As a black male living in the US, I fucking hope not.
I don't think it shifted, it's just that certains practices were considered normal before are considered as they are, disgusting.
I think that society by large is reaching a greater emphasis with women than before.
Also, society used to be really good for protecting abuser with the false excuse of "private matter".
I really think that everybody is innocent until proven guilty, but this goes also for the accuser. The accuser is not to be called a liar or to be doubted until being debunked. It's why my stance is to focus on the victim.
Of course, in cases of multiples accusation from a lot of people, or a semi-justification/loosy public defense of the crime, it's normal that the public eye will condemn the accused.
Also, since the underlying subject is sexual assault, we have every reason to take those kind of accusation with the seriousness they deserve, since almost every woman is victim of those at least once in their lives, and that it's actually very rare that they speak about publicly, because of rape culture.
People using the "innocent until proved guilty" don't use the same kind of line of defense with pedophilia for instance, because i think that many men are actually afraid that their past conduct could be someday called "sexual assault". It's why we're seeing so many people defending acts which are legally and obviously sexual assault, as "seduction" or "trying to make a move".
Why are we so creepy. Damn.
This isn't entirely directed at you but your posts harbor the same sentiments I'm seeing in a lot of places.
People have got to stop making these sweeping generalizations. It's not cool when it comes to racial groups and it hasn't been cool when talking about women either so why do it with men. I don't use guilty until proven innocent in the court of public opinion because life is much more complicated than what witch hunts allow for. And life carries baggage that is often statistically validated in certain instances (rampant racism against black males like me).
I'm not concerned one bit that my past or current behavior will put me in these situations, I'm concerned about what
modern life has presented black men
time and
time again. Some say that sexual assaults aren't being reported enough (I agree) but
I'm also seeing instances where sexual assault allegations are disproportionately affecting people of color.I won't criticize you for your own personal guidance but I criticize the belief that it's not ok for others to want to take their time to parse each instance uniquely when it comes to
allegations.
Also your pedophilia comparison is a bad comparison. Most pedophilia allegations are nothing like current topics of the day. They're much more straightforward and aren't tied to hundreds of years of institutional racism. News of individuals involved with pedophilia allegations are usually quickly accompanied by police statements talking about all of the proof of the crime they have. Even with situations where police aren't involved, Catholic priest allegations for example, one accusation is quickly followed by multiple accusers (which is all it takes to convince me to question the accused). Plus the Catholic church being a single entity with a history of hypocrisy and disingenuousness on the issue always plays a role as well. Unless we're talking only about the Hollywood situation, where its clear Hollywood itself has an issue, and most of the accused are facing multiple accusations, sexual assault remain the much more complicated issue.
Men need to be every bit as afraid of the consequences of sexual assault of women as they are of accusations of child abuse. Reason and balance will come, but right now we need to focus on tearing down rape culture.
At what cost? Do you know what price is being paid? Are you willing to tell other groups that it's worth it to have them suffer while you exploit, marginalize, or watch silently, but hopefully, from the sidelines?
This mentality has always been the main cause for my supposedly questionable stance. People telling minorities to be quiet while they use us as a stepping stone to increase their own standing. Only for us to be forgotten time and time again. Whether its another minority group, corporations, or some politician, it keeps happening. And I'm seeing elements of it now among
SOME of those who are fighting to have sexual assault be taken seriously. I hate having to admit that I don't know how to address it (what hope did I even have, its been happening long before I was even born) but I know it makes me uncomfortable. But hopefully it's this feeling that will help make it clear why I, and maybe others, take issue with the witch hunt mentality. Not because I'm merely a man concerned about my own behavior getting me in trouble.