Rampant Sexual Allegations are like Medieval Witch Hunts

These days only two things make the headlines. Donald Trump and who has been accused today. Every morning you read the news or watch a broadcast to get the latest scoop.

All we ever hear about is Trump and the Hollywood sex scandals. I really don’t care what Trump is tweeting today or any day for that matter. I have come to the conclusion that within the next year Hollywood won’t exist. I will be able to save a lot of money on movies and TV since there won’t be anyone in the business left to entertain us. Imagine Hollywood being brought down by sex, the very foundation it was built on. Who would have thought of that?

Now politicians are resigning from office and denying sexual allegations left right and center. Will we see governments fall too?

The Weinstein effect is a global trend in which people come forward to accuse famous or powerful men of sexual misconduct. The term came into use to describe a worldwide wave of these allegations that began in the United States in October 2017, when media outlets reported on numerous sexual abuse allegations …

Last week I went for coffee with a friend. She she told me she was concerned for her son who is in college. He told her that he didn’t want to ask a girl out because he is afraid he won’t be perfect on their date. Then he went on to explain that at his college it has become quite common in recent weeks for bad dates to be reported as something else entirely. How do you advise your children, who are in the throws of hormonal change and still finding their sexual direction? She is terrified her son will fall victim to the sexual hysteria that is running rampant. I don’t blame her for feeling that way.

I believe this has gotten out of hand. What I have been seeing and reading in the media, which is not always correct but is able to control the masses, can only be compared to a witch hunt.

In the late 1597 a book called Demonology by King James I was instrumental in starting the witch hunts in the British Isles that saw hundreds of people accused. People were persecuted based on gossip, rumors and opinions. People began using the moral mass hysteria of the time to bring down anyone they didn’t like or want in their community. It worked in their favor and hundreds of innocent people died. They could hire a Witch Finder General that could make the most honorable of people confess. Finally after several years a group of men took their heads out of the sand and realized something was wrong with this picture and put a stop to it. It took nearly 100 years for the mass hysteria to die.

Unfortunately this phenomenon repeated itself in 1692 during the Salem Massachusetts witch trials. It ended when the Governor’s wife was accused and he ended the trials. She was not brought to trial but 20 others had already been convicted in the court of public opinion and put to death.

Sound familiar? There are lots of false accusations happening out there and it angers me. Livelihoods, families, communities and organizations are falling victim to the mass hysteria created by the #MeToo mentality.

I am not saying we will start condemning people to death but if this hysteria continues we could see a change in social behavior that may not be for the better.

Real victims will eventually be lost in the shuffle that society is creating. All because of opportunistic fear-mongers that are seizing the moment and once again the masses are running with it. We have seen this before many times over the centuries all over the world. It never ends well.

I have been sexually assaulted and I know how difficult it can be to come to terms with it mentally and physically. I know the long hard road back to trusting and the broken relationships that you leave in your wake because of it. I have had the nightmares and the guilt that go along with being a victim. I had to learn that it wasn’t about sex at all. It is always about power. I handled my situation privately not in the public forum but that was my choice.

I feel like I am being violated again by all the #MeToo hoopla. Every time someone is unhappy with a sexual encounter they feel the need to jump on the #MeToo bandwagon. It is an insult to those of us who have suffered and struggled and still strive to overcome the stigma we think we have.

I applaud the men and women who are coming forward to be heard. The real victims. Not the bad dates who probably wish they didn’t advertise how bad the date was because human nature will immediately deem them undateable. A little education in the dating department is seriously needed.

The families of the people who are accused of committing these offences are not at fault yet they are paying a heavier price than the guilty. In most of these publicized cases there will not be charges laid or penalties set. The reasons for this will vary from 40 years being too late or there may not be anything to support the allegations. A court of law requires more than your word.

It really doesn’t matter. With these types of offences the person accused is never innocent until proven guilty. The person accused is immediately found guilty in the public eye and is destroyed both financially and personally based on a he said she said foundation. Only the innocent will be damaged in all of this. They will wilt and fade away suffering everyday for years. They will lose everything and have done nothing. Very similar to the suffering the real victims will go through.

The guilty party doesn’t care and usually finds a way to rise above it all and come out just fine relying on the “this to shall pass” belief. They will leave all the broken lives in their wake and become bigger and stronger and years down the road could possibly lead a country.

There must be a way to stop the hysteria. Every court has their own definition of sexual assault. While we the public may not agree with the laws they are there for a reason. We have a responsibility to make sure the laws are enforced correctly and lobby to change them if need be.

How do we protect people from false accusations in the public realm? Who will protect the young man who is awkward on his first date? What will happen to romance if every little gesture is an offence? What will happen to the world if a hug is no longer allowed? What will we become if affection no longer exists?

Now we are back to the old Hollywood movies that depicted a sterile future with no love and no sex, just test tubes.

I really don’t want to see a sexless future. I quite like sex!