Once, Martin Luther King Jr had said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In other words, the chastisement for a single wrongdoer should increase the chances of getting Justice for everyone. However, the reality is very much complicated… and the pieces of news related to noted American director, writer, actor and comedian Woody Allen stand as a proof of that.

A publisher recently refused to publish Allen’s autobiography, saying that his adoptive daughter had accused the actor of assaulting her sexually! As expected, many have questioned the justification of this objection. The hallmark of Democracy or Liberalism is the desire to listen to all the parties. Even a criminal has the Right to tell about her/himself. So far, the allegations against Allen have not been established in the Court. So, no one could suppress his voice. Many find the self-contradiction of the #MeToo movement in this development. How can those, who respect the dignity of women, dismiss others’ points of view?

Woody Allen

It sounds good that everyone has the Right to express her/his view on any particular issue. Perhaps, the ones – who were involved in the #MeToo movement – question the morality of this view. It seems that they have failed to realise that the dignity of one’s view, in a way, determines the dignity of that person. Of course, one should not mix victims with the perpetrators… otherwise, the act of the oppression will be ignored and criminal activities will be encouraged. That is why the Judiciary listens to both the parties during the trial. Those, who fail to establish their claims, get punished. Still, one would have to admit that it is not always possible for the Judiciary to remove all the criminal acts from the Society only by ensuring Justice. For example: Sexual Violence against Women! The #MeToo movement has certainly enabled many women to establish their claims many years after the crimes had taken place…

The Judiciary has also accepted the allegations in some cases. Hollywood Producer Harvey Weinstein is facing 23 years prison term after being convicted of criminal sex act and third-degree rape. However, it is difficult to prove the allegation of sexual harassment inside the courtroom in most of the cases. That’s why the #MeToo movement demands the social condemnation and punishment of the accused! Many influential people have been isolated by the society after being accused by some women.

Harvey Weinstein

No one could deny the social significance of the #MeToo movement… still, the demand for extra-judicial punishment is unacceptable. The most important pre-condition of Justice is to ensure that not a single innocent person should get punished. The Social Justice does not follow this rule, always. So even if a person is punished for his misdeeds, the #MeToo movement cannot ensure Justice for the victims. With all due respect to this movement, one should admit that sexual harassment cases should be brought to the mainstream Judiciary.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das