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  • Essay / "Harvey Weinstein & The Economics of Consent": Sexual Harassment

    After decades of harassment and assault, women have started to stand up and say that 'the time has come' for sexual abuse in the workplace of work as the “Me Too” movement swept the world in late 2017. These women included some of the most prominent names in television, film, music and politics, and proved that abuse exists. even among the most famous and richest. More importantly, the #MeToo movement, born on Twitter, has shown that no woman is ever alone when it comes to sexual abuse. and producer, detailed her own traumatic experience with sexual harassment in her October 2017 personal essay published in The Atlantic, titled “Harvey Weinstein and the Economy of “Say No to Plagiarism.” “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Throughout this essay, Marling describes some of the reasons why this “imbalance of power” exists among individuals. men and women, particularly in the film industry. In his essay, Marling effectively conveys the message that the demographics and representation of the film industry must change in order to end the exploitation of minorities and fully achieve equality, by tapping into the emotions of the audience, proposing logical, common-sense solutions, and using anaphora to emphasize the importance of diversity. Through the careful use of rhetorical techniques and strategies, Marling allows the audience to both identify with her and be inspired to make a difference themselves. In the essay “Harvey Weinstein and the Economy of Consent,” Brit Marling spoke about him. personal experience with Harvey Weinstein - one of the most notorious men of the last two years. It was revealed in October 2017 that Weinstein, one of Hollywood's most famous film producers and executives, had sexually assaulted more than eighty women in the film industry after they began accusing him and to denounce it publicly. After news of the scandal broke, not only was Weinstein expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and deprived of awards and honors, but more and more women became comfortable and confident to share their own stories of sexual assault and rape on social media using the hashtag #MeToo. The "Me Too" movement inspired many women from all professions to share their own experiences of sexual assault, dubbed the "Weinstein Effect", and eventually evolved into the "Time's Up" movement, meaning it's time to put an end to this aggression. this issue (Harvey Weinstein Timeline: How the Scandal Unfolded). The "Time's Up" movement was popularized and promoted at events around the world, including award shows where celebrities wore all-black or white roses, to symbolize solidarity with the movement and show support . As his essay details, Marling's experience with Weinstein seems all too familiar in light of events that have unfolded over the past two years. As a result, Marling is able to effectively convey the use of pathos by striking the audience's emotions, as well as adequately provide his own resolution to the problem through his use of logos, which resonate with the audience and act as a call to action. Throughout the play, Marling makes a powerful appeal to the audience's emotions, using his experience with Weinstein as an example, in order to conveymultiple points effectively. First, Marling expresses the fear that she and several of the dozens of other women who were abused by Weinstein felt, providing an emotional appeal to the audience. Marling recalls the moving story that many other women in her position faced, including being asked if she "wanted a massage" and being "paralyzed by mounting fear when [Weinstein ] suggested we take a shower together” (Harvey Weinstein and the Economy of Consent). Marling here relies on the strategic use of imagery to advance his use of ethos by successfully painting pictures in the minds of his audience, as if they were in that situation themselves. Similarly, Marling taps into her audience's emotions by emphasizing that, as she was about to be raped, her only thoughts were fear of upsetting Weinstein – a powerful man who abused his position. She remembers feeling helpless, wondering “what could I do?” and how “not to offend this man who could anoint or destroy me? (Harvey Weinstein and the economics of consent). By showing how helpless and weak women feel when placed in this position, Marling is able to successfully connect with her audience and allow them to think for themselves about how she would feel if she was in this situation herself. Additionally, Marling relies on his use of logos or his appeal to logic to successfully complement his use of ethos. She does this by publishing a series of facts that could end the power imbalance between men and women in the film industry, which would help end the mass sexual assaults we experience today. To begin, Marling provides context on the term “consent” describing it as a “function of power” (Harvey Weinstein and the Economics of Consent). Marling goes on to highlight the harsh reality of consent, that in many cases, women "don't have that power because their livelihoods are in danger" and because "they are the gender that is oppressed by a invisible and daily war waged against all.” it’s feminine” (Harvey Weinstein and the economy of consent). This ideology is able to resonate with audiences, as any woman who listens to it could easily identify with it. Furthermore, Marling provides a reasonable solution to the problem: diversity in cinema. This solution is desperately needed, as Marling points out: "Women and men in power need to turn around and hire more women, especially women of color, especially women who did not grow up with economic privilege." , in order to put an end to this extreme imbalance of power that we see daily (Harvey Weinstein and the economy of consent). To effectively convey his use of logos, Marling points out the facts: in 2017, women represent “only 23%” of the Directors Guild of America and “only 11% are people of color” (Harvey Weinstein and Economics). of consent). Additionally, Marling explains another common-sense solution to this problem: stop supporting gender oppression on the big screen. Marling challenges his audience by saying that if they "don't want to be part of a culture in which sexual abuse and harassment are endemic, don't buy a ticket to a movie that promotes it", and calls the public to imagine more films that "do not use the exploitation of female bodies or violence against female bodies as selling points", such as films with.