The Two Sides of the #MeToo Movement

December 7, 2018

Opinion: The #MeToo movement often puts too much faith in the victim

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The presumption of innocence, an idea that was influential in the founding of the United States, has not been upheld recently. It is appalling to me that an idea unique to a fair society, which is listed under the United Nations’ classification of a human right, is being treated this way. The #MeToo movement allows accusations of sexual assault to come to fruition far too fast. I believe in justice for anyone who’s been wronged, but I also believe it is important to stay true to our nations’ foundations.

The recent uproar in the Brett Kavanaugh ‘trial’ or case, especially, has been surprising to me. I’ve seen the Tweets, the Instagram posts and the outcry of people in the opposition of the Senate’s conclusion. The general means for anger stems from the idea that Brett Kavanaugh should not be labelled an innocent man. The case became a vehicle to make the blanket statement of “our country is going under” or “what is happening to our country?”. If one wanted to make that statement alone, fair, but the problem is making that statement in relation to the Blasey Ford v. Kavanaugh situation.

Imagine for a second that someone you’ve barely met can accuse you of rape, it is your responsibility, the one being accused, to convince a jury. Stressful, right? Your life is in shambles unless you can spend thousands of dollars on a near perfect lawyer that will help you walk free.

In the case of the Kavanaugh situation, let’s look at the facts. After a series of interviews by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it was concluded that there was little to no evidence of wrongdoing on Brett Kavanaugh’s morality. Should it have gone to civil court, it would likely have the same outcome. There was inadequate evidence to support the allegations made by Dr. Ford.

“It’s common for jurors to believe that a defendant committed the crime charged, yet still vote ‘not guilty’” according to Youngjae Lee on the results of the hearing. Lee is a criminal law professor at Fordham University School of Law.

“They often aren’t certain it’s been proven to the satisfaction of the legal system,” . Lee believes that when human bias comes into play, it is important to put it aside when making a final decision with such severe repercussions.

The principle that helps define us as a free society, the presumption of innocence, helps to protect those who are wrongly accused of a crime. It allows citizens to live with peace of mind. When we accuse people like Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault without proper evidence, we attack the person, their families and their legacy.

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Opinion: The #Metoo movement helps women voice their opinions

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The origins of the #Metoo movement began as early as 2007, a time in which it was merely alluded to but not yet considered significant. It began when women came together for Tarana Burke’s campaign which aimed to provide support for the victims of sexual harassment and provide women with a resource that they did not have yet. After the case against Harvey Weinstein for sexual misconduct, the movement grew  quickly in 2017 and started empowering women to fight against misconduct. In the past, women had been scared to voice their opinions because they felt like they were being crushed by the pressure of other people, especially their assaulters. It included reasons like women not having enough support and no guarantee that their voice will actually be heard. As a result, the movement has helped them voice their opinions in a larger platform with the support of a worldwide audience, so they are  taken more seriously.

The argument against the Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh was an intense one, as the claims put against him were sufficient to demolish his career.

Senior Daniel Manouvrier said, “Trump and Kavanaugh should not affect the purpose of the #Metoo movement as the movement is only providing women with the support they need to voice their opinions.”

The movement helped and did its job by helping women voice their opinions, for example, through tweets that were seen by a large number of individuals. Which brought a lot of attention to the case as Brett Kavanaugh obtained a very important position in the judicial system.

The #Metoo movement sheds lights on hidden stories, and the hashtag helps stories get to larger platforms via social media and eventually make it on to newspaper front pages and magazine articles, ultimately shining light on the bigger picture of the #Metoo movement.

In the case of Kavanaugh, as soon as these allegations were brought up against him, It received nationwide attention. As well as, more people started to make changes to address the sexual harassments.  This was due to the support of the men and women behind the movement around the world, showing the victims that they have someone to support them in times where many would not have.

Senior Juliette Prehu said,  “It is a movement that has received a great amount of attention in the past few months, due to the attention it has brought on this consequential matter. In addition I believe it has resulted in our society being more aware of the situation.”

The #Metoo movement has brought nationwide attention to towards the subject of sexual misconducts, it has put intense pressure on state governing bodies where they have been under developing strain to check rape in private working environments and inside their  working areas.

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