ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
(I'm not going to make this a political statement, but I will have a few political mentions here, simply as part of the overall thing. This is all as a forewarning)
Speaking for myself, as several different things (A Disney lover, a center-left individual (aka moderate registered Democrat), and a man who is a committed feminist), I feel that #metoo/Time's Up is necessary and should exist. However, it definitely has problematic blind spots, and is also incomplete because as of yet, it doesn't incorporate the need to root out those who prey upon children.
Simply put, 90 percent of the accounts that have come out since Harvey Weinstein's exposure are clearly accurate and trustworthy, and these individuals deserve whatever is coming to them. But false reports, while they are very rare, are still a real danger (not as much as MRAs exaggerate, but still) and must be guarded against. And allegations must be investigated thoroughly and verified before accepted. It is time for us to stop automatically disbelieving women, but we must also not automatically believe them. Without any chance to dig in the circumstances, these situations will fester. The case of Al Franken is a good example. Franken was denied an opportunity for the investigation that he himself called for, and the Senate Democrats dropped the ball considerably. I do agree that the more accounts there are, as a general rule of thumb, the more likely the charges are, but there's still a chance of being invented. These eight alleged accounts of misconduct didn't have to be created by all these women getting together into a room and meeting and conjuring the stories then and there, as they could very easily have just done so independently. In addition, four of the women have never been identified by name, meaning that they could very well not exist, and the writers of those articles could have simply invented them. Kristen Gillibrand et al should've stuck by Franken and incresed the call for an ethics investigation. Of course, it was ultimately Franken's call to resign, and he very easily could have chosen otherwise, but such a stunning lack of faith doesn't go unnoticed. The fact that we'll never know the truth now is utterly disheartening, and there is little chance that the Democrats' decision moved the needle in a significant manner. (For more about this politically speaking, view my article here: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/7/1722316/-Al-Franken-Democrats-Self-Imposed-Disembowelment)
There's also the very real fact that honest miscommunication can easily be a driving factor in recent allegations. James Franco, for example, has been defended by virtually all his friends as the complete opposite of a predator. But Seth Rogen, Allison Brie, et al's stories were not reported compared to Ally Sheedy and the others' accounts. There's a very good chance that these women are looking at the actions out of context, and the social climate has encouraged them to misread the situation. (It also should not have kept him and The Disaster Artist out of the running for the Oscars. In many ways, it was robbing not only Franco of a crowning glory, but Tommy Wiseau as well, of the ultimate sign that world's greatest and most beloved bad director has well and truly arrived in the mainstream. Coupled with using the allegations to knock Franco out but keeping in Gary Oldman, someone who was charged by his ex-wife of attacking her with a phone and strangling her, to the point that he won Best Actor, it comes across as thoroughly cynical and opportunistic, not to mention selective.) This is also the case regarding the Aziz Ansari story. While there is no doubt that the date was problematic and that he had a hard time grasping the fact that sex was not going to be the outcome, the fact that the woman (who, let me be clear here, had every right to change her mind) would cross some boundaries, like oral and naked cuddling, but not others, would be confusing as hell to anyone. And if the individual is on the autistic spectrum (as Lasseter may possibly be, in addition to a possible alcoholic), then the situation is basically a booby trap. (For more about that element, look here:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/20...m-The-Future-The-Needling-And-The-Damage-Done)
But above all, the biggest problem and blind spot with the movement is its lack of focus on a problem that it is poised to be of great assistance in: the danger of child molestation. But at this moment, Rose McGowan is still on civil and friendly terms with Jeepers Creepers director Victor Salva (who was convicted of child sex offenses long before he made the first film), and she was known to be very dismissive of Corey Feldman, not just for his initial claims, but for his friendship with Michael Jackson. Many of these people have not approached the very real fact that this is an important issue, and that Hollywood is very much protecting individuals like Bryan Singer and Gary Goddard, and of course has their problematic handling of the cases of Roman Polanski and Woody Allen. (After all, what can be said when Judd Apatow basically spent much of two years attacking Bill Cosby with full-throated denunciation, but did not do the same for Woody Allen, as well as help produce Paul Reubens' resurrection of Pee-Wee Herman for Netflix?) Individuals like these are protected, while Michael Jackson, an innocent man who did so much to better the world and bring about much needed change, was raked over the coals over decades of lies, slander and innuendo. (Could the man who wrote this song possibly have committed such vile acts? . For more info about Michael's case, look here at the articles on this informative site: https://vindicatemj.wordpress.com/)
The movement is needed, but it needs to grow and evolve, as well as nail down standards for accepting allegations to ensure innocent people's lives aren't destroyed. Otherwise, hubris and arrogance will surely doom it.
BRAVO, Very well said indeed.
