Since the fall of the Hollywood movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein, there has been an onslaught of sexual assault allegations, revelations, and exposes. Many men and women who have remained quiet for years out of fear, finally have the courage to come forward and share their stories with a society that appears more amenable to this discussion. It feels like society has been pulling the weeds that have been choking people for decades, and it seems that we’re turning a new leaf…but are we really?
Through the “#me too” movement, and the fall of big-wig titans like Kevin Spacey, Louis C. K., Matt Lauer, etc., it seems that we are making progress, however, it also seems like giant industries are putting on morality masks right now because that’s what sits well with the public. In other words, there are several red flags that lead me to believe that this supposed morality revolution is like putting a band-aid on a bullet-hole; it’s a temporary fix.
Take the current state of our politics for example: Roy Moore, the GOP Senate candidate in Alabama, has been accused by nine women of preying on them when he was in his thirties, and the Democratic senator, Al Franken, has an incriminating photo of him grabbing a woman’s breasts, and has been involved in other sexual misconduct that involved forceful kissing and groping. What is society’s response to it? While we would hope that everyone would condemn this behavior, we’ve instead received mixed reactions. The Republicans tend to condemn the Democrats, and the Democrats tend to condemn the Republicans; there’s a stubbornness of “I’m voting for my team because it’s better to have a lewd Democrat/Republican than the other party in the seat.”
When Bernie Sanders was asked whether Al Franken should resign or not, he dodged the question in stating, “My understanding is that Al is a very popular senator. People in Minnesota think that he is doing a good job. And his political future will rest with the people of Minnesota.”
When John Skipper, a former chairman of the Mobile County Republican Party, was asked about the allegations against Roy Moore, he called the allegations: “total contrived media garbage.”
Both sides refuse to condemn their party members because that could hurt their political agenda. What politicians, and society at large, need to ask is if this is what we want? Do we want a society that condemns sexual assault only when it is beneficial?
I would like to hope that we do not want that.
If we want to make lasting change, we must stand and fight for it. If voters go to the polls and write in a candidate as opposed to voting for the designated candidate on “their side,” if people condemn sexual assault on both sides, then we will begin to gradually change.
I’m not condemning anyone who believes in this fierce loyalty to their side. I have supported that rationale in the past, and I used it to justify my voting in the past. It makes sense that people weigh the costs and benefits, and then determine that they’d rather have a person with questionable moral character than surrender future policies and appointments to their political opponents; however, there are other avenues and options, and this philosophy isn’t good enough anymore.
Sexual assault is always wrong. Period. And if we continue to pretend that it’s not so bad when our side is accused of it, then we’re just fooling ourselves and perpetuating a rape culture. It’s not a question of “us vs them,” rather, it’s a question of “right versus wrong.” The sooner we realize that, the sooner we will come closer to eradicating the culture of abuse.