality can seem unfair to those who have never faced adversity or discrimination.