Last fall I saw the movie She Said (which came out in 2022). It chronicles the work of New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor as they publish a report that exposes sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein (who had been harrassing and abusing women for decades). Furthermore, their reporting also revealed how people close to Weinstein had known about and covered up his behavior as well.
The work of Twohey and Kantor helped to spark the viral #MeToo movement in 2017 when actress Alyssa Milano encouraged women to say (or post) “MeToo” if they had experienced sexual harassment or assault. Side note, Milano quickly acknowledged that activist and community worker, Tarana Burke, had actually coined the phrase “MeToo” almost a decade earlier as her work with sexual assault survivors had led her to try to raise general awareness about the prevalence of abuse and assault against women.[1]
I remember in 2017 when all of my social media feeds lit up with women I know saying “Me Too.” It left me speechless.
And the two women in today’s readings could have posted the same.
It’s beyond the scope of what I can do in this blog to detail what happened to Susanna in Daniel 13 but please be sure to go and read the story. Lustful and powerful male community leaders trap Susanna and make allegations against her when she tries to protect herself from their advances. And she is condemned to death because of their allegations. Susanna’s testimony is not even sought.
I think about so many women who have been caught in these double-bind situations. They have faced various forms of victimization and then faced the threat of retribution if they told. While they may not have faced death like Susanna, they faced the death of their career or employment and the ongoing threat of power. The assault and harassment were one kind of violence, and the silencing was yet another.
In the reading, Daniel comes forward and says that these men have given false testimony against Susanna and the situation dramatically shifts. Of course this is a good thing, but many would argue, “Why did it take a man asking questions to make the other men listen? Why was Susanna’s voice not even considered in the first place?”
Fast forward to the gospel and we have the reading of the “woman caught in adultery.” Again we have a story of a woman who is being subjected to various forms of violence and silencing. She is being used by the scribes and Pharisees to trap Jesus and is just a pawn in their power play. She too was trapped.
Jesus finds a way to subvert their trap and spares the life of the woman. Of course this is a good thing, but again we can ask, “Why did it take a man to make the other men listen? What systems were in place that even made this whole event possible?”
Today’s readings offer much for us to think about. While much has changed since biblical times, stories like She Said tell us that much has not. And given the number of women I saw who posted “#MeToo,” it’s hard to imagine that we’ve made that much progress. Systems of harassment, exploitation, silencing and abuse against women still exist and are pervasive. And people who collude with them or “go along to get along” are many.
I’d be inclined to think about at least two things from today’s readings.
First, and this is directed primarily to men, Daniel and Jesus offer us two examples of men who take a stand and who do not collude with the sexist and patriarchal domination systems. Daniel in particular works to create a situation where Susanna speaks for herself. I am not sure what inner work Jesus and Daniel had to do in order to defy patriarchy, but it would be something to emulate and practice. Even their ability to notice that sexism was operating in the situation was a crucial step to their taking a stand.
Secondly, believe the experiences and perspective of women. Today’s stories make clear that for two thousand years (and then some), women have been repeated victims of violence and power plays. It is beyond time to expose and address both those who perpetrate the violence and those who collude with it. Furthermore, our continued attention to the empowerment and support of women is crucial. This could mean supporting their leadership, making economic opportunities more available or creating occasions for increasing the presence and voice of women at all levels of society.
Part of the “healing” that we witness today is the acknowledgement of the harm and the accountability that accompanies it. This is work that we must carry on as a matter of our faith.
[1]This violence is not just directed at women but anyone who does not fit the gender binary. Thus while I might focus on women, we know that the pattern of violence is much broader.