Many people believe men are the victims of the #MeToo movement. Instead of worrying about the real victims who were assaulted and raped, they are more concerned with the men who committed these crimes and how accusations might damage their reputations and careers.
Victims of abuse and assault have to carry around this trauma with them all the time. They carry the emotional, mental and physical repercussions, and their abusers do not. When they come out and tell the world about how they were treated, they have to relive their trauma over and over. The #MeToo movement isn’t about ruining the lives of men — it’s about getting justice for the lives these men already ruined.
Actor and accused sexual offender Kevin Spacey posted a video on his Twitter account on Dec. 24 as his former “House of Cards” character Frank Underwood. He starts his monologue by saying, “I know what you want. Oh sure, they might have tried to separate us but what we have is too strong. It’s too powerful.”
Many assumed he was referring to his assault charges keeping him away from his fans. Spacey likely thinks he’s going to make a comeback. He started with this unsettling video, and I’m sure he has more plans on the way.
He is continuing to act in Europe and Russia and probably believes he can start acting again in the U.S. in a few years when people start to forget he’s an accused sex offender. The video has 17,287 retweets and 51,712 likes, and many of the top comments are fans supporting him and feeling bad for his current situation.
Comedian Louis C.K. performed an impromptu set at the Comedy Cellar in late August. The club owner had no problem with allowing him to perform and said he was welcome anytime. C.K. should’ve been asked to leave. I understand the comedy club needs to make money, but not from someone who is the subject of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
The #MeToo movement is for victims to be heard and reassured they are not alone. It’s not uncommon for the men and women who come forward to receive massive amounts of hate for speaking out about their experience. Claiming victims only come forward for publicity is as incorrect as it is harmful to those seeking to share their experience.
Brett Kavanaugh became a Supreme Court Justice while Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who openly accused him of sexual assault, was forced to move several times to keep her and her family safe. There has been no justice in this case.
If we, as a society, allow the men who commit these crimes to come back to the spotlight, we have failed the victims. We are telling them their experiences don’t matter and the careers of these men are more important.
Ashlon Lusk is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Houston, Texas.
