Judge and Executioner

The last few days we have seen the rise and fall of several social media accounts, making allegations on musicians, record labels, and many Indie bands. I can see how many of these new accounts have improved the way they present their allegations, but we also have seen many bad examples, such as the exposing_the_buttertones instagram account or Melissa Brooks' (Aquadolls) Twitter account. See my last post for more details about this. 

We should empower victims of assault to have their voices heard. Attempting to come forward with an experience of sexual assault is a very difficult thing to do. It is even more so difficult when the oppressor is someone who is a celebrity or a person of power. 

What could be a better way to support victims and empower their voices?  How can we support the victims and protect them from slanderers and opportunists? We can be better. We can seek a more proactive way to find justice, a way that is beneficial and fair on all sides. 

I strongly believe the first and best step to fight against all types of sexual assault is by speaking up and reaching out the authorities as soon as possible. Filing a statement with the authorities can generate precedence that can help more victims build a case in a court of law. However, it is also true, that it can take a lot of courage, a lot of pain, and a lot of strength to be able to speak up. And sadly, even after speaking up, these voices might be dismissed or brushed away as if nothing happened. Every case of sexual assault can be very different. Even so, many times, it might be difficult to determine if a situation is sexual assault. A good solution is to provide a space for those victims who could not for whatever circumstances speak up. A space where we can motivate people to get inspired, informed, and make the right decisions. 

Below are some Instagram accounts that I think are a good examples of a platform that aims to create a safe spaces to share experiences and stories from people with the purpose to inform the public and inspire to take action. Take a look at the following accounts that provide testimonies for establishments around several cities: 

• @nocallnoshowatl
• @the86dlist
• @phillyfoodworkers
• @welp___512

I personally liked the Instagram account @welp___512. This account provides testimonies on negative experiences about establishments in Austin, Texas.  First of all, their profile is very impartial and has a clear message: 

"This is a safe space for service workers in Austin to share their stories about customers, management, & business owners"

The owner of the account does not attack, slander, or harass any of the establishment mentioned in the allegations. It is just a space to collect testimonies and general public consensus regarding a problem. Moreover, the submissions are very detailed, provide  examples, are timestamped in many cases, and every statement has the purpose to highlight a problem with a specific establishment. An owner of such platform should curate and verify the examples they publish, making sure statements and allegations are to some degree congruent. 

These are some of the submissions from @welp__512 that show how the stories of the victims can be heard in a more positive and proactive manner. This is the type of testimonies that lead the way to real solutions and changes.

 

We have to be wary of the fact that Cancel culture is a direct product of social media. Cancel culture is a trend where communities and followers empower individuals who use a media platform to decide the stance and punishment on social issues. Social media has inherently made us judges of the content we post. I say we become judges because we play the roles  of moderators and arbiters of a space where opinions are shared and instantly broadcasted to the whole world. The main issue here is that we become both judges and executioners when we allow our biases and prejudices dictate the truth we want to believe in. Imagine a court of law where the judge arbiters a trial and at the same time imposes sentences. There has to be a jury that will come to a verdict, or the whole system would fall into prejudice and corruption. Social media is not a public court of law. Instagram influencers, celebrities, and even ourselves do not have the last word on an issue, less on one that doesn't even involve us. 

We owe the real victims of sexual abuse to support them and have their voices heard in a manner that does not invalidate their experiences. All it takes is an instagram account and a few followers to destroy somebody's life, whether it is the people who are being accused or the victims themselves. Social media can be a double edge sword, meaning that just like anyone can communicate great ideas and opinions, others can also spread misinformation and hate.  We need to be very careful that these platforms do not follow the paths of revenge, slandering, and self-promotion.  After all, we do not want social media to become the "ministry of truth" (for those Orwell enthusiasts). Below are some examples of "cancel" accounts that use hate and self-promotion.

Self-Promoting: The image above shows Melissa Brooks from the Aquadolls, who has released Tik-Tok videos and Tweets promoting her own band and other "female fronted/LGBTQI+" bands at the expense of defaming "boy bands". She runs a public campaign that stands on the stories of the victims who actually might have endured sexual assault.  Cancel culture allows some people to take advantage of the situation to achieve a personal agenda. 

Hating: This instagram post shows how "Cancel" culture can lead people to just find an outlet to get their anger out. Unfortunately, this can also muddy the reputation and view of real movements leading them to lose credibility and trust. These type of posts are not doing anything to help the victims, and they do not educate nor explain the reason to stop supporting the bands.

Doxxing: Accounts releasing statements from victims should not encourage their followers to attack or harass anyone. This demerits any good intentions. 

Misguided Allegations: Stories and allegations need to be verified and should highlight a real issue. Making a statement about some band member asking for someone of legal age for nudes does NOT mean sexual assault.

I would like to end this blog post with a Forbes article that talks about the #MeToo movement.  As the article says, "everything is about balance". It is great to have movements that fight to support victims of oppression. However, at the same time we must be very careful not to overpower one side and take any accusations as absolute truth. We must be critical and assertive. Just because a headline says something, we cannot go without questioning it. Sexual assault happens, but also fake accusations happen. We must make sure every side receives the same opportunity to defend their case. We cannot give justice to a few, and we cannot support victims if on the way we punish the innocent. Trust but verify. We can do better, we can be better.

Count of Monte Cristo