#believewomen shouldn't have to be explained any more than #blacklivesmatter but here we are. People contort themselves with all sorts of mental gymnastics to whip out some tried and true whataboutism whenever uncomfortable topics like sexual abuse and sexual assault of women, and the perpetual effects of institutional and systemic racism that affects minorities, in particular black people in America. Anything to downplay it and shift blame/onus to the victims.
It's frustrating, because it's clear to anyone willing to engage in good faith that #believewomen does not mean "women never lie, have never lied, and will never lie, so believe everything that comes out of their mouths and disbelieve the accused regardless of what they say in their defense." It's a simple call to take a woman's accusations of sexual assault seriously, because history has shown us that false sexual assault/rape allegations are 1, very rare, and 2, tend to cause more blowback to the victims coming forward than the accused. Especially in the instances where their abuser is in a position of power over them (this could be a parent, a boss, a politician, and yeah, an actor who's influence can literally make or break your career), the victims are almost always ostracized and ridiculed and called "liars" or "gold digging whores" just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame and a sweet sweet payday.
And we wonder why victims stay quiet for years, even decades, and only come forward when they feel they may be "safe" from their abuser, with the bitter irony being that by waiting so long, the statute of limitations is up, and nothing can be done to the abuser, legally. Even worse is that in the cases of sexual assault and abuse, evidence is almost never present because of the nature of most sexual assaults/sexual abuse.
The hostile and toxic environment victims expose themselves to when they finally find the strength to speak out against their abuser is disgusting. And that's for the victims that come forward. Imagine how many more victims stay quiet because of the reactions of some people in threads like this. Not being believed when you live with the effects of your abuse for the rest of your life, and knowing that coming forward will more than likely make things worse for you, not your abuser, who will probably go unpunished, is indescribably awful, and emotionally scarring.
#believewomen isn't just a catchy hashtag for likes on social media. It's a tool for victims and those who legitimately support the victims to empower them and embolden them so maybe they won't feel so isolated and alone, and are able to dig deep and find the strength to say, "this person abused me, and I'm not going to stay silent anymore." Or at the very least, give them support and strength to go forward with their lives. I can't say there is a woman in my life that wasn't sexually abused at some point in their lives, and being there for them (as well as living with my own sexual abuse) is about all we can really do. It's not always about justice, Internet justice or legal justice. But if we can stop predators like Franco and Spacey and Weinstein from being in those positions of power that allowed them to prey on innocents unchecked for so long, as well as shift the culture that allows these predators to wield so much power? Sign me up to burn it all down.
So many stories of abuse float around Hollywood circles, but very few names are spoken aloud. Those days are changing. Good. Out them all. I don't give a fuck how much you enjoy their movies. If it was your son or daughter, or niece or nephew, or brother or sister being abused by these assholes, would you still be using mental gymnastics to look your loved one in the face and say, "Well, it wasn't that bad, right? You knew what you signed up for, daughter. Just suck his dick when he wants," because this dude made a movie you liked? Pathetic.
The amount of people willing to turn and look the other way so they can keep watching a tv show is disgusting and disheartening.
