In the wake of women survivors of sexual assault and harassment uniting and exposing their assailants across industries, #MeToo has become one of the most resonant rallying cries of the social media era. The term is a simple affirmation of solidarity with other women who have too long felt like they had to be silent about abuse by powerful men like Harvey Weinstein, Russell Simmons and too many more. The movement is one of the most important stories of the moment and recently took precedence at the Golden Globes with an all-black protest against sexual assault.
It would seem like everyone not living under a rock would understand the movement and advocate for it, but leave it to Floyd Mayweather to show us otherwise. In a recent interview with Mens Health, Mayweather offered his understanding of the #MeToo term:
We’re asking a lot of men, in light of the #MeToo movement, how men can grow in 2018.
Mayweather: The who?
The #MeToo movement. Women speaking out about sexual assault.
Mayweather: When you say “me too” … When somebody is like, “I got a Rolls Royce, I be like ‘me too.’” When somebody say they got a private jet, I say, “Me too. I got two. Me too.”
This is a very different —
Mayweather: Well, I didn’t know! My Me Too movement from the beginning was whenever somebody said what they have I’m like, “me too.” Somebody say they got a billion dollars, I say, “I made a billion dollars, me too.”
It seems like Mayweather primarily interprets the term in the style-stealing context that the Clipse spoke of on their 2006 “Mr. Me Too” single. It’s not a surprise that Mayweather – who has been convicted of domestic violence in the past – would be in the dark about a movement spearheaded by women intolerant of disrespect.