Emma Thompson Takes On #MeToo and Climate Change
In recent years, activists have made headlines while resisting increasing social injustices and world issues. Some of the most notable causes include sexual mistreatment of women and the battle to end global warming. Communities are banding together in an effort to call for change, not just for women, but for the survival of the entire planet. Even celebrities are using their fame to help initiate the conversation.
Dame Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney) has stepped forward to share her support for both movements. Fans and followers have praised the former Divination professor for her efforts within the Me Too movement. Thompson feels that improvements can always be made. She initiates this change by starting conversations with the people she is aiming to help. Many of these people are the young women she works with, often on film sets.
Men have a huge motorway to power, with lots of lanes in it, which makes it easy for them to aid other men along the same path. Women, on the other hand, have a kind of rutted track, on which there are many boulders. You can’t even get a bicycle down it; you have to get off the bike and lift it over things.
While the truth may be unsettling, it’s not uncommon. In light of the Me Too movement, men became concerned that any of their actions could be construed as sexual harassment. This concern raised the question of how men should behave when around women in a professional environment. Question no more, gentlemen. Emma Thompson has the answer.
Get a grip, guys, it’s not rocket science. You just behave with respect and courtesy. Now shut up and get on with it. And please don’t make this your problem. I’m so fed up with that I just want to smack them.
Well said, Thompson. Well said. However, critics have been anything but shy in their assessment of Thompson’s opinions. She’s been deemed “man-hating” and a “luvvy,” a derogatory English term for an actor who speaks about social or political issues. Her responses to critics are simple and to the point; these remarks are “so destructive and deeply, unutterably misogynistic.” Since such criticisms, Thompson has encouraged her female costars and young women to stand their ground and speak out, whether it’s about sexual misconduct or unequal pay within a professional environment.
When Thompson isn’t squelching misogynists, she’s taking on the growing concern of climate change. Fossil fuels have been a major contributing factor to the global crisis. For decades, scientists have been urging members of the world to find or create new ways of renewable energy. Emma Thompson readily agrees with climate scientists. She voiced her concerns in a letter, outlining potential disaster if the ways of the world don’t change soon.
To prevent the earth’s temperature from rising above the 1.5-2 degrees centigrade suggested by 97 percent of the world’s climate scientists, we must pour our collective resources, imagination, talent and skills into renewables and begin the transition from fossil fuels to the clean energy that will protect our planet and our grandchildren from disastrous consequences.
The letter also criticized the European Union’s decision to vote against a ban on Arctic oil drilling, a decision Thompson described as “hypocrisy” on the part of First World governments. On a brighter side of her arguments, she offers readers some solutions to slow down global climate apocalypse. They include challenging deniers, limiting the use of fossil fuels, not using plastic, recycling, and planting trees.
Unfortunately, her call to end global warming did not escape opposition. One article, in particular, seemed to think there was no way Thompson’s actions could make a difference. The author of the piece claims that Thompson will “never be perfect enough to save the planet.” The writer suggests that people like Thompson are nothing but hypocrites and attention-seekers and the only way to defeat this is to live off the grid. While nobody may ever fit into a perfect mold to save every turtle and dolphin, one could argue that trying your best is just fine, and maybe Ms. Thompson would agree.
