General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I believe Vanessa Tyson for a couple of reasons. One of which is... [View all]EffieBlack
(14,249 posts)But I assume that if she is not too in shock to come forward, accuse a man of raping her, name the accused, and share her story in excruciating detail with a national audience, she should be able also to tell her story to the police and let them do an investigation.
Just as #MeToo doesn't mean we must believe every woman simply because she made an allegation, it also doesn't mean that women can make public accusations and then refuse to use the tools that society provides her to actually follow through - including the criminal justice system which is set up to seek justice for the victims - especially when that means that the man must stand accused in the court of public opinion and, in this case, possibly lose his career, while the accuser takes no steps to have law enforcement do its job.
#MeToo is more than treating women with respect and assuming their credibility. It also means creating an environment conducive to them obtaining justice, extending statutes of limitations beyond most other crimes in recognition that women may not be emotionally able to come forward immediately or even within a few years. That's why Massachusetts has a 15 year statute of limitations.
It also means changing the way the police and courts handle rape allegations. It doesn't mean that women can or should make public accusations but refuse to go to the authorities with the same allegations they made in a public statement to the world.
In such a case, it could appear the point of coming forward was to seek revenge against the man for whatever reason - whether it's because he actually did assault her or for another reason - not to actually seek justice.
Sexual assault survivors deserve and are entitled to extraordinary deference. But they are not entitled to unlimited, unilateral rights to be believed while the person they accuse are left with no ability to defend themselves.
So, yes, you can accuse me of all manner of anti-woman bias or insensitivity toward sexual assault survivors as you seem to be doing because I don't think women should be treated as completely helpless beings in this situation. Although by all accounts, Dr. Tyson seems to be a brave, stable, strong woman, if she was so traumatized by this incident, I can understand why she wouldn't want to relive it by talking about it with strangers. But that doesn't seem to be the case. She posted about it online and has shared with millions of people the details of the alleged assault. Given that, after she came out and publicly accused a man of raping her, then walks away without taking advantage of the criminal justice tools made available to her, leaving the accused with a ruined reputation and no way to defend himself, I will very likely question her story and her motives. Because that's not how any of this is supposed to work.