Sitting down with Peter Travers on ABC last Thursday, Matt Damon made some problematic, diminishing comments about the sexual assault and harassment allegations filed against his longtime collaborators like Harvey Weinstein and Ben Affleck.
He said specifically that all the men being accused in this massive unearthing of predatory behavior are being improperly placed in "one big bucket," that there is a "spectrum of behavior," and that "there's a difference between, you know, 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, right?"
Damon's former Good Will Hunting co-star Minnie Driver was quick to rip apart the actor's insensitive, minimalizing comments, and was joined on Twitter by #MeToo activist Alyssa Milano in calling foul on Damon's interview.
"God God, SERIOUSLY?" Driver wrote. "Gosh it's so interesting how men with all these opinions about women's differentiation between sexual misconduct, assault and rape reveal themselves to be utterly tone deaf and as a result, systemically part of the problem (profoundly unsurprising)."
\u201cGod God, SERIOUSLY? https://t.co/NDZFrLDXil\u201d— Minnie Driver (@Minnie Driver) 1513361741
\u201cGosh it\u2019s so *interesting how men with all these opinions about women\u2019s differentiation between sexual misconduct, assault and rape reveal themselves to be utterly tone deaf and as a result, systemically part of the problem( *profoundly unsurprising)\u201d— Minnie Driver (@Minnie Driver) 1513363125
Milano wrote:
\u201cDear Matt Damon,\n\nIt\u2019s the micro that makes the macro.\n\n(Thread)\u201d— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1513387287
\u201cWe are in a \u201cculture of outrage\u201d because the magnitude of rage is, in fact, overtly outrageous. And it is righteous.\u201d— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1513387287
\u201cI 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.\u201d— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1513387287
\u201cWe 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.\u201d— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1513387287
\u201cThere are different stages of cancer. Some more treatable than others. But it\u2019s still cancer.\u201d— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1513387287
\u201cSexual harassment, misconduct, assault and violence is a systemic disease. The tumor is being cut out right now with no anesthesia. Please send flowers. #MeToo\u201d— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1513387287
