The sexual assault accusations against Harvey Weinstein on October 5 were shocking, disturbing, and disheartening for many; however, they were just the beginning. Flash forward 2 months to now and we are up to almost 40 high profile men being accused of sexual assault with one of the most recent being Today Show star, Matt Lauer.
The length of the list (and the list in general) of people make Americans feel angry, but for two very different reasons. Some feel angry that so many women and men have been assaulted and abused by these men and these people want the men gone from their TV screens, Senate houses, corporate offices, wherever they are.
Some people feel angry that these men are being accused and immediately fired from their positions - what about innocent until proven guilty? Either side you land on, I am happy people are angry. What? Why are you happy that people are angry? Well, I’m glad you asked.
If people are angry, that means that they are talking. If they are talking, that means debates are happening. If debates are happening, that means that the topic of sexual assault is becoming less and less taboo meaning that women and men will feel less afraid to speak out when it happens to them.
As Americans, we need to talk about the things that are uncomfortable. Most of the time, those things that make your skin crawl when you talk about them - there’s a reason you are uncomfortable. It’s because you know that it is happening, but it’s easier to just sweep it under the rug because you feel less gross.
But think about it: isn’t it better for you to be uncomfortable for five minutes than for a man or woman to be uncomfortable their whole lives after they have been sexually assaulted? If you make the conversation normal, more people will feel more comfortable speaking out.
Also, the more people talk about it, the more that takes the shame off of the victims and puts it more onto the predators. Wouldn’t we want people to stop sexually assaulting others? This spotlight on your favorite actors, comedians, musicians, and politicians sucks because that means you may see less of them on the screen, but isn’t it better to see less of predators so that ultimately maybe, just maybe, people will quit sexually assaulting other people?
To everyone reading this: I urge you to stop. Stop sweeping it under the rug. Stop blaming the victims. Stop being indifferent because you don’t know the victim personally.
To everyone reading this: I urge you to start. Start talking about it. Start blaming the predators. Start being angry because your fellow Americans are being hurt and someone out there knows the victim personally. Start caring.
