This vet surprised everyone after his Mom turned him into an accidental poster boy for the #HimToo movement.
If you were on Twitter on Monday you may have seen an incredibly popular meme going around mocking supporters of the #HimToo movement, which claims that men have stopped dating out of fear of facing a false accusation of sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era.
Yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.
One tweet in particular went viral after a Mom posted this (since deleted) message to her account, claiming that her proud Navy son was a victim of the women’s rights cultural movement:
“This is MY son. He graduated #1 in boot camp. He was awarded the USO award. He was #1 in A school. He is a gentleman who respects women. He won’t go on solo dates due to the current climate of false sexual accusations by radical feminists with an axe to grind. I VOTE. #HimToo.”
The tweet instantly went viral but not for the reasons the Mom had hoped. Instead, a number of people created hilarious memes mocking the idea that men are somehow the real victim of the #MeToo movement.
But no one was more surprised than Pieter Hanson, the Navy veteran and “gentleman who respects women,” featured in his Mom’s original tweet.
You see, Hanson was in class when the Tweet went viral and only found out about it after his image has been shared hundreds of thousands of times across social media.
Worst of all, nothing his Mom said was true.
“It doesn’t represent me at all,” Hanson told the Washington Post. “I love my mom to death, but boy . . . I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this.”
By late Monday night, Hanson had changed his own personal Twitter account name to “That was my Mom” and shared the following message with those curious as to whether he was really some #HimToo proponent:
That was my Mom. Sometimes the people we love do things that hurt us without realizing it. Let’s turn this around.… https://t.co/6EtIs9dyQJ— Pieter Hanson (@Pieter Hanson) 1539059764.0
“Sometimes the people we love do things that hurt us without realizing it. Let’s turn this around. I respect and #BelieveWomen. I never have and never will support #HimToo. I’m a proud Navy vet, Cat Dad and Ally.”
It’s a shame his Mom accidentally turned her innocent son into a cruel meme that broadcasts the worst aspects of a culture that marginalizes sexual violence against women.
But as Hanson himself noted, it’s turned into a chance for him to show the real story -- one in which this strong, proud and decent man is everything his Mom wants him to be: someone that listens to, respects and believes women.
This is MY son. He graduated #1 from the University of Flavortown. He was awarded three banging fajita poppers. He… https://t.co/FrIbu4IP9n— Mike Drucker (@Mike Drucker) 1539047069.0
This is my son. He’s a large adult holding an enormous gun. Sometimes he kills elephants for fun. Is he even divorc… https://t.co/jKTZSM9jva— Molly Jong-Fast (@Molly Jong-Fast) 1539045610.0
This is MY son. He graduated #1 in Army. He is a gentleman who respects women. He won't go on solo dates due to the… https://t.co/phyrrJRivt— Dana Schwartz (@Dana Schwartz) 1539039350.0