The Men Ruining Women's History Month
Believe women!
Men in Hollywood have long been protected from the consequences of their actions while women and girls both famous and otherwise must suffer them instead, in silence. Despite the #MeToo movement of the late 2010s, this pattern has continued while celebrities and comedians fear an imaginary boogie man in “cancel culture.”
Over the weekend, Jonathan Majors was arrested during a domestic disturbance that took place in New York, during which he allegedly was “striking [his girlfriend] about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear.” Majors was the one to call the cops, reporting that the unnamed female was experiencing an emotional crisis. He was arrested and she was transported to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
After the news broke, Twitter exploded with polarizing takes. Many people jumped to Majors’ defense, citing that he was the one to phone the police and warning others not to fall for “rumors.” Others expressed a shocked disgust considering Majors’ public emphasis on soft masculinity, feeling duped and disturbed by his dual personality.
(since deleted)
Most notably, the film industry started to rumble, noting that there had been talk of his abusive behavior for years. Some users recalled a vague tweet from months back which referenced an unnamed actor who was experiencing a sudden rise to fame who didn’t deserve their accolades due to their nasty behavior behind closed doors. “I never would’ve guessed this was about Jonathan Majors,” wrote one Twitter user.
Majors, through his lawyer, has maintained his innocence, claiming he’s done “nothing wrong” and that the victim has “recanted.” However, on Monday, March 27, Majors was arraigned and indicted formally on multiple harassment and assault charges.
On Thursday, his lawyer released a series of text messages between the alleged victim and Majors in which the victim blames herself and apologizes, something that is not uncommon for victims of abuse. She also notes that she collapsed and fainted.
After the texts were released, Twitter once again erupted in a storm of opinionated tweets, but this time, most agreed that this did not paint Majors in the light his lawyer must have hoped. Instead, many women recognized the tactics he employed.
In addition to Jonathan Major’s arrest, just this week we’ve also learned of Sebastian Bear-McClard’s disturbing sexual misconduct allegations. Multiple women who were aged 17 and 18 at the time of the incidents have accused Emily Ratajkowski’s ex-husband and frequent collaborator of the Safdie brothers, Sebastian Bear McClard of egregious behavior ranging from verbal abuse to sexual assault.
It was also announced that Tory Lanez, who was convicted in December of the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, will be seeking an appeal. Lanez shot Megan multiple times in both feet after a party at Kylie Jenner’s mansion in July of 2020 and is currently awaiting sentencing. He faces up to 22 years. Megan was met with an overwhelming amount of misogynoir online before and during the trial, including from fellow rappers like 50 Cent and Drake, who both indicated she was lying.
While all of these incidents were made public this week, it’s worth nothing that Hollywood has begun to once again embrace a Mr. Chris Brown again. Brown won an American Music Award back in November, and was booed by the audience. When Kelly Rowland accepted the award on his behalf, she admonished the crowd, telling them to “chill out.” She then doubled down on this opinion later on, saying, “Everyone deserves grace, period.” Jordin Sparks, who collaborated with Chris Brown on the hit “No Air” also chimed in in agreement with Rowland, indicating that people deserve room for growth.
However, Brown’s brutal 2009 assault on Rihanna is not his only nefarious incident. He’s been arrested for assault on multiple other occasions and was accused of drugging and raping a woman in Miami in January of 2022. Her case was dismissed later that August.
Both the members of our elite society and our everyman are quick to question women while offering men excuses. A woman is asked, “Why would you go to a married guy’s house?” A man is offered, “She didn’t say ‘no.’” A woman is asked, “What did you say to make him mad?” A man is offered, “Maybe she’s lying.”
The one thing we can all take comfort in is knowing all these men are typically too insufferable to keep a decent lawyer. Alexa, play ‘Jail’ by Kanye West.