With any movement, policy or law that aims to deliver justice to a particular group of people that have faced injustice, there is always the criticism that it might treat unjustly another group. The reservation system in India that aims to uplift the 'backward' sections of the society has faced perpetual opposition from the 'general' category, that claims to be on the browner side of the grass. The Me Too movement, like any movement, has faced such criticism from it's inception, it's gender neutrality being constantly in question.
Raya Sarkar's list of sexual offenders in academia, that helped bring perpetrators in the academic world to light in India and in certain cases abroad as well, mentions all male accused persons.
The case filed by Nimrod Reitman on the other hand, was against a female professor. Herein lies the conflict, for several feminists dismissing the accusations of the male victim and cited professional achievements of the accused to justify their claim that she was incapable of committing such a crime.
The Me Too movement was supposed to be about strength and courage, for it meant speaking up against you abuser, no matter how powerful or well established they were. From Harvey Weinstein to Donald Trump, women spoke against their abusers regardless of how powerful or influential they were.That their accomplishments and positions were not proof of their innocence was emphasised by feminists all around the world.
Why then, the double standards on Reitman's situation? What must the response of a feminist be if another woman is the wrongdoer? The answer is simple: Feminism is about equality and it is the duty of the feminist to help a wronged brother as much as it is to help a wronged sister. For it is not a war of the sexes, but a common battle against the evils of the world and society.
Raya Sarkar's list of sexual offenders in academia, that helped bring perpetrators in the academic world to light in India and in certain cases abroad as well, mentions all male accused persons.
The case filed by Nimrod Reitman on the other hand, was against a female professor. Herein lies the conflict, for several feminists dismissing the accusations of the male victim and cited professional achievements of the accused to justify their claim that she was incapable of committing such a crime.
The Me Too movement was supposed to be about strength and courage, for it meant speaking up against you abuser, no matter how powerful or well established they were. From Harvey Weinstein to Donald Trump, women spoke against their abusers regardless of how powerful or influential they were.That their accomplishments and positions were not proof of their innocence was emphasised by feminists all around the world.
Why then, the double standards on Reitman's situation? What must the response of a feminist be if another woman is the wrongdoer? The answer is simple: Feminism is about equality and it is the duty of the feminist to help a wronged brother as much as it is to help a wronged sister. For it is not a war of the sexes, but a common battle against the evils of the world and society.
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