9 Nov 2018 Is Accusation Enough?

Is Accusation Enough?

The MeToo  movement has brought to light decades of bad, even criminal, behavior of men towards women. It not only ripped a scab off of the wounds it cut down to the bone.  To say it is about time is a gross understatement.  We as a society have to be better.  It takes a lot of courage to come forward when a woman has been harassed or assaulted.  The business climate has always favored the man.  

We need to start teaching and correcting boys from a very young age in how to treat women. To me it is kinda sad that we would even have to do this. But there is reality and it needs to be done.  Respect for women has to be instilled in boys’ minds and actions. They also need to be counseled and even disciplined if their behaviors and actions fail to meet what is expected.

My only caution with today’s MeToo movement is that the accusation can’t be the only evidence that renders an automatic guilty verdict.  There is a guilty until proven innocent environment right now. A man’s career can’t to be ended with the accusation alone.  The overwhelming number of women coming forward have legitimate accusations and should be acted on.  Many women’s careers have been stalled or ended from one incident, why not a man’s? If he is guilty of the accusation, then I wholeheartedly agree he should suffer the criminal or at least business consequences.   But it must be done with due process.  Do we as a society want to go down the path where the accusation alone is all that is needed?  I hope I am not coming off as protecting men.  Far from it, I want sexual harassment eradicated from the workplace. But I also want due process to be way to come to a decision on the accusation.  If we accept the accusation as enough for sexual harassment/assault where does it stop?     

Women need to be treated with respect.  When a man crosses that line, he needs to be held accountable.  Does presumed guilt, public shaming and loss of job until proven innocent the way it should go?  To change decades of behaviors some might believe so, but I am not so sure.