Pieter Hanson, whose mother’s “MY son” tweet went viral and prompted an onslaught of memes over the weekend, told the Washington Post he was disoriented and mortified when he found out that he’d become the poster boy of the #HimToo movement online.
“It doesn’t represent me at all,” Hanson told the Post. “I love my mom to death, but boy. … I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this.”
Hanson’s mother claimed in a tweet, featuring a photo of her son in his Navy uniform, that Hanson was afraid to go on solo dates “due to the current climate of false sexual accusations.” The #HimToo hashtag has been trending in recent days as Trump and others within his party go on the offensive over the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation, suggesting men are living in precarious times because of the #MeToo movement.
“This is MY son,” she wrote. “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, which Hanson found out about while he was taking a marketing test, according to the Post, triggered an expected degree of mockery online.
This is MY son. He graduated #1 from the University of Flavortown. He was awarded three banging fajita poppers. He was #1 in flamin' hot crunch. He won't go on solo dates due to the current climate of false accusations of taking the last slice of pizza. I VOTE. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/4DY151a2W7
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) October 9, 2018
This is my son. He’s a large adult holding an enormous gun. Sometimes he kills elephants for fun. Is he even divorced yet? He thinks he’s the future of the Republican Party. He once dmed with Julian Assange. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/7Lt3EyDyI4
— Molly Jong☠️Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 9, 2018
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 current climate of false sexual accusations by radical feminists with an axe to grind. I VOTE. #HimToo pic.twitter.com/sZYQyg72of
— No Dana, only Zuul Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) October 8, 2018
This is MY son. He just sits there; afraid to do ANYTHING in this current climate of false allegations ☹️ #himtoo pic.twitter.com/3bCgHJKqyC
— Chris (@swellpalchris) October 8, 2018
Hanson, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, told the Post he doesn’t support the #HimToo movement and thinks of himself as an ally of those who have come forward in the #MeToo era. In response to his mother’s tweet, which has since been deleted, Hanson created his own Twitter account, with a profile image that mocked the Navy picture his mom tweeted out, to counter the narrative. His handle is @Thatwasmymom.
He told the Post he wanted to “turn a negative into a positive” and is using the new platform to tweet pictures of his cats and encourage his followers to donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
That was my Mom. 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. Also, Twitter, your meme game is on point. pic.twitter.com/yZFkEjyB6L
— Pieter Hanson (@Thatwasmymom) October 9, 2018
