Ah_Shuh_Lee

So follow? :)

shyesplease

So follow? :)

shyesplease

So follow? :)

shyesplease

So follow? :)

shyesplease

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 don’t like Clare for what she’s 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 let’s get this straight, if you hate Clare, fine. Even if you don’t 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 “unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe or pervasive and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment.”

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. AND SHE IS A MINOR.

Second point: Clare is described as being “obsessed with Asher” which makes people think that she brings it upon herself. NO. She is not obsessed with Asher because she wants him or she thinks he’s 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. She’s 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. 

Third point: This storyline is not about Eli. SO QUIT BRINGING HIM UP. “I hope Eli kills him” “I hope this doesn’t upset Eli” “I hope this doesn’t mess up Eclare” NO. Stop. This is about CLARE. Yes, Eli’s all about getting into NYU, but he has no idea what is going on when he’s not around. And don’t judge him after that sneak peek. He doesn’t know what happened to Clare and do you think he would automatically assume that Clare’s been harassed? Yes, Eli should’ve 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. Clare’s not going to let Eli see her upset. Because that’s the kind of person she is.

Fourth point: The Degrassi fanbase on Tumblr isn’t overreacting. Don’t 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 I’m not going to lie here, I cried watching that scene. I cried watching the promo. I know I will be in tears tomorrow and don’t tell me that I’m overreacting because Clare has a special place in my heart. This storyline is so personal to me so don’t tell me that I’m overreacting.

Fifth point: The car scene. Someone had the audacity to say that Clare could’ve gotten out of the car? Watch the newest promo. Obviously not. She tried to leave and couldn’t. And she gets threatened by Asher. Also, why is she in the car with Asher? I don’t know nor am I going to pretend to know. But that still don’t give Asher the right to touch her and hold her against her will.

Final point: Harassment comes in different situations and this time, it’s 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 isn’t just for Clare’s character development. It’s for us too. So don’t just write this storyline off. Don’t hate it just because it’s Clare. Because it’s important to know.

Laugh at me all you want for writing all of this. If you don’t know me, you wouldn’t 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 don’t 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 there’s a few things you need to learn from this post it’s this:

Clare is not overreacting.

Clare does not deserve this, not matter how much you think she does.