There’s ‘kinder, gentler shaming’ of women in ‘Me Too’ era, says Krystal Ball

By Krystal Ball
Opinion Contributor

In the first era, women just didn’t come forward. They knew they wouldn’t be believed, knew it would be their lives which would be turned upside down by calling out abuse, not those of their tormenters. And so they just stayed silent.

In the second era, women achieved a modicum of economic and political power. A few brave souls began to entertain the idea that maybe if there was evidence, maybe if there were other victims, perhaps the criminal justice system would protect them. It’s not that they expected to be believed really. Such women could be easily dismissed and derided as “a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty.” But perhaps they could at least lift the weight off their chest or extricate themselves and their children from a living hell. Or bravely do their best to keep a man out of a position of power over women’s lives. Perhaps the price would not be everything you have.

Now we’ve entered a third era, the “Me Too” era. On the surface, everyone mouths the words of believing women. There is a space, and a solidarity and a real track record of towering men being brought low. A little bit nutty and a little bit slutty won’t fly any more. No, now a kinder and gentler approach to shaming and silencing must be employed.

Dr. Ford isn’t “nutty” she’s a little “mixed up” in the words of Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley. It’s not that we don’t believe her the patriarchy insists, it’s just that perhaps it was a case of mistaken identity. Conservative “intellectual” Ed Whelan tried this tactic out going so far as to identify the supposed Doppelganger, thereby dragging an innocent bystander into the whole sordid affair based on a Zillow map.

The man is placed on a pedestal to tower over his accuser. Judge Kavanaugh has an impeccable reputation. Never mind that prospective female law clerks were warned that he only selected women who looked a certain way. Or that his high school buddy wrote an entire book on their drunken high school debauchery. Or that the exclusive club he joined at Yale was barred in recent years for chanting “No means yes. Yes means anal.” Impeccable reputation! Here are 65 women who know Judge Kavanaugh and have never once experienced attempted rape at his hands.

Subtle and not so subtle questions are raised about the accuser. Why didn’t she come forward at the time? If the event was so searing than why can’t she remember the house address, the date. Her requests for an actual investigation or other testimony are deemed unreasonable. You either play by the patriarchy’s rigged rules or you admit immediate defeat. The evidence she has is dismissed as unconvincing. The essence of the claim boiled down to a he said she said even though she has a polygraph test and the word of her psychiatrist to back her up. And in the “Me Too” era when it is he said/she said, he still wins the day. But as I said last week, Predators never only strike once. And when he said/she said becomes he said/she said she said, suddenly we have a fighting chance. Stop. Kavanaugh.

Krystal Ball is the co-host of “Rising,” Hill.TV’s morning news show.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill.