Why Clare's storyline is so important
And why people should get over any personal beef they have with Clare and realize that this storyline is WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHY YOU HATE CLARE.
I get it, people donāt like Clare for what sheās done in the past. I am not one of those people. I love Clare, I will always love her, I will always defend her, and I will not apologize for that. And letās get this straight, if you hate Clare, fine. Even if you donāt have a valid reason, whatever. But your hate cannot override the fact that THIS IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
First point: The legal definition of sexual harassment is āunwelcomeĀ verbal, visual, or physicalĀ conduct of a sexual natureĀ that isĀ severe or pervasiveĀ andĀ affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment.ā
UNWELCOME PHYSICAL CONDUCT OF A SEXUAL NATURE. Asher kisses Clare. A kiss is a physical act that can be of a sexual nature. Asher kisses Clare unexpectedly, obvious by the way Clare pushes him away and runs away. UNWELCOME. This is sexual harassment. It is against the law.Ā AND SHE IS A MINOR.
Second point: Clare is described as being āobsessed with Asherā which makes people think that she brings it upon herself. NO. She is not obsessed with Asher because she wants him or she thinks heās cute. NO. She is obsessed with Asher because he is her teacher, mentor, and the one who can make or break her career. As of right before the kiss, she was amazed at how much she was learning from him. She learns to become a better journalist WHICH IS HER DREAM. Sheās obsessed with him because she wants the job he has. Obsessing over him does not give Asher the right to kiss her and make her feel uncomfortable.Ā
Third point: This storyline is not about Eli. SO QUIT BRINGING HIM UP. āI hope Eli kills himā āI hope this doesnāt upset Eliā āI hope this doesnāt mess up Eclareā NO. Stop. This is about CLARE. Yes, Eliās all about getting into NYU, but he has no idea what is going on when heās not around. And donāt judge him after that sneak peek. He doesnāt know what happened to Clare and do you think he would automatically assume that Clareās been harassed? Yes, Eli shouldāve seen that something was not right with Clare but Clare has always been the person who tries to fix everything before the people around her gets hurt. Clareās not going to let Eli see her upset. Because thatās the kind of person she is.
Fourth point: The Degrassi fanbase on Tumblr isnāt overreacting. Donāt say that we are because we are not. Seeing a character (any character at all) out of their comfort zone, taken advantage of, and harassed, is difficult. We as fans feel for the characters we love or maybe even hate. And speaking for myself, I love Clare so much and the fact that someone has harassed her makes me sick to my stomach and Iām not going to lie here, I cried watching that scene. I cried watching the promo. I know I will be in tears tomorrow and donāt tell me that Iām overreacting because Clare has a special place in my heart. This storyline is so personal to me so donāt tell me that Iām overreacting.
Fifth point: The car scene. Someone had the audacity to say that Clare couldāve gotten out of the car? Watch the newest promo. Obviously not. She tried to leave and couldnāt. And she gets threatened by Asher. Also, why is she in the car with Asher? I donāt know nor am I going to pretend to know. But that still donāt give Asher the right to touch her and hold her against her will.
Final point: Harassment comes in different situations and this time, itās from someone Clare trusted and admired. This storyline teaches us to recognize the forms of harassment, whether it be the physical, emotional, or sexual kind. Physical harrassment is Clare being held against her will in the car. Emotional harassment is when Asher threatens her. Sexual harassment is when Asher kisses her. Learn to recognize them. Some people may not realize harassment when they see it. Learn from this. This isnāt just for Clareās character development. Itās for us too. So donāt just write this storyline off. Donāt hate it just because itās Clare. Because itās important to know.
Laugh at me all you want for writing all of this. If you donāt know me, you wouldnāt know that I spend time reviewing Degrassi episodes and writing analyses about Degrassi. But the fact that I see hate and jokes and ignorant comments about this important storyline sickens me and I need to talk about it. I donāt respond to the hate of most things in the DTC because honestly I feel like I would waste my time if I did try to respond to all the kinds of hate but this needs to be said.
Hate Clare all you want but if thereās a few things you need to learn from this post itās this:
Clare is not overreacting.
Clare does not deserve this, not matter how much you think she does.
Sexual harassment is against the law.