Odd Man IN

This is a baseball analogy that (hopefully) explains why you can't respond to the #MeToo movement with "NOT ALL MEN", because sometimes we (men) learn things from baseball.

First of all, let's assume you really are a good guy. You don't abuse or even harass women. You never have and you never will. Good for you. That's a pretty easy-to-meet minimum standard, but it counts. You ARE a good guy and the horrific experiences that inspired the #MeToo movement don't apply to you as an individual. Awesome.

But you're not exempt from taking a share of the heat currently coming down, because you are part of a team. And your team kinda sucks right now, at least in this area.

Let's say you're a Major League Baseball player and you're very good. You hit .346 with 21 home runs and 81 runs batted in, plus you're an exceptional fielder and you routinely deliver in clutch situations. This means you're very good because this means you're Jose Altuve.

And he's very good.

The problem is you play for a bad team. It's a team that has had significant success in the past and is not without charm and other positive attributes but has also struggled quite a bit over the years and is not doing well right now. Basically, you play for the New York Mets. Your team is lousy because they're stocked with lousy players. Not all of them of course. there's you and a few other guys who are pretty good. But enough lousy ones to safely say the team itself is lousy. And the results in the standings bear that out.

Sorry.

In this scenario, your team has just been swept at home in a three-game series. Last place, 15 games out first. Lousy pitching, dumb fielding errors, non-existent offense. Could have won all three, didn't come close to winning one.
Not you, though. You were a stud! You went 5-for-12 (.416) with two homers. It's no wonder you're the one kids look up to. Kids should look up to you. But the team you're on still stinks. The media points that out every day and most of the fans agree. Is it appropriate for you to call a press conference to point out what a great season you're having and how it's not your fault the team stinks? Of course not. You wouldn't do that because only an asshole would do that.

For one thing, it's just not a good look. Nobody likes the guy on a team who draws individual attention to himself, even if it's merited. You can be Jose Altuve on the New York Mets, but it's not okay for you to point out that you're Jose Altuve and they're the New York Mets.

For another, that doesn't help your team get better and that's what needs your attention right now. You need to get the rest of these clowns on your level. That may be difficult, it might not even be possible. But it's what you need to do, even if people continue to say mean things as you try to do so. Like it or not, you're a member of this team. Their sucking may be sucking you down with them but you're part of it. Pointing out that the criticism directed at your team doesn't apply to you helps nobody.

By all means, keep being Jose Altuve, but try to get your teammates to stop being so New York Mets-ish.

I hope this helps. Have fun out there. Good hustle.