I may be at odds with what some of my conservative counterparts believe, but I think the #MeToo movement has done some really good and important things. But I’ll admit, I may be idealistic in that belief. Helping give women who have been abused the courage to speak out, and holding those who have abused them accountable, is something vital to our society. People should not be allowed to take advantage of other people, no matter how powerful their position or how much money they have.
But I want to believe that the movement is genuine, and not political. Do they indeed believe women when they courageously speak out – even if they tell of being wronged by certain people? People who the leaders of the movement like? People it would be inconvenient to join in a call for justice against?
When several people came forward with allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the main narrative put forward was “believe every woman.” The charge was true, until it was proven not to be true. I don’t agree with that line of thinking at all. I believe the accused is innocent until proven guilty – just as American jurisprudence has embraced since its founding. But still, if that is your modus operandi, then I expect that’s what you’ll stick to.
But then the story of Tara Reade broke, and the movement has begun singing a new tune. Reade accused presumed Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her when she worked for him during his time as US Senator in 1993. Biden is no stranger to controversy when it comes to his treatment of women, but most democrats chalk it up to a harmless grandfather who may say or do things most people would consider inappropriate, but he doesn’t mean to make anyone feel awkward.
Reade’s story got even more credibility last week, when audio surfaced of her mother calling in to Larry King Live after the incident, and asking what recourse her daughter – who worked for a very prominent US Senator – would have, besides going to the press.
“In other words, she had a story to tell but, out of respect for the person she worked for, she didn’t tell it?” King asked.
“That’s true,” she responds.
Now, at this point, I would expect the #MeToo movement to begin loudly demanding an explanation. That they would call for investigations, or even that Biden withdraw. If nothing else, I would assume they would come to the aid of Ms. Reade, and stand up for her. But I haven’t seen that yet.
One of the most well-known leaders of the movement, actress Alyssa Milano, was asked about her silence on the Biden story, as opposed to her open criticism of Justice Kavanaugh.
“We really have to sort of societally change that mindset to believing women,” she said. “But that does not mean at the expense of giving men their due process and investigating situations, and it’s got to be fair in both directions.”
She went on to say, “I just don’t feel comfortable throwing away a decent man that I’ve known for 15 years in this time of complete chaos without there being a thorough investigation.”
So, where are the calls for those investigations? Where the earnestness to get to the bottom of it?
I do not want to believe that something with so much potential to do good in this culture – and at a time when it’s never had greater influence – is in fact more concerned with politics than principal. I don’t want to believe that it stands to hold men accountable – but only certain men. I don’t want to believe that it would demand with little to no evidence the destruction of one man’s life, because he’s a republican about to be named to the highest court in the land; and then say nothing about another man credibly accused, because he’s a democrat seeking the presidency.
One thing I do know is the mainstream media’s actions in this matter have been shameful. They immediately jumped on Kavanaugh with a ruthless pursuit. They stopped at nothing to report any allegations against him, whether they were credible or not. And yet they have said practically nothing about the allegations against Biden. And they’ve had plenty of opportunity to do so. It is yet another example of their unbalanced interests.
So, back to the original question. Is the #MeToo movement truly about what they say, or are they more concerned with other things? How the next few weeks unfold should be pretty telling.
No Longer Silent 