#MeToo and Woody Allen and Aziz Ansari

I write this in English in stead of my native Dutch in the hope that more people can understand this.

I don’t like what the  #MeToo-movement have become. I really really really don’t. No, I’m not supporting Catherine Deneuve who insists that there is nothing wrong when men keep on trying. That’s totally not what I’m talking about because a No means No, let that be clear. The thing that really, and I mean REALLY bothers me is the behaviour towards Woody Allen and Aziz Ansari.

In this time and age, if we look at the Woody Allen case, you are guilty, even after you were proven innocent. A quick explanation: during the Woody Allen Mia Farrow divorce Farrow accused him of sexual misconduct with their daughter, Dylan. After the investigation Woody Allen was cleared and the investigators decided that it seemed more likely that Dylan Farrow was coached to lie by a vengeful mother. This is the story in a nutshell, however it’s interesting to read more about the case to form your own opinion.
What makes me really REALLY angry is that so many of us decided that Woody Allen is guilty before this even went to court. This is not a Weinstein story with sooo many many witnesses, we’re talking here about the allegations of one person. Every allegation has the right to be investigated but if we declare Woody Allen guilty before even proven is that everything everything but justice. Guilty before proven innocent. That’s even dangerous for our society. And certainly shameful.
This is not a ‘I believe you and Woody Allen is a pedophile’ case. This is a case for the police and the courtroom.

Then the Aziz Ansari case. Also in a nutshell: Ansari had a sexual encounter with a woman in his home. Despite feeling uncomfortable she engaged in it and he thought it was consensual. The next day she texted him that she felt bad about it and he was surprised. Years later she wrote a story about the encounter in wich she accused him of sexual misconduct.
Forgive me for being wrong but in my opinion is Ansari by no means whatsoever a sexual predator. He did not force himself upon her. And haven’t we learned that it’s important to be vocal about what we want and don’t want? Or is that’s just common sense since we cannot smell what the other wants. And also in this case: one allegation, no investagation. Guilty before proven innocent by many.

At first I was very supportive of #MeToo and I still think it’s an important and a very necessary movement that has to remain but I refuse to go along with this kind of irrational behaviour.