Three days ago, a few self-described “student activists” walked out of class to prove that “not all high school boys are rapists like Kavanaugh.” They shared the story on social media with the hashtag #BelieveSurvivors, referencing Dr. Christine Ford. I have very little to say about three high schoolers- my real complaint is with the almost 92,000 people (mostly adults) who liked the tweet. Those 92,000 people cheered the claim that Brett Kavanaugh is a rapist- a despicable and most likely intentionally deceptive twist on Dr. Ford’s allegation. (She alleges a drunken high school assault that she feared might- but that did not- result in rape). These almost 100,000 people “believe survivors” before guilt or innocence has been established, before a hearing, based mostly on a gut feeling that Dr. Ford is truthful or that Brett Kavanaugh is not. More evidence may emerge in the hearing today, but at the time I write this, we only have Dr. Ford’s letter, Judge Kavanaugh’s denial, and a plethora of pundits.
This week, politicians have said that Judge Kavanaugh should not have the presumption of innocence (Chuck Schumer) and that Dr. Ford should be given the benefit of the doubt (ironically, Hillary Clinton). Celebrities produced a new video directed at all women in which they earnestly look into the screen, saying, “I believe you,” repeatedly. #BelieveAllWomen is trending on social media. In the wake of the #MeToo movement and most recently the allegation against Brett Kavanaugh (as well as the domestic abuse allegation against Keith Ellison which has received less media attention), we must now ask ourselves- are they right? Should ALL women who make an assault allegation be believed- full stop? Should we overturn due process and immediately put our faith solely in the “she said” side of the equation or at least weight the balance in her favor?
Lenora Lapidus and Sandra Park of the Atlantic write: “’Due process,’ as raised in the context of #MeToo, often speaks to a broader conception of fairness, not just a legal one. Individuals accused of domestic violence, sexual assault, or other forms of wrongdoing should be heard before employers fire or discipline them. A rush to judgment can entangle innocents and promote unjust results. But fairness also requires that those reporting violence and harassment be fully heard.”
The women behind assault accusations DO need to be fairly and fully heard. I am not at all suggesting that Judge Kavanaugh should be automatically believed but merely reacting to the dangerous idea being expressed that to support victims of sexual assault requires us to give our full trust with no questions. I believe this attitude actually weakens victims’ positions by equating the more credible allegations with the less credible and casting a pall upon them all. My point is not “Do not believe the accuser,” but merely, “Do not blindly believe the accuser,” as we are perplexingly being encouraged to do by many influential voices.
Perhaps the reason that this idea of unquestioningly believing women who come forward has gained in popularity is because women have been disproportionately disbelieved throughout the years. Perhaps it is the power differential that has too often left them too silent and terrified to share their stories. Perhaps it is fear of political structures we see in other countries in which women are automatically assumed to be lying- and even punished themselves for reporting assaults- unless a man can corroborate their story. Perhaps it is that studies have shown that most women who report these types of crimes are telling the truth.
When we look at all the reasons that we might believe any individual woman making a claim, they are compelling. These are all reasons to look at every allegation with the utmost respect and an earnest and honest desire to find the truth, even if it brings down a very powerful man or destroys our political or personal dreams. These are not reasons, however, to believe EVERY woman, regardless of the details of her allegation or the character of the man and woman involved. I believe that it is JUST as morally wrong to unquestioningly believe every woman who makes a claim as it is to unquestioningly believe every man who denies one.
It is an unfortunate reality that in our toxic political environment, sexual assault allegations have been weaponized. Too many people “believe all women” who accuse someone they are predisposed to hate. Likewise, too many people believe all men whom they are predisposed to like. When a new allegation occurs, the opposite political party leaps for joy, filled with righteous indignation for the new accuser that they did not feel for the accuser of yesterday who besmirched the good name of their ally. As Nicole Hemmer of U.S. News points out, “Believing women only when it’s politically useful isn’t really believing women, but believing that they can be effective political weapons. By acting as though women are only useful when they are a means to an end, it recreates the conditions that enabled them to be harassed and abused in the first place.”
If this is true, how can we combat this mentality? The answer is due process. We can try our best to have open minds toward each allegation, looking at its individual claims and circumstances. We can refrain from jumping on the bandwagon of trying to destroy the character of either the woman or the man involved when we do not have all of the information. We can form our best conclusion after the facts are presented.
The obvious fear, leading many to favor the woman’s story at all costs, is that we may form the wrong conclusion and reduce a woman who has already suffered a rape or assault to a side show act, victimizing her once again. This would be terrible, indeed, but we must not discount the risk of victimizing a good man and destroying his life’s work and possibly his marriage and family. Our country has always held to the principle that everyone should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Powerful leaders are now suggesting that we no longer need to assume innocence, which is a dangerous precedent, one that might favor us today but haunt us tomorrow. Too often in the past, we have exonerated men and presumed them innocent. Too often in the present, we are assuming them guilty as a reaction to the misdeeds of other men.
The unfortunate reality is that rape or assault is hard to prove. When women come forward, we must encourage them to tell their stories without shaming or intimidating them, so that they will speak out sooner, when their case has the strongest chance of being proven. We cannot, however, try to swing the balance in favor of a female accuser by denying due process and by publicly condemning any man without a trial. We cannot paint women as so morally superior to men that they never lie or count them so much more valuable that there should be no opportunity for a man to defend his name. Do we love our daughters so much more than our sons? Will we give our sons no voice in order to give our daughters a louder one? That will remain to be seen as each new allegation comes forth and we have the opportunity to suspend our judgment or to light our torches.
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Jackie Chea is a blogger from San Antonio, Texas who holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Community Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She writes on political and cultural issues from a conservative, religious standpoint. She lives in the Lone Star State with her husband Nick, her 5-year-old son Lincoln, and her rescue dogs. |
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