Collective memory, like personal memory, is a problematic thing. It is selective, prone to the ravages of time, an ever-fading document written in the minds of a vast network of persons, monuments, and organizations. When it comes to violence against women, our collective memory is especially faulty, prone to selective omissions, and distortions. The incidents and accusations of the past do not fit neatly into the narratives of progress, and the stories that make it into the national news are not only incomplete, but they become twisted and misshapen, often molded and folded into other narratives, or else swept away into the dust of time.
Geniuses, however, artists, charismatic leaders, visionaries…these people are not demolished or diminished by the winds of change. They are built up over time, revered, worshipped, or, less grandly, simply well thought of. They are the building-blocks of our collective nostalgia—those who have guided us, consoled us, revealed our humanity to us—or risen above it. To the general public, they are inevitably men, these geniuses, these artists, these charismatic leaders, politicians, musicians, innovators, and entertainers.
When ugly accusations surface against these Great Men, the resulting battle for the dominant narrative is never clear, never easy. In the last year, (at least) three men of larger than life standing have come under public scrutiny, and the subsequent refusal of our collective memory to acknowledge their crimes is both horrifying and not unexpected.
Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, and the CBC radio personality Jian Gomeshi have been accused of sexually assaulting women. In the case of Cosby, the story is getting fresh press every couple of weeks. Just last week, two more women came forward to say that they were drugged and assaulted by Cosby in the 1980s. This story broke just as Cosby’s former cast-mate, Phylicia Rashad, defended Cosby, saying, “Forget these women…What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy…a legacy that is so important to the culture.” Continue reading →
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