Wow you've hit the nail on the head in your well articulated comment.... Your statement that resonated for me was... "It really is the history of men throwing other men under the bus for access to female approval. What better way is there to jump the queue for female approval than to chuck other men out of it? Far easier than being admirable....." so beautifully and powerfully put!
While the vast majority of victims of false allegations are indeed men, there are, nonetheless, female victims who suffer no less devastating effects. Furthermore, the families and loved ones of false allegation victims also suffer similarly; so while the, largely female dominated, campaign groups who would have false allegations brushed under the carpet may think they are serving women, they fail to realise that they are not serving either those female victims nor the wives, daughters and mothers of those falsely accused.
This is a really good development. As the recent media attacks on Porter and Tudge (and also possibly Luhrmann who has no prospect of receiving a fair trial) have shown it doesn't help your case if you are male and your politics just happen to be conservative. Contrast their treatment with the much more reasoned and restrained approach of the media to the recent Shorten allegation which surfaced during the 2019 election campaign. It is hardly surprising I now read that Nine media has admitted to the Court that the central claim it made against Liberal MP Andrew Laming is untrue in a yet to be determined defamation case, where he was accused by Nine of committing a criminal offence to which he was never charged. In each of these cases these men have had their political careers targeted by the media and destroyed accordingly.
Last week in Queensland media reported on the trial of a woman Christie Lee Kennedy, she allegedly deliberately run over her husband and his girlfriend, then assaulted the girlfriend. The woman pled guilty to the assault and pled not guilty to running over the husband and girlfriend. Everyone has the right to plead not guilty and go to trial. The problem is how the media reported the trial, New Zealand Herald headlines read Trial of wife accused of hitting ‘cheating’ husband with BMW. The headline was focused on ‘cheating’. The prosecutor stated not everyone who has been cheated on goes and run downs someone. That wasn’t the headline only ‘ cheating’ husband. It was all about making the guy look bad.
I have the direct experience of a male friend who is a barrister and whose wife left him then took out a completely spurious apprehended violence order "to protect their children".
This was a total fabrication and has kicked off a nightmare series of events that have turned his life upside down and seriously jeopardised his career, let alone the hellish personal consequences.
His wife is now trying to backtrack the lie as it is now having knock on-consequences for her but once this stuff is underway you cant just say "sorry, I've changed my mind".
Today, the internet and the media have become the new pillory, to publicly humiliate and shame, one gender only. The male gender has become the pariah in the court of public opinion. The Federal Governments new Safety Respect Equity website is dressed up much like the propaganda film Triumph of the Will.
SafetyRespectEquity.org is far from being impartial and fair as it is highly emotive by design, because as Brene' Brown said; "once emotions are driving, logic and rational thought get locked in the trunk". It is far easier to manipulate people when emotions are driving than people who are logical, critical and rational thinkers.
Thank you Bettina. Once again you say what many of us have experienced. I read in "The Teachers Pet", that because police knew he had lied, the Judge used that against the accused. Another murder case the person lied to police and was therefore found guilty, (once it was known to police that the person had lied it was assumed he could lie again) I can not understand how it is well known that women lie to gain access to the child, and everything else. Men are being denied due process, denied their right to be questioned. Police and courts admit women are guilty of perjury solely to get their way, and yet this is allowed to continue? What are our politicians doing? Every man has a mother, sister, aunt, grandmother. Or, do we sit on our hands and wait until these #me too women experience their sons treated as we all know men are treated? The children the women perjured themselves for, are denied their father role model, the woman the support of the father. Yet I have heard of many children who, now when they can make the decision themselves, have returned to live with the father. Is it no wonder that "mental health" increases? Anger is out of control. Everyone in a position who could change this system will be held to account I believe. Thank you Bettina.
Good on ya, Bettina. Here are links to two items about journalism's ethical debate on the issue. Maybe the articles can help us move the discussion forward.
What a brilliant, thorough analysis of the state we're in. Same in the UK, interesting to see it reflected in Australia. When it's written that the most common age group of sexual assault perpetrators there is 15-19 years of age, is that allegations, convictions or both?
What happened to bearing false witness. It is easily solved. Give the courts 3 judgement opportunities. "Guilty" and the accused is punished. "Not Proven" and no one is punished. "Innocent" and the false accuser is punished for bearing false witness. Such an arrangement would stop false accusations.
It is not just RAPE complaints - think about those of us who were falsely accused of fiddling our children. Is that less damning than rape? In fact my experience is nobody asks questions, they simply BELIEVE and too many act on the lies. I was menaced with a gun in front of the children who were screaming in terror. So please, don't have blinkered tunnel vision. All accused have a right to due process - but more than that, every liar and perjurer needs to suffer the consequences of their own malice - NOT be excused.
Just a note to say I will remove comments that are really abusive or aggressive about women. It is not in my interest to have them included in this discussion, nor does it help the cause. I hope you understand.
Falsely Accused Day is a reminder that our nation must always strive to uphold the law and not bend to the whims of the times. Upholding equal protections is, perhaps, the single most important issue of our nation and all nations. Thank you Bettina for this article. I hope the group here gets to read this post on In His Words: https://gibm.substack.com/p/falsely-accused
Wow you've hit the nail on the head in your well articulated comment.... Your statement that resonated for me was... "It really is the history of men throwing other men under the bus for access to female approval. What better way is there to jump the queue for female approval than to chuck other men out of it? Far easier than being admirable....." so beautifully and powerfully put!
Thanks Tina, a bit of light through the window. I'll start printing the Tee shirts!
An excellent, informed and informative article.
While the vast majority of victims of false allegations are indeed men, there are, nonetheless, female victims who suffer no less devastating effects. Furthermore, the families and loved ones of false allegation victims also suffer similarly; so while the, largely female dominated, campaign groups who would have false allegations brushed under the carpet may think they are serving women, they fail to realise that they are not serving either those female victims nor the wives, daughters and mothers of those falsely accused.
This is a really good development. As the recent media attacks on Porter and Tudge (and also possibly Luhrmann who has no prospect of receiving a fair trial) have shown it doesn't help your case if you are male and your politics just happen to be conservative. Contrast their treatment with the much more reasoned and restrained approach of the media to the recent Shorten allegation which surfaced during the 2019 election campaign. It is hardly surprising I now read that Nine media has admitted to the Court that the central claim it made against Liberal MP Andrew Laming is untrue in a yet to be determined defamation case, where he was accused by Nine of committing a criminal offence to which he was never charged. In each of these cases these men have had their political careers targeted by the media and destroyed accordingly.
Last week in Queensland media reported on the trial of a woman Christie Lee Kennedy, she allegedly deliberately run over her husband and his girlfriend, then assaulted the girlfriend. The woman pled guilty to the assault and pled not guilty to running over the husband and girlfriend. Everyone has the right to plead not guilty and go to trial. The problem is how the media reported the trial, New Zealand Herald headlines read Trial of wife accused of hitting ‘cheating’ husband with BMW. The headline was focused on ‘cheating’. The prosecutor stated not everyone who has been cheated on goes and run downs someone. That wasn’t the headline only ‘ cheating’ husband. It was all about making the guy look bad.
I have the direct experience of a male friend who is a barrister and whose wife left him then took out a completely spurious apprehended violence order "to protect their children".
This was a total fabrication and has kicked off a nightmare series of events that have turned his life upside down and seriously jeopardised his career, let alone the hellish personal consequences.
His wife is now trying to backtrack the lie as it is now having knock on-consequences for her but once this stuff is underway you cant just say "sorry, I've changed my mind".
Another sorry case of "believe the woman".
Victim here
Today, the internet and the media have become the new pillory, to publicly humiliate and shame, one gender only. The male gender has become the pariah in the court of public opinion. The Federal Governments new Safety Respect Equity website is dressed up much like the propaganda film Triumph of the Will.
SafetyRespectEquity.org is far from being impartial and fair as it is highly emotive by design, because as Brene' Brown said; "once emotions are driving, logic and rational thought get locked in the trunk". It is far easier to manipulate people when emotions are driving than people who are logical, critical and rational thinkers.
https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=21871
Thank you Bettina. Once again you say what many of us have experienced. I read in "The Teachers Pet", that because police knew he had lied, the Judge used that against the accused. Another murder case the person lied to police and was therefore found guilty, (once it was known to police that the person had lied it was assumed he could lie again) I can not understand how it is well known that women lie to gain access to the child, and everything else. Men are being denied due process, denied their right to be questioned. Police and courts admit women are guilty of perjury solely to get their way, and yet this is allowed to continue? What are our politicians doing? Every man has a mother, sister, aunt, grandmother. Or, do we sit on our hands and wait until these #me too women experience their sons treated as we all know men are treated? The children the women perjured themselves for, are denied their father role model, the woman the support of the father. Yet I have heard of many children who, now when they can make the decision themselves, have returned to live with the father. Is it no wonder that "mental health" increases? Anger is out of control. Everyone in a position who could change this system will be held to account I believe. Thank you Bettina.
Good on ya, Bettina. Here are links to two items about journalism's ethical debate on the issue. Maybe the articles can help us move the discussion forward.
• https://ethicscasestudies.mediaschool.indiana.edu/cases/naming-newsmakers/anonymity-for-rape-victims.html
• http://514107247875678151.weebly.com/ethics
What a brilliant, thorough analysis of the state we're in. Same in the UK, interesting to see it reflected in Australia. When it's written that the most common age group of sexual assault perpetrators there is 15-19 years of age, is that allegations, convictions or both?
So true!
What happened to bearing false witness. It is easily solved. Give the courts 3 judgement opportunities. "Guilty" and the accused is punished. "Not Proven" and no one is punished. "Innocent" and the false accuser is punished for bearing false witness. Such an arrangement would stop false accusations.
It is not just RAPE complaints - think about those of us who were falsely accused of fiddling our children. Is that less damning than rape? In fact my experience is nobody asks questions, they simply BELIEVE and too many act on the lies. I was menaced with a gun in front of the children who were screaming in terror. So please, don't have blinkered tunnel vision. All accused have a right to due process - but more than that, every liar and perjurer needs to suffer the consequences of their own malice - NOT be excused.
Just a note to say I will remove comments that are really abusive or aggressive about women. It is not in my interest to have them included in this discussion, nor does it help the cause. I hope you understand.
Falsely Accused Day is a reminder that our nation must always strive to uphold the law and not bend to the whims of the times. Upholding equal protections is, perhaps, the single most important issue of our nation and all nations. Thank you Bettina for this article. I hope the group here gets to read this post on In His Words: https://gibm.substack.com/p/falsely-accused