The internet can be a very cruel place. People get a lot of confidence when there’s a screen between them and whoever they’re talking to, meaning some vicious things can be said without a second thought.
No one knows this better than literally any public figure, who receive a lot of unfounded ire. Actress Anne Hathaway described what she did when she was the subject of an online hate campaign that helped her get through it.
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Anne Hathaway recently gave a touching speech.
She was one of the women honored at ELLE’s Women in Hollywood event earlier this week, alongside the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Yeoh, and Issa Rae.
During her speech , she recalled an era of her life during which she received a lot of hate.
This was around her first Oscar win in 2013.
She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Fantine in the cinematic production of Les Misérables , something a lot of people were apparently very mad about.
So much so, that a hashtag about hating her went viral.
Titled #HathaHate, the tag was flooded with disdain for the actress and her victory. Having thousands of posts dedicated to how much people hate you would be a tough thing for anyone to deal with.
During her speech, she explained how she powered through it.
“Ten years ago, I was given an opportunity to look at the language of hatred from a new perspective,” she said, “For context—this was a language I had employed with myself since I was 7. And when your self-inflicted pain is suddenly somehow amplified back at you at, say, the full volume of the internet… It’s a thing.”
She refused to let the negativity linger anywhere near her.
“When what happened, happened, I realized I had no desire to have anything to do with this line of energy. On any level. I would no longer create art from this place. I would no longer hold space for it, live in fear of it, nor speak its language for any reason. To anyone. Including myself.”
She then made an important distinction.
“Because there is a difference between existence and behavior, you can judge behavior,” she said, “You can forgive behavior or not. But you do not have the right to judge—and especially not hate—someone for existing.”
“And if you do, you’re not where it’s at.”
She went on to explain that she firmly believes that “we are born experiencing love. And then we form, in a culture of misplaced hate, unhealed hurt, and the toxicity that is the byproduct of both.”
She also has faith that those who do hate can change.
As she put it, “the good news about hate being learned is that whoever learned it can learn.”
“There is a brain there. I hope they give themselves a chance to relearn love.”
Also, given the event, she put an emphasis on supporting women in their accomplishments.
“Be happy for women. Period,” she said, “Especially be happy for high-achieving women. Like, it’s not that hard.”
Her speech was touching, beautifully worded, and a reminder to all that hate should never win!
h/t: ENews
