cancel2 2022
Canceled
I am not sure how much of this has been taken up by the US media, probably not much, but it should be. In the wake of Jimmy Savile scandal, the powers that be have gone on a PC fuelled witch hunt that is totally out of proportion to the original crimes, such that they are. In the case of William Roache, he was charged with sexual assaults that went back nearly fifty years. There was never a stronger case for granting both men and women equal protection under the law.
Another week, another expensive acquittal. This time, of the former deputy speaker Nigel Evans, who was cleared of sexual assault and rape. His colleagues called for an urgent change in the way such cases are dealt with because ‘men’s lives are at risk of being ruined’. It’s rare for men in power, white men at that, to be talked of in such terms, but because of over-zealousness in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal these men are indeed suddenly vulnerable, like giant pandas.
And what a roll call there has been of late: Dave Lee Travis, Michael Le Vell and Bill Roache. Travis was accused of a ‘fumble’, and a ‘grind’. To my mind, taking a man to court for being, in his words, ‘cuddly not predatory’ decades ago is disrespectful to women who are actually raped with violence. The crimes are not even in the same ballpark, but the accusations have the same effect on the alleged perpetrators – trial, financial hardship and loss of reputation whatever the verdict. In the case of Nigel Evans, he made a drunken pass. If you want to avoid a drunken pass, my advice is: don’t hang out in a bar.
And while I feel sorry for women, and men, who feel wounded by a distant event (I was indecently assaulted by a fellow pupil in primary school), I imagine this pain is nowhere near as bad as being falsely accused and your name splashed across the newspapers. The pendulum has swung too far and I would think every famous man in the land, and every man in some sort of authority, has been quaking in their shoes in case some woman with a grudge accuses them of a grope at a time when Showaddywaddy were in the charts.
Are the CPS and police star-struck? It seems so, when they dig up something, in the case of Evans, that happened ten years ago, and when witnesses are surprised to find themselves giving evidence in court. This isn’t an entirely British phenomenon either. In Paris, the young women ‘victims’ of John Galliano told me they never intended their accusations to lose him his job, let alone land him in court.
The only answer is for defendants in sexual abuse cases to remain anonymous, their identity only revealed if they are found guilty. The argument against doing so is that other victims will not come forward, but to me this is ludicrous – you either were assaulted or you were not. Men accused and cleared of rape or sexual assault will never be able to have a normal life again: there is always the lingering suspicion there was no smoke without fire. We used to immerse witches in ponds. We are now doing the same thing to men.
If a man puts his hand on you, or flirts, or is lascivious, you tell him to bugger off, and report it at the time, but only if you really, really believe him to be dangerous. These women who feel so affronted need to put whatever happened, or they think happened, behind them, and get on with their lives. Ghastly things happen to all of us. Digging up events that happened decades ago is not useful. Instead, we need to empower young women: encourage them to speak up for themselves, to demand respect, to be unafraid, to reclaim the night. Don’t dress like a prostitute, or be too drunk to know what you are doing, but beyond that, live your lives. Stop being victims.
Another week, another expensive acquittal. This time, of the former deputy speaker Nigel Evans, who was cleared of sexual assault and rape. His colleagues called for an urgent change in the way such cases are dealt with because ‘men’s lives are at risk of being ruined’. It’s rare for men in power, white men at that, to be talked of in such terms, but because of over-zealousness in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal these men are indeed suddenly vulnerable, like giant pandas.
And what a roll call there has been of late: Dave Lee Travis, Michael Le Vell and Bill Roache. Travis was accused of a ‘fumble’, and a ‘grind’. To my mind, taking a man to court for being, in his words, ‘cuddly not predatory’ decades ago is disrespectful to women who are actually raped with violence. The crimes are not even in the same ballpark, but the accusations have the same effect on the alleged perpetrators – trial, financial hardship and loss of reputation whatever the verdict. In the case of Nigel Evans, he made a drunken pass. If you want to avoid a drunken pass, my advice is: don’t hang out in a bar.
And while I feel sorry for women, and men, who feel wounded by a distant event (I was indecently assaulted by a fellow pupil in primary school), I imagine this pain is nowhere near as bad as being falsely accused and your name splashed across the newspapers. The pendulum has swung too far and I would think every famous man in the land, and every man in some sort of authority, has been quaking in their shoes in case some woman with a grudge accuses them of a grope at a time when Showaddywaddy were in the charts.
Are the CPS and police star-struck? It seems so, when they dig up something, in the case of Evans, that happened ten years ago, and when witnesses are surprised to find themselves giving evidence in court. This isn’t an entirely British phenomenon either. In Paris, the young women ‘victims’ of John Galliano told me they never intended their accusations to lose him his job, let alone land him in court.
The only answer is for defendants in sexual abuse cases to remain anonymous, their identity only revealed if they are found guilty. The argument against doing so is that other victims will not come forward, but to me this is ludicrous – you either were assaulted or you were not. Men accused and cleared of rape or sexual assault will never be able to have a normal life again: there is always the lingering suspicion there was no smoke without fire. We used to immerse witches in ponds. We are now doing the same thing to men.
If a man puts his hand on you, or flirts, or is lascivious, you tell him to bugger off, and report it at the time, but only if you really, really believe him to be dangerous. These women who feel so affronted need to put whatever happened, or they think happened, behind them, and get on with their lives. Ghastly things happen to all of us. Digging up events that happened decades ago is not useful. Instead, we need to empower young women: encourage them to speak up for themselves, to demand respect, to be unafraid, to reclaim the night. Don’t dress like a prostitute, or be too drunk to know what you are doing, but beyond that, live your lives. Stop being victims.
