It’s okay to call men out on their ignorance, even the nice guys.
A viral clip of actress Saoirse Ronan silencing fellow actors Paul Mescal and Eddie Redmayne on The Graham Norton Show sparked a mass conversation about male privilege. Particularly, even men perceived as kind and respectful can lack awareness of their privilege.
Following the show, the Internet was quick to praise Ronan for speaking up, but directed equal disappointment at the male stars in the room for how their behaviour was a departure from their “nice guy” personas.
In an earlier segment, Redmayne spoke about the physical training he underwent for his assassin role in an mini-series, The Day of The Jackal. He proceeded to talk about several self-defense techniques he learned, one of which involved using your phone as a defense weapon against an attacker.
It wasn’t long before the phone was turned into the butt of a joke.
While the male stars joked about the unlikelihood of using a phone, of all objects, to fend off an attacker, Ronan’s interjection highlights self-defense as something “girls have to think about all the time.”
Women over the Internet resonated with Ronan’s visible discomfort leading up to that moment, especially as the only woman on the . Being outnumbered and feeling like their perspective is overlooked is a more than common experience women face every day.
Everyone comes from different backgrounds and privileges: it’s not inherently bad but it leads to unawareness of other people’s lived experience.
For celebrities, especially male celebrities, making jokes in poor taste, is unfortunately nothing new. From certain figures, we even expect it. Yet, it never fails to shock us when “nice guy” celebrities make ignorant comments, even if they weren’t intended to harm anyone.
We, the fans, play a role in feeding into the positive personas of actors like Mescal and Redmayne. It’s hard not to when the media and the roles these men play frame them as progressive, modern, and likable. In this day, dressing a certain way or demonstrating an ounce of respect to a female co-star can earn male celebrities a positive reputation.
Yet, when we give them so much credit for being respectful or so-called feminists, seeing a different side to them opens doors to inevitable disappointment. When we idolize celebrities, we let our guard down and excuse subpar behaviours that perhaps would benefit from more ability.
This interaction trivializes women’s fear of getting attacked. With traditional self-defense weapons, like pepper spray being banned in Canada, it’s fully within the realm of possibility for women to use any object on their person should the need for self-defense arise.
Ronan’s calm handling of the situation brings visibility to an overlooked discrepancy in male and female experiences. Hopefully, it gives men something to take away.
It’s a privilege to move through the world without the underlying fear of being targeted or attacked. For women, safety isn’t concerned with what’s realistic, but about being cautious and resourceful; when your life’s on the line, there’s no such thing as a silly weapon.
—Journal Editorial Board
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