Why Are We Still Not Believing Women?
In light of recent events, of which there are many, something keeps cropping up in my brain. Why are people still not believing women? This question has many complexities. And, I can’t even begin to cover them all. What I want to do within this article is just pose a couple of questions about women and why they aren’t being believed, still.
A brief note: just wanted to let you know, this article does discuss some sensitive topics like sexual assault.
Women can be seen as hysterical liars, bitches with agendas, out to ruin careers and lives and so on… What intrigues me is how we as a society approach the way we discuss if we believe men in a very different to how we discuss if we believe women. I am going to talk about role reversal, the “attack” on men, and worthy voices. The issues where women aren’t being believed I am talking about are predominantly in cases of sexual assault and rape.
Not seeing a role reversal
In sexual assault and rape cases two arguments that are frequently against women are:
“she is just trying to gain celebrity”
or
“she is trying to strategically ruin his career”
Let me ask you this, why is this often used as a way not to believe women? This is specifically used as a tactic against women and not men. Because we don’t often see it the other way around. As in, there are much less cases of a woman who has abused a position of power versus a man. This article will become very boring if I have to keep pausing and acknowledging cases where it has happened the other way around, note I am aware it can and has happened.
Anyway, these arguments are frequently used to discredit women and mean that women are still not being believed. As if all women seek to destroy men in positions of power this way. But I just find it interesting that these stereotypes are placed upon women, often the victim, rather than the accused. If a man accuses a woman of this let’s say, the woman is usually judged for abusing her position of power. Much quicker than a man being accused of abusing his. Instead, women are not being believed because it is the women that are doing something wrong, again. This sounds so stupid but there is so much evidence of this.
Attacking men
Maybe, if you are a man reading this you have felt attacked in the recent climate of #Metoo. Perhaps you are sick of seeing “every man.” Perhaps you want to become a “meninist” now. Honestly, like being brutally honest, do you actually feel attacked? Do you actually feel like anything in your life has actually changed? Unless you’re already someone who conducts unlawful behaviour in which, come ON, you know it is wrong.
Women are still not being believed and I think it is because they are seen to be running an agenda against men. Men are on the defensive fearing that “at any time” they could be accused. You aren’t going to be accused if you didn’t do anything wrong. In the vast vast majority of cases. You can tell me someone you know was falsely accused, but that shouldn’t undermine the however many that get away for these crimes for free! That argument makes no sense here.
Also, I think people fear the movement against behaviours that quite frankly some men just don’t want to give up. These include assault. We are all adults here, you know what assault is, don’t kid me or yourself. It’s clear that anger is being felt by people who are frustrated their actions have been stopped. That people won’t rest until they stop all together.
He said, she said
It’s funny about the order of that phrase^ huh? With sexual assault and rape cases it can often come down to a case of SHE said he said (fight the power). Unlike any other case ever, that one time that a woman lied about rape is brought up and forces a question of this and that case. When else do we see that form of assessment?
We are not asking for you to embark on finding justice in an idle manner. We are just asking you why you don’t believe women, more than you do? Because, that is definitely how it appears. Why you are not believing women over something that women don’t want to have to face at all but drag up. Or that so many women can relate to or have a story for. It is actually baffling.
So, why?
Honestly, I don’t know why people are not believing women. I pose this question to all of you. Why aren’t women being believed? I have only barely tipped the iceberg of discussion here. But it is something I just wanted people to actually think about. I really struggle to comprehend how women struggle to gain foundation in belief for their words.
