Bill Cosby, a once beloved TV and comedy star, has now lost all but a few of his previous fans. Around 50 women have surfaced recently, all accusing Cosby of sexual assault, a majority of which involved the women being drugged by Cosby. These incidents go back as far as 1969 and many years later. These women may be finally getting the justice and credibility they deserve.
In the current case against Cosby, he is finally being charged for his actions. The original charges against him go back to 2005, but until recently were all dismissed for one reason or another. In the current trial, Cosby is facing jail time and even posted a $1 million bail. Back in 2005, one woman first attempted to try Cosby for his actions. Cosby used his wealth to settle the encounter for an unspecified amount. Due to this, 13 other witnesses who had also been assaulted by Cosby did not have the chance to reveal their horrible experiences.
Now, these women are allying together to share with the world what horrors Cosby made them endure, and through his wealth and fame, has made them endure for their entire lives. Many of these women have been asked why they did not come forward sooner or why they did not come forward to expose Crosby until now. The fact is, some of these women did try to come forward sooner. However, many of them were told they were just telling lies or they were simply dismissed by whoever they told. For example, a woman told a friend about the incident and this friend then took her to a lawyer. The lawyer, however, preceded to tell her she was lying and ultimately dismissed her case. The other women who did not share their stories are perfectly justified in their choices to not come forward, however, I believe the recent influx of survivors of Cosby's assaults has made it easier for women to come forward and band together in their hardships.
Ultimately, Cosby is finally being seen as the horrible person that he is, after years of undeserving spotlight and adoration. These cases and these women have perfectly shown the influence fame and wealth can have on these situations, and how we immediately assume that a beloved star is innocent and that the women are making it up for money or attention. What most people need to learn from these survivors coming forward is that sexual assault is happening much more than you'd care to believe and is being committed by people you once believed to be great. On the other hand, the survivors of these crimes are people we love just as dearly and need to support when they tell us they have gone through such horrible events. In general, keep an open mind in these cases or situations because too many of these crimes go unpunished and unnoticed.
