The sexual assault accusations pouring out from all over the country includes politicians, celebrities, and corporate bigwigs. Jeremy Piven has decided to fight back by taking a polygraph test to clear his name of any wrongdoing. The results were that he passed and leaving no doubt in the minds of the test administrators that he was being factual and forthright. It likely will make no difference in the minds of many Americans.
For one reason, there are a number of doubts about the validity of a polygraph test, one reason the tests are not admissible in court. It has also been suggested that the polygraph test can be “beaten” making the test result completely worthless.
However, the biggest reason is that a large percentage of the population has decided to cast a wide net over anyone remotely accused of sexual assault or sexual misconduct, netting whoever they can and unconcerned about the social carnage they leave behind. There are many accusations floating around, and the obvious reality is that the men are defenseless. Piven’s polygraph results can be seen as an act of desperation.
Few are paying any attention to the accuser’s, Arianne Bellamar, history of questionable integrity. But that is neither here or there because there is a herd mentality against the accused where every accuser is telling the truth and every man needs to come clean. There is a certain irony total this.
A couple of decades ago men were believed when accusations came, that the women were simply lying, trying to get publicity, or were willfully complicit in the sexual activities. Women were largely defenseless in the public’s eye, often accused of trying to bring down a man’s career to rubble. Now, women are held blameless and men are the one’s lying.
What no one wants to do is to admit the truth is somewhere in the middle — then and now. Men in power would take advantage of women, but not all men and not all women. Some men accepted the offer of a sexual favor at whatever level in exchange for promoting the woman’s career. Some women simply said no from the start, walked out the door, and will not be heard from in this social drama because they have no actual story. Some men hired women based on their talent, and some women so much talent to offer they knew no sexual interaction was necessary to begin a career.
In the beginning there were some men and a few women who were asking why there was so much silence from accusations that go back 30 or 40 years or more. That line of reasoning has been lost in the current media cycle, which now focuses on adding to the list of potential sexual abusers — of any shape or size.
A few men have decided it is strategically better to admit their wrongdoings, go public with it, take their punishment now and be done with it. From what can be seen, this is the best strategy because while it has cost them starring roles and money, their actions are now a part of history. No criminal charges are possible in the vast majority of these cases, and it will cost them some money to pay off the accusers, but their lives will return to normal sooner than later. For those who choose to remain in the media cycle, it is likely to be a long and painful process.
Finally, there is the question of what advantage is there for these accusers, mainly women, to pursue this course of action. Some accuse them of being after the money since their careers are dead or near death. There is a case to be made here because the accusations that go back decades carry with them the issue of selective and corrective memories. Others maintain that this is the right time to break the silence and to stand up for future actresses so this type of sexual abuse does not carry over. This is an altruistic argument which also has merit but faces the question of, what took you so long? — a question that has not been satisfactorily answered.
There is a presumption being made that seems to be uncomfortably accepted by everyone involved: that most of these women aren’t terribly bright. Underestimating someone is one of the worst things you can do in any walk of life. And it is that sleight of hand that is the fuel for the flaming dumpster that now is making the headlines.
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