Watching the Jian Ghomeshi situation blow up has been interesting on a few different levels. During discussions with other people, I’ve come to realize that it has brought to light several disturbing and complicated situations for both men and women. At the same time, however, they’re issues that concern everyone, though there are no easy solutions.
In situations such as Ghomeshi’s, it’s easy to see how public opinion can shift and turn on anyone as quick as a dime. To avoid compounding this culture of baseless blame, it would be ideal if society would allow judgment to remain in the courtroom. However, shining a light on wrongdoing can also aid voiceless victims who can’t fight in court. Simply put, the court of public opinion can be a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, women are in an empowered position that encourages them to speak out and publicly accuse anyone that physically or sexually abuses them. On the other hand, recent situations such as Ghomeshi’s, Roman Polanski’s, or Woody Allen’s have proven that if you’re accusing a beloved public figure of rape, you’d be safer keeping your mouth shut.
The women in these situations have been threatened with rape and death, harassed, and bullied, all because they spoke up about their celebrity assaulter. If said public figures such as Ghomeshi put up even a slightly plausible defence, a woman stands almost no chance. The fickle public often turns on the accuser herself, claiming she’s making it all up just to profit from the celebrity. But how does she profit? The only thing she gains is scorn and death threats. Fortunately, in this most recent situation with Ghomeshi, enough women spoke up that it soon became difficult to refute. Nevertheless, the truth is that women who want to accuse a public figure of sexual assault (or something else) must first undergo a public trial by fire and scornful scrutiny.
So how does one defend one’s self against these risks while still ensuring the assaulter doesn’t get away scot-free? Many have decided to remain anonymous when speaking up about their experiences. While this offers them some protection against a vicious public, it weakens their accusation. By choosing to remain anonymous, it causes more doubt for the public in the same manner a username does for online critics. How can we trust what a person says if they won’t show their identity? What’s to stop anyone from coming forward and making a false accusation? When an accusation is made, more credit is given when the accuser is willing to stand behind it by putting her name on the line. Unfortunately, doing so also puts her in danger. It’s a catch-22.
To compound this culture of mistrust, there are people out there who do exactly what these female victims are accused of doing: falsifying rape accusations. For example, in December of last year, a woman named Joanie Faircloth went online and claimed singer-songwriter Conor Oberst raped her. Her accusation went viral, Oberst denied it, sued her for libel, and won. Turns out she had been lying. While on the one hand, Oberst had every right to defend his reputation, it also creates the possibility that women will be further intimidated from accusing their rapist if it means they might get sued. It’s a costly chance to take, especially when so many of these accusations turn into he said-she said situations. So what recourse is there for both men and women? None but the ones seen so far.
Situations like these are exactly what make it so difficult for women such as Ghomeshi’s alleged victims to speak up. On the one hand, suggesting a woman might be lying could stray dangerously close to victim blaming and persecution. On the other hand, not saying anything could mean that the occasional false rape accusation might slip through.
The one thing that’s certain here is that regardless of the situation, these cases are too murky to try and settle through public opinion. Without knowing all the facts, it’s obvious that no one should jump on the blame train, no matter where that train is headed. Either a person’s reputation becomes irreparably damaged, or a victim’s ordeal will be compounded.
MJ
