With the recent news over allegations of sexual assault, more people are coming out with their own personal stories. Unlike before, in which allegations would simply just go away, now with the ease of technology, people have the chance for their voices to be heard. But what comes along afterwards does adds an extra factor for the victims. That extra factor is proving whether or not that sexual misconduct actually happened. According to Jaclyn Friedman, a victim of sexual harassment, “I absolutely think it would feel empowering. It would also be terrifying. The reason I don't do it is because I expect that if I named either of them I would be sued”. How do you think victims of sexual harassment should react to this? Why do you think that these people (especially celebrities) that have committed sexual misconduct been able to get away for so long?
NPR
10 comments:
I think that sexual harassment perpetrators have been able to get away with their crimes because of the power and authority they hold. Most of the stories of sexual harassment we have heard, have been of actresses who are relatively new in the industry, making them appear vulnerable to well established actors, directors, and other perpetrators. Some of the ways that these people maintain or display their power, is through means such as "suing" or threatening to destroy the career of someone. Thus, young actresses are much more unlikely to speak out because they want to keep their job and not look unfavorable to other well-established professionals who may be in accordance with the perpetrator. I think that women and men need to continue reporting the harassments they have faced in order to create intolerance for sexual harassment a norm in our country.
To me it seems like the sexual harassment allegations that came out about Donald Trump before the elections set off a whole series of allegations about multiple famous people. First it was Trump, then it was Harvey Weinstein, now the whole Hollywood community is under scrutiny for multiple sexual assault allegations, the most recent member being the actor Kevin Spacey. I was very saddened to hear that Spacey was a part of this because he is such a great actor and his Netflix show 'House of Cards' was one of my favorite shows to binge watch, and now they won't be continuing its production. It is also unfortunate that many sexual allegations can't be proven because they're just one person's word against another. There is definitely a danger in coming out to the media as a victim of sexual harassment because many people think that it's a publicity stunt or that they're just trying to throw a colleague under the bus. What I've noticed is that the media focuses on these stories for a few days, maybe a few weeks, and then they go on to the next story without anything being done except maybe an apology from the accused person. Legally, an apology does not cut it for sexual assault. A criminal does not get out of prison because they say they're sorry. I think that another part of the reason why many celebrities get away with nodding off sexual assault allegations is that people don't view sexual harassment as a serious problem, which most likely results from their subconsciously sexist opinions. In this way, I would consider these failed allegations to be due to a sort of 'de facto' discrimination against women that has been nailed into the minds of Americans, as well as people around the world, for centuries.
Taking legal action against sexual harassment is a very important issue. Often times, it is very challenging to prove sexual harassment, especially if it is not a rape allegation. However, just because it is challenging doesn't mean its a topic that should be ignored. I think our justice system should continue to search for a way to punish sexual predators. I am very glad that more victims are coming forward and addressing their assaulters because right now, one of the biggest issues to why rape and sexual assault go unpunished is because most incidents go unreported for a multitude of reasons. As a society, we should continue to support victims who come out and talk about their experiences, so in the future, more people feel comfortable reaching out for help after a traumatic event. Also, I think the more that big-name movie stars and public figures are held accountable for their wrongdoings, the more people begin to realize how big of an issue this really is, and hopefully we can move into a time in which sexual assault and rape are less prevalent (although it will definitely take a lot more work and time before this happens).
This is such as sad reality where sexual harassment perpetrators have been able to get away with these horrible crimes and continue to commit them because of their social status, wealth, and power above others. I completely agree with the point Emily made above about why these well-known people such as movie directors and politicians are able to get away with these actions by threatening and causing fear in their victims in terms of their careers or legality-wise. In the NPR article, you linked, there are accounts of women like Beth, who cannot speak up even if they want to because of the non-disclosure settlements that they were forced to sign as a part of a severance pay. I think it is sick that these people just throw money around and think that it forgives or solves everything. And I think that it is cases like Brock Turner's case and even the accusations made against President Trump, where the consequences of their actions in no way match the severity of the crimes they have committed and the damage they have inflicted on their victim, that portray this message to the world that these acts are okay if you are a celebrity or a powerful person; that you can get away with these actions. I mean a tape was released to the world where Trump bragged that "when you're a star, they let you do it... you can do anything," this is a horrible message that was vindicated when next to nothing was done to Trump and I mean, he even became our President.
On the other hand, I think that it is hopeful that more and more victims are coming out and feeling safer about sharing their stories with the world through powerful movements such as #metoo.
Usually sexual harassment comes from those of great power and influence. This means the victims cannot do anything about it without being attacked by people who were paid by the harasser or by those who think that the harasser did nothing wrong. However, there are influential people who were also harassed but was not able to talk about it. A prime example is Terry Crews who was able to explain what happened at an event last year. Crews was not able to do anything because he believed that people would think it was his fault because of his race. So, the harassers target those that are in a weaker position than them. This weaker position could be due to social, racial, or financial backgrounds.
I agree with Alex that the fact that often people in power can get away with these accusations (some even proven acts) because the victims can be harrassed or judged by other workers. In addition, I think that celebrities’ fans themselves can be part of the issue. Often times, fans will defend a celebrity or attack the victim or beg the victim to forgive the accused (I always remember how Chris Brown’s fans still continue to say he is innocent and attack Rihanna). Fans may attempt to ruin a victim’s image and this leaves the victim with an even greater fear of not being believed than if the accused was a random person. It is positive that more and more victims are sharing their stories though, which is an extremely difficult thing to do. Especially when the accused is a powerful (or public) figure and as Julia mentioned, can get people to sign non-disclosure agreements.
I agree with what Claire said. It is true that fans get in the way of a case, and can change a story and turn it completely around. Sexual harassment is super controversial because it is always a two-sided story, with many elements to it. People of power can often manipulate the story, or find a way to hide their past with either money, or something to keep the victim quiet. Since sexual harassment does have so many elements to it, it is always hard for a victim to come forward with what really happened while having to go against someone who can buy them out, or make them look bad to the public.
I believe that celebrities have gotten away with this is because I think that they think that they can get away with things like this. Since they think they are special, they think they can do whatever they want. Victims should react by telling others to stand out and talk what they've been through, and what they should do in order for them to get justice.
I agree with Arjun in the way that I also think celebrities have thought they can do whatever they want and get away with it. I think the amount of sexual harassment and abuse in Hollywood is particularly alarming, but I also wonder if this is more common in other, everyday situations as well. Harassers and abusers in Hollywood now have a spotlight on them, and while this is good, I think more attention needs to be drawn to more "regular" situations, ones that aren't related to celebrities. I would think victims would be happy to see these people finally being held accountable for their actions, but as the article states, the tricky part is having to prove it. I think proof may be needed in order to avoid people being falsely accused, but this could be a problem if too many people disregard victims simply because they don't have hard proof.
It isn't the responsibility of those who have been mistreated to come forward, because that can also be traumatizing and overwhelming. Though the process of coming forward may feel empowering to some, it is frightening for others. Celebrities have gotten by for so long because so many people don't want to believe such negative things from people they care about and look up to, therefore making sexual assault claims heard less. At this point, though, so many people have come forward through social media that it is impossible for companies to continue to support celebrities with sexual assault records.
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