RE: George Takei (original Star Trek Sulu) Accused of Sexual Assault
November 11, 2017 at 7:52 pm
(This post was last modified: November 11, 2017 at 7:53 pm by henryp.)
(November 11, 2017 at 7:18 pm)AFTT47 Wrote:(November 11, 2017 at 6:43 pm)wallym Wrote: The expectation that everyone weigh in on believing or disbelieving people is weird. It's just low information guessing on a very serious issue.
Yes, I agree that's it's low-information guessing.
I guess the point that I'm making is that if you have been sexually assaulted in any way, you need to come out about it immediately. What is anyone to think if you come out about it decades after the fact? Who are we to believe at that point when it's nothing more than one party's word against another's?
A person may have been wronged but if that person truly wants justice, he/she needs to pursue it right away. It's unrealistic to expect justice (or even credibility) if you wait decades.
I think you are focusing on a narrow aspect of the practicality, while ignoring the larger practicality of it. Yes, your best chance at getting an arrest is immediately pursuing it, you would think.
But, in this case, if a guy in 1982 says "Hey Sulu groped me!" most likely nobody would give a shit. There would be no arrest. Nothing would happen to Sulu. On top of that, it would put the guy reporting the incident's career in jeopardy. There would definitely be no justice, and very likely some reverse justice, as the people in power all circle their wagons and send a message to those that would try to get them in trouble.
Now, however, we have social media justice. Because the information zips around the internet, accusations decades old can end careers and ruin the person's name without the need to go through the actual justice system. I would guess the hit to Takei's lovable gay social justice champion brand is far more damage than what reporting the events would have had in the '80s. It's not legal justice, but there is a chunk of flesh being taken, which is probably as good as it could ever get for this guy.
On top of all this, back in the 80's groping like this probably wasn't even viewed as particularly wrong. And all of this ignores any psychological issues involved with dealing with the trauma.
