Call it a statement of solidarity or a cheap publicity gimmick, a recent move by MTV has a lot of people talking. On the recent International Women’s Day, MTV flipped its famous logo upside down to make the “M” a “W.”
That was a simple enough gesture, but the company also said its female employees running the company’s social media accounts would also go “on strike” for the day as a show of support for the worldwide protests. One such tweet read:
“A woman runs this account, and she’s striking today … All posts have been scheduled…” This message was accompanied by a link to a web address with information about the “strike.”
The strike, purported to call attention to and raise awareness of the lack of rights women suffer from in some areas and cultures, was organized globally, using social media, to coincide with International Women’s Day. The event, called A Day Without Women, received massive commentary and feedback on social media and in the traditional internet and TV media.
While many expressed support for the movement, a number of people and media outlets mocked and denigrated the idea … which supporters only said made it even clearer than an event such as they had planned was needed.
The day itself came and went with minimal fanfare and no real fireworks. There were no announced work stoppages, and no industries ground to a halt. But millions of women did participate worldwide, taking joy and confidence in standing in solidarity with other women.
Some, of course, were quick to give Donald Trump the blame for the female uprising. Many of the messages directly addressed Trump and his presidency, while others obliquely referenced the new U.S. President, even in other countries. And it was this correlation that really sent the conversation off the rails.
Trump supporters – especially women – stepped up to counter their “feminist” counterparts, openly bashing them on social media. Flame wars erupted with both sides lobbing accusations like hand grenades. In all of this, message confusion was the order of the day. Instead of a free exchange of ideas, people shouted their perspectives at people they assumed to have perspectives they didn’t agree with. This pushed two sides, which could benefit from working together, further apart.
To bring these disparate sides together, someone will have to craft a message that appeals to core beliefs on both sides… then get them to stop yelling long enough to engage with that message.
William Doonan is a tax law and legal expert in New York.
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