Seemingly in response to the #MeToo movement and the recent conversation about sexual misconduct, a woman identified as @MarlaReynoldsC3 (on a now-deleted Twitter account) posted a short rant on Twitter about her son in the military.
“He is a gentleman who respects women,” said the mother of Pieter Hanson. “He won’t go on solo dates due to the current climate of false sexual accusations by radical feminists with an axe to grind.” Because it's Twitter, this quickly turned into a meme (called the MY son meme) that took over the hashtag.
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. #HimToopic.twitter.com/4DY151a2W7
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) October 9, 2018
This is my son. He’s afraid to be alone with a woman in this current...well, in any climate really. #HimToopic.twitter.com/1l5NrDok13
— T.R. Morley (@TheRealMorley) October 8, 2018
From there, the tweet got back to Hanson, and he responded in the most perfect way. With a photo of himself similar to the original post, Hanson said “That was my Mom [sic]. Sometimes the people we love do things that hurt us without realizing it.”
Sometimes Twitter is amazing. #MeToo#HimToo#IBelieveSurvivorspic.twitter.com/KnrCkIJqlO
— Ronan FarrOhNoSheBetterDont 😡🏳️🌈 (@SJGrunewald) October 9, 2018
Hanson went on to clarify how his position differs from his mother’s, “I respect and #BelieveWomen. I never have and never will support #HimToo.” Hanson even complimented the memes that spinoff from the tweet once it started trending.
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
Hanson’s brother, Jon Hanson, also got involved in the drama. He posted a picture of the family calling his mother’s tweet “ridiculous.”
My brother is trending on twitter because of my moms ridiculous tweet. I’m a mixture of laughing hard and feeling bad for him. #HimToopic.twitter.com/YG93x9ikii
— Jon Hanson (@DancinJonHanson) October 9, 2018
Since going viral, Hanson has used his Twitter power to post pictures of his cats and encourage donations to Make-a-Wish America and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.