Which witch-hunt?

We have to avoid a witch-hunt.

That's what I keep reading. It's been said by many about the sex-scandal in Westminster. It's been said in response to the Toby Young fiasco. Catherine Deneuve and Liam Neeson have both used the term this week about the Hollywood allegations. No doubt the indignants will be saying it already about John Humphrys.
And it makes me madder than ever.
Ironically, the term itself - “witch-hunt” - has links with misogyny in this country. It may historically be the case that worldwide, men as well as women, have been persecuted as witches, but in the British Isles it was traditionally women. Difficult women. Argumentative women. Intelligent women. Women who refused to submit to normal sterotypes. Women healers. Call them a witch and burn them.
How the tables have turned. Now women are gaining the confidence of solidarity, largely through the power of social media, to draw attention to the various forms of sexism that still exist in our society – indeed, still direct it. Men who sexually harrass women are being named. The astounding #metoo hashtag showed us exactly how prevalent the issue is, both now and in recent decades. Similarly, the “softer” forms of male-chauvinism, such as the gender pay gap are increasingly being highlighted across the UK, in private enterprise and even in the dear old BBC itself. How utterly typical then that even this, the mirror held up to patriarchal society, is being turned into a reason for undermining women, for sneering at their hurt and their anger. A reason to pity men. Don't turn it into a witch-hunt. Poor, innocent, defenceless men being vindictively attacked by women.
So John Humphrys has been caught out laughing at the gender pay gap. He's apparently incredulous that an impudent woman might be suggesting that her male peers could give up their gender-premium and share it with equally qualified, equally hard-working, equally intelligent, equally informed and equally skilled female co-workers. Of course he now brushes it away as mere banter with a friend. Is that the same sort of banter that led Donald Trump to boast he could “grab them by the pussy?” Is it the same sort of banter in which Toby Young so playfully indulged as he tweeted of his TV co-host Padma Lakshmi, “actually, mate, I had my dick up her arse”. Interesting how they all use the same defence – it was just banter, joking, playful chat with a friend.
Why should we care whether it was carefully chosen words or “just banter”? Either way, the belief-system to which they subscribe is revealed in their words and actions. If John Humphrys thinks pay inequality is hilarious when bantering with a friend, then that's what he thinks, full stop. And if that's what he thinks, how are his colleagues ever to hope for equality of respect and reward?
Frankly, women have had enough of it. We are sick to the back teeth of it. We are not interested in taking over the world from men. We simply wish to share it. Equally. We don't want to assert the superiority of women over men. We want to be recognised as equally valuable and worthy of respect. We don't want to repress men or falsely victimise all men on the basis of sterotypes. We don't want men to stop making romantic advances. We want to draw attention to the chauvinists precisely so that the nice guys can flourish.
Once again, it has to be emphasised that not all men are guilty of this behaviour. Of course they are not. Nor do I see the decent and honourable men objecting to feminism. They are standing shoulder to shoulder with the women they respect and love and they too are saying “enough”.

So no, this is not a witch-hunt. This isn't a search for “the other” whose existence threatens frail egos because it doesn't match the norms of society. It isn't a sadistic killing-spree to indulge the blood-lust of the mob. It is a long-overdue drawing of a line between the past and the future. At the end of the day what we are asking for is breathtakingly modest – just stop treating women as inferior to men. That's it. You'd be amazed at how much freedom to conduct life-as-normal that still allows.

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