Year-End Reflections on 2017

nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
got to kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight

– from “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” by Bruce Cockburn

The Harvey Weinstein story broke in Oct. 2017

I remember that at the end of 2016 I kept reading on social media that people couldn’t wait to get the year behind them and start fresh with 2017. Well, how was 2017 for you? Because it seems to me that culturally speaking 2017 has been a particularly grueling ride. The year started with everyone on edge from the election and the heated divisions that followed; racism reared its ugly head yet again, and we end the year learning (or exposing) how monstrous we can be when our sexuality is overtaken by a desire to belittle, threaten, and bully one another. Ugly indeed.

Whistle-blowers recognized as heroes by Time

As we are starting to see (and what so many have known all along), abuse of power in the workplace is not just a Hollywood problem. Yet so much of this media tide started with stories from Hollywood, that it’s easy to point a finger and say “I knew this industry is just a cesspool of filth!” and run away. It’s an understandable reaction. But I believe this to be an extremely exciting time to be in the business.

Yes, it is a painful time. It’s painful for those violated to remember their experience. It’s painful and not without cost to go public. It’s painful for the perpetrators to be exposed and suffer consequences. I imagine that it’s painful for those wondering if that woman from years ago will come forward and destroy their reputation. It’s painful for us all to remember times when we wished we would have said something but remained silent, laughed at the jokes instead of standing up. So many of us are now second-guessing what we’ve previously assumed to be acceptable behavior.

It is a watershed moment and a great time for our society. I applaud the women and men who are standing up to share their #MeToo stories.

This is a healthy and necessary reckoning. I believe this acknowledgment of our shortcomings and learning to better honor one another is part of the coming of the kingdom of God for which Jesus prays. I hope for and am working toward a better society, a society where power is kept in check and where voices that have been discounted will now be treasured. I believe the film, media, and entertainment industries are ideal platforms for this shift. A hashtag that is used by media thought leader Bonnie Gillespie and her followers is #CreatingTheHollywoodWeWant. I love that and am proud to be a part. Stories expose; stories heal. So bring in the women, the racially diverse, the LGBTQ community, the old, the young, the big, the small, people with disabilities, and those threatened by it all. Let’s hash it out, but most of all let us listen. Let us honor. And let us love. Happy New Year!