CRISIS OF CHARACTER
llegations filed by victims of sexual assault in the past year since the famous #MeToo movement in 2017, the #WhyIdidntreport movement has gained equal attention in recent weeks.
Continuously, individuals have questioned the intentions of victims waiting years to come forward with their allegations. However, there are many caveats to simply filing a report that most do not seem to grasp or are not willing to understand. The “crisis of character” idea comes into play when an individual cannot or will not empathize with victim and what affects them.
Oftentimes, it is not necessarily the act itself that is disputed – most agree these horrendous and inexcusable acts of sexual assault should not happen. The issue is that people begin to rationalize these acts through repeating sexual assault myths, in addition to constant victim-blaming.
Victim-blaming has become a norm that those alleging sexual assault must face, despite the fact it is by-and-large unnecessary. These acts are ways of changing and phrasing the questions of the sexual assault details so that the blame is placed on the victim and not on the person who carried out the act. Individuals who question, “… if she did not want to get assaulted, then why was she dressed that way?” are prime examples.
The concern in the most recent situation between Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford is that President Donald Trump appears to be defending an alleged rapist and using victim-blaming to do so in his tweets. In essence, he has suggested that Ford’s claims cannot be taken seriously if she waited more than 30 years to come forward.
As of Saturday, Oct. 6, Kavanaugh was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, much to the dismay of mostly liberal citizens. Nonetheless, much more has risen to the surface since he was confirmed. In fact, the #Himtoo movement was officially birthed shortly after the ceremony.
Not long after, the mother of Navy veteran Pieter Hanson, Marla Reynolds Carr, used her son’s photo as a Twitter post to question the integrity of #Metoo. Carr expressed she feels #Metoo puts men in an inappropriate climate in the dating realm and far too easily at risk of being accused of sexual assault.
“[My son] graduated #1 in boot camp. He was awarded the USO award. He is a gentleman who respects women. He won’t go on solo dates due to the current climate of false sexual accusations by radical feminists with an axe to grind. I VOTE. #HimToo,” said Carr on Twitter.
Pieter, her son, has since made his own Twitter account and used his posts to support #Metoo. Hanson’s post was rather similar to his mother’s, yet his was received much more warmly by the general public.
“That was my mom. Sometimes the people we love do things that hurt us without realizing it. Let’s turn this around. I respect and #BelieveWomen. I never have and never will support #HimToo. I’m a proud Navy vet, cat dad and ally,” said Hanson on Twitter.
