Gregory K. Moffatt, Ph.D.
It started with Harvey
Weinstein. If you haven’t been following the news in the past few months,
Weinstein has been a Hollywood producer and power broker for decades.
Allegations began appearing in the media in October that he had sexually harassed
and/or abused numerous actresses over the course of his career.
Since that time, dozens of
male actors and politicians have also been accused of similar acts by one or
more women. It is as if the floodgates have been opened and victims
finally have a voice that didn’t exist previously.
Since the days of Bill
Clinton’s candidacy, there has been a politicized version of whether or not a
woman should be believed. Clinton’s multiple accusers were predictably
supported by Republicans and literally trashed by Democrats. Eventually,
they went away – either through settled lawsuits or the microphones that were
no longer in front of them en masse.
But even those allegations
have resurfaced and both sides of the political aisle have joined the chorus of
“a woman should be believed.” As it should be.
But as I watch the
outpouring of various accusations, some from decades ago, I’m also torn.
On the one hand, I’m glad these victims are now empowered to finally speak out
against these powerful men who could have made or broken their careers and
reputations and who took advantage of their own power.
Many of these victims
probably saw what happened to Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones, and Juanita
Brodderick. One of the most notorious responses from a Clinton defender
was, “Drag a hundred dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what
you’ll find.” Outrageous.
On the other hand, there
appears to be confusion between accusation and conviction. Judge Roy
Moore, candidate in Alabama for the U.S. Senate, has been accused by several
individuals. Based solely on those allegations, political rivals have
called for him to get out of the race. Even some of his Republican
detractors scarcely waited for the ink to dry on the first story about him
before calling for him to get out.
I’m not
defending him or any other accused individual. If they are guilty, as
Weinstein apparently has admitted, it is time to hang up their professional
hats. But Moore adamantly denies these charges. This race to fill
the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions is a political hot potato and many people
have major political motivation to alter facts or completely fabricate stories
in a Senate only marginally held by Republicans.
There is
no doubt that sometimes men are falsely accuse of sexual assault or rape.
The FBI puts that percentage at about 8%. That is why we have courts of
law. This is not the 1700s where the mere accusation of being a witch –
bolstered by public outrage – is all that is needed to convict.
I realize
there may be statute of limitations on many of these allegations and that
criminal prosecution may be impossible. But if we allow the impulsive
reactions in the court of public opinion to destroy individuals, who of us is
safe? Today men are targets. Perhaps tomorrow it will be another
set of accuser with a new set of targets and allegations.
I have
had to discuss this situation with my son. It is a very dangerous time to
be a male. Title IX requires colleges to look into all accusations of
sexual assault on campuses. “That means, son, any sexual behavior, even
if you think it is consensual, could come back to haunt you in the form of a
rape charge.” That is very scary and doesn’t even include the possibility
of totally fabricated, vengeful allegations by a rejected girlfriend.