Since the advent of the Hollywood rape accusation there have been many actors, directors, producers, even journalists accused of sexual assault and even rape. Years before Bill Cosby’s first accusation there were many Hollywood elite that were accused but simply made these accusations disappear. Men in power, such as actors, politicians, and athletes have always believed that they were entitled to many things with this new found power, including sex with the woman of their choosing, whether it was consensual or not.
The common factor in many of these cases was that the women were guilted into believing that what happened was their fault and shamed into silence. It wasn't until Harvey Weinstein and the #metoo movement that women were emboldened to speak their truth. They collectively realised that what happened was not their fault and owe nothing to their attacker by the feeling that they needed to protect their public image.
Before I continue, I need to make it clear that rape is never the victim's fault. It has nothing to do with how the victim dressed, acts, or how drunk or high they are. No always means no. If you ever take advantage of anyone in that situation especially a child, you are a coward and deserve to rot in prison and later in hell. I don't give a fuck if you're the President of The United States, a big shot Hollywood director, a respected actor or a championship athlete. Rape is rape. It's a crimes no matter who you are.
After Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby the accusations came tumbling in. Males and females taken advantage of by people in a position of power. What makes me angry is how people decided to pick and choose who they believe could commit these heinous crimes. For instance, Roy Moore was accused by more than one victim of sexual assault when they were minors, yet people disregarded the accusations as false in order to disrupt his campaign and voted for him anyway. Donald Trump has had numerous accusations over the years, and even was recorded saying he “would grab them by the pussy” and still his base disregarded the victim's and elected him president.
When the accusations towards Bill Cosby were too many to ignore, people were divided into two schools of thinking. There's no way he would do that, he’s Bill Cosby. They're just trying to ruin his legacy. The other half felt that there had to be some credence to the accusations and felt that any investigation would have to be conducted before condemning the accusers or the accused. Many of the other persons accused, especially in the news, promptly stepped down and attempted to make amends. Even since yesterday, Harvey Weinstein has turned himself over to the authorities based on numerous rape accusations. Then today we hear about Morgan Freeman. Almost immediately there is outrage over the news. Not because he may have committed a crime, but because some people feel that someone is trying to besmirch his reputation as a Hollywood icon. No one has considered that these are serious allegations. That the court of public opinion is not here to decide whether or not he is guilty. That’s what the legal system is for. We also cannot disregard the victim. Yes there have been false accusations in the past, but we can't pick and choose when we believe or not.
Hypocrisy - the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform
Sexual assault - is a term that refers to unwanted sexual act against or without a person's consent. This type of assault encompasses more than violent physical incidents-sexual assault refers to any sexual, physical, verbal or visual act that forces a person against their will to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention
National Sexual Assault Hotline
1-800-656-4673
No comments:
Post a Comment