Advocates of the powerful social justice movement have no patience for Penn questioning it.
Sean Penn incited the very rage of the #MeToo movement that he's been afraid of.
The actor's name became a trending topic on Twitter Monday after he appeared on the "Today" show and stumbled into a conversation with Natalie Morales about the social justice movement, which he said he's "very suspicious of," and said it's "largely shouldered by a kind of receptacle of the salacious," since sexual misconduct allegations are often hard to prove.
NBC/Today
Sean Penn Says 'Spirit' Of #MeToo Is To 'Divide' Men and Women
View Story"I don't want it to be a trend, and I'm very suspicious of a movement that gets glommed on to in great stridency and rage and without nuance," Penn said. "And even when people try to discuss it in a nuanced way, the nuance itself is attacked. I think it's too black and white. In most things that are very important, it's really good to just slow down."
MeToo advocates, including many men, disagree. Strongly.
Comedian and actress Whitney Cummings tweeted, "Hey Sean Penn, #MeToo isn't about 'dividing men and women.' Spacey preyed on boys, Terry Crews was assaulted by a man, and 100,000 boys worldwide have been assaulted by male priests. This is about any kind of abuse of power. Bye, dude."
Others pointed toward the allegations of domestic abuse during his 4-year marriage to Madonna in the 1980s.
See how the actor is being shredded by critics below:
Hey Sean Penn, #metoo isn't about “dividing men and women.” Spacey preyed on boys, @terrycrews was assaulted by a man, and 100,000 boys worldwide have been assaulted by male priests. This is about any kind of abuse of power. Bye, dude.
@WhitneyCummings
Sean Penn should have just sat there and ate his food. https://t.co/U7YdYmE6hO
@MatthewACherry
Madonna was hospitalized in the 80s after Sean Penn hit her with a baseball bat, so his thoughts on Me Too are super relevant and necessary.
@missmayn
Well Sean Penn is a well documented abuser, so one can easily understand why an abuser would not be supportive of the #MeToo movement. https://t.co/ncv4M77QEL
@Rrrrnessa
Does Sean Penn know that anyone can google "sean penn assault?"
@dantelfer
Sean Penn referring to the #MeToo movement as a "kind of receptacle of the salacious" makes him a literal dumpster fire. Men like Penn discrediting the accusations of women only serves to undercut and disenfrachise women everywhere, not just those in his celebrity bubble. pic.twitter.com/s6LotAA9Z5
@MAlexLongoria
Sean Penn has a new show out, and I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is where guys like him and Norm feel like their best way to promote their New Thing is to saunter out and slag women and the victims of #MeToo. Maybe just don't?
@ChuckWendig
The only thing #MeToo separates is abusers from victims.
@scottEweinberg
Here's more on Sean Penn's past treatment of women.https://t.co/0xcqzqoxbd
Sean Penn is really going out of his way to let everyone know he's terrified of his past being scrutinized.
@maggieserota
Yes Sean, it's dividing rapists, abusers, harassers and their apologists from (united) women. Isn't that great? #MeToo https://t.co/hV8QZdwAoL
@SophieRunning
What a surprise that a man who once assaulted a woman feels this way. Can Sean Penn just fuck off to space already? https://t.co/ySYBERYjGm
@clementine_ford
Sean Penn thinks the #MeToo movement is too "black and white." Black and white like never spending a single dollar on anything you ever do again, Sean? That kind of black and white?
@shannoncoulter
Sean Penn will now be replaced by Christopher Plummer. pic.twitter.com/I5XjP5zGwM
@coolghost101
Getty
