In the current year, if you’re a male of any repute or celebrity, your life and career could be utterly destroyed by a single vindictive accusation. Sure, this sexual harassment crusade has seen a lot of legitimate abusers brought to light, but there’s no question that this modern day inquisition has the potential to ruin the lives of innocent men.
It’s a giant game of he said/she said these days, as a simple accusation is enough to brand a man an abuser, regardless of how he lived his life up to that point and if there’s any evidence. Needless to say, it’s rather scary the amount of power that women have over men in this regard, and one Hollywood celebrity just experienced the horror of being falsely accused.
As reported by the Hollywood Reporter, the latest man to come under attack by the #MeToo crusaders is Ryan Seacrest, who was recently accused of mistreating a stylist over a decade ago.
Seacrest penned an article for the Hollywood Reporter explaining the situation and why the allegations have no merit. He says that in November, he received a letter from a lawyer representing the supposedly aggrieved stylist.
What’s amusing about Seacrest’s explanation and subsequent denial is that he spends most of the article singing the praises of the all the brave women that have come out since this whole saga began and he hits on all the typical left-wing talking points about women’s inequality and whatnot.
About the accusations, he writes: “To have my workplace conduct questioned was gut-wrenching,” but despite this false attack, he pledges “to help voices be heard.” Yes, but now that you’ve been slandered, Ryan, when you help all these “victims'” voices be heard, will you give the accused the benefit of the doubt like you’re asking for in your own case? Or will you just automatically believe any and all accusation like the Left has thus far, while expecting us to find you innocent?
About the timing of the letter he writes: “This arrived during an unprecedented public reckoning by women in our industry and beyond, courageously coming forward to share their stories, many of them heartbreaking. These women sought to bring attention to the systemic gender inequality that has occurred for decades. I was — and am — amazed at their bravery.
To have my workplace conduct questioned was gut-wrenching. I’ve always aimed to treat all of my colleagues with honesty, respect, kindness and compassion. Yet, I knew, regardless of the confidence I had that there was no merit to the allegations, my name would likely soon appear on the lists of those suspected of despicable words and deeds. The pressures of our overflowing newsfeeds would insist on it.
After sharing the letter with the network, I publicly denied the claims against me, and agreed to participate in any inquiry the network deemed appropriate. On Feb. 1, I received notice that an independent third party found the claims to be unsubstantiated and that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on my part.”
While it’s great to see a false accusation be treated as such, there’s no telling how many have been believed. Sure, it goes the other way as well, but with such hysteria and fear-mongering going on about abuse and harassment, the accused aren’t likely to be believed even if they’re guiltless. One can only hope that innocent men aren’t being accused, and if they are, they’re able to prove it and come out unscathed. As for the guilty, they deserve everything they get.
Source: Hollywood Reporter