Icetruck.tv News Blog
Entertainment

Matt Damon draws backlash for comments on sexual harassment and assault

damon-abc-ml-171023_12x5_992

Matt Damon draws backlash for comments on sexual harassment and assault

PlayABC News

WATCH Matt Damon on Harvey Weinstein, sexual harassment and confidentiality agreements

    Matt Damon has drawn heated criticism for his comments on ABC's "Popcorn" in which he said all men accused of sexual harassment and assault shouldn't be lumped together because "there's a spectrum of behavior."

    "There’s a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?" he told host Peter Travers Thursday while speaking about the national reckoning on sexual misconduct taking place in Hollywood, politics, the media and more. "Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated, right?"

    Matt Damon opens up about Harvey Weinstein, sexual harassment and confidentiality agreements Alyssa Milano on #MeToo campaign: 'We are going to be vocal until this stops'

    Alyssa Milano and Damon's "Good Will Hunting" co-star Minnie Driver strongly disagreed and chastised Damon for categorizing various forms of sexual misconduct.

    "I have been a victim of each component of the sexual assault spectrum of which you speak. They all hurt," Milano, who helped spark the #MeToo movement, wrote on Twitter Friday. "And they are all connected to a patriarchy intertwined with normalized, accepted — even welcomed — misogyny."

    PHOTO: Alyssa Milano attends an event on Jan. 8, 2017, in Los Angeles.Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic via Getty Images
    Alyssa Milano attends an event on Jan. 8, 2017, in Los Angeles.

    Milano addressed Damon in a series of tweets, comparing sexual misconduct to cancer. "There are different stages of cancer. Some more treatable than others. But it’s still cancer," she wrote.

    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.

    — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017

    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

    — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017

    PHOTO: Matt Damon responds to the Harvey Weinstein scandal that is rocking Hollywood in an interview with ABC News Michael Strahan. ABC News
    Matt Damon responds to the Harvey Weinstein scandal that is rocking Hollywood in an interview with ABC News' Michael Strahan.

    Driver also responded on Twitter.

    God God, SERIOUSLY? https://t.co/NDZFrLDXil

    — Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) December 15, 2017

    She later elaborated on her reaction in an interview with The Guardian published on Sunday.

    I don’t just speak for myself in this article, I speak for too many friends and co-workers as well. – Minnie Driver: men like Matt Damon 'simply cannot understand what abuse is like' https://t.co/Z9M120C6XZ

    — Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) December 17, 2017

    "I felt I desperately needed to say something. I’ve realized that most men, good men, the men that I love, there is a cut-off in their ability to understand. They simply cannot understand what abuse is like on a daily level," the British-born actress told the newspaper.

    "I honestly think that until we get on the same page, you can’t tell a woman about their abuse. A man cannot do that. No one can. It is so individual and so personal, it’s galling when a powerful man steps up and starts dictating the terms, whether he intends it or not."

    In his interview, Damon said Minnesota Democratic Senator Al Franken, who recently stepped down following sexual harassment allegations, should not be compared to Harvey Weinstein, who is accused of multiple allegations of sexual harassment, assault and even rape. He also commended Louis CK, who was accused by multiple women of masturbating in front of them, for taking "personal responsibility" for his actions.

    Franken apologized for his actions and acknowledged some wrongdoing. Weinstein has acknowledged inappropriate behavior, but has denied any allegations of nonconsensual sex or retaliation against women for refusing his advances. Louis CK acknowledged that "these stories are true" and expressed regret for the hurt caused.

    "We live in this culture of outrage and injury, and, you know, that we’re going to have to correct enough to kind of go, 'Wait a minute. None of us came here perfect,'" Damon said.

    Milano seized on Damon's comment, defending the rage that women and other victims feel.

    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

    Driver said what is needed now is for "good intelligent men to say this is all bad across the board, condemn it all and start again."

    Beyond that, she urged them to be quiet and listen.

    "Let women do the speaking up right now," she told The Guardian. "The time right now is for men just to listen and not have an opinion about it for once."

    • Star


    Source – abcnews.go.com

    Leave a Comment