Ive debated with myself whether or not to write this post, but ultimately decided to add my own thoughts to the issue of Jian Ghomeshis firing from the CBC. I will note right from the start that I am not familiar with him or his show. I only know of him through second-hand accounts. There are a few points that I consider central to this whole situation and I would argue that they need to be kept in mind when forming an opinion on the matter. The first is that we should not discount those who Ghomeshi has framed in his Facebook post (a point I will talk about later) as jilted, unstable, trying to smear him. I have seen comments that are asking why these women did not go to authorities or report his behaviour before now. The implication, sometimes made explicit by the commentator, is that they are simply trying to get attention by attacking a media celebrity. First, this is baseless since we only have Ghomeshis point of view here. We know absolutely nothing about the people who brought these allegations forward. Second, going to the authorities or making a complaint is often followed by threats against the woman. You only need to look at the case of Stubenville, where the girl was told she deserved what happened to her and, sharing a similarity with this situation, was vilified because she dared accuse the towns football team (asking how the boys who allegedly raped and assaulted would survive with their reputation ruined, even if they were actually guilty.) The suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons should not be far from our memory, as well. Accusations of deserving it, not coming forward sooner, and the continued harassment led to her taking her life. Many more cases of this exist, such as the beating of Christy Mack by War Machine. Lack of reporting is not grounds for dismissing someones claim outright. There are many reasons, especially when someone famous is involved, that lead to withholding the information. The second point, however, is that we should not condemn Jian Ghomesi. Allegations now exist, but we have little information to go on. Taking the word of the women involved seriously does not mean that Ghomeshi is automatically guilty and deserves his firing. It means that we need more information and to investigate the matter thoroughly in fairness to -both- sides. If Ghomeshis actions are found to be of a consensual nature, then that is that. An accusation does not equal immediate guilt. My first point merely states that we -should- take the issue seriously and that already efforts to dismiss them are being made. My third point is more problematic. It involves Ghomeshis post on Facebook. On the one hand, I do not believe people should be silenced in presenting their side of a story. However, Ghomeshi is a celebrity and wields a significant amount of influence when it comes to shaping his message. A Facebook post I saw (which I will not link to because I do not know the person and do not have their express permission) mentions that news outlets are using Ghomeshis post to frame the debate and his comments feature heavily in their articles. This immediately frames the issue in Ghomeshis favour. He is able to shape the situation in his favour and attack his accusers without the latter having a chance to counter him in any meaningful way since they do not have his capacity of reach. The Facebook post I mentioned brought up the point that the venue chosen by Ghomeshi, Facebook, is particularly effective in his effort to frame the debate: Those who will see the message are his fans and people who, ostensibly, support him. They are more prone to believing his story, especially with the lack of a countering perspective. I do not know whether Ghomeshi is purposefully doing this; it is often difficult to determine someones sincerity in a matter. It is not impossible, for instance, to hold seemingly contradictory perspectives (wanting to show the truth, as they see it, but doing so in a medium they have control and influence of). What I do disagree with, however, is Ghomeshis characterization of those who have brought these allegations forward. Mentioned at the beginning of my post, he says that the initial accuser was a jilted-ex, unstable, and out to smear him in revenge for his ending their relationship. Ghomeshi paints himself as the victim of backlash against a legitimate action (since we do not truly think that ending a relationship the way he presents it in his post is wrong). Regardless of the possible truth, we must take it with a huge amount of salt since we know -nothing- of these people. Yes, they may in fact be angry exes who want revenge, but they may not be, and just as we should not outright condemn Ghomeshi, we should not condemn these women either. My final point is regarding past accusations regarding Ghomeshis behaviour. There is the XoJane article (xojane/it-happened-to-me/non-date) about someones experience with who is assumed to be Ghomeshi, and many stories about this kind of behavior from him in the past, before any of these events take place. We should take the woman who posted the Xojane article seriously, as well, but not necessarily condemn Ghomeshi. It is in the same boat as this event: both sides taken seriously in equal measure. They represent a possible trend of Ghomeshis actions, which is something to consider, but on its own is not enough to make a true claim either way. This is not dismissing the writer of the story; her story and all others deserve due diligence. But time is needed to confirm what took place. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 15:17:05 +0000
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