#MeToo: The Slippery Slope

As two jerseys rose to the rafters in Los Angeles after Kobe Bryant had his last send-off after a year removed from the game, I couldn’t help but wonder: Did #MeToo take a night off?

When I log on to my computer and pull up my homepage, news articles detail the current (and long time-happening) dilemma are on every corner of the screen. Immediately, I see a petition to remove Matt Damon from the new “Ocean’s Eight” movie, a new lawsuit by the disgraced Harvey Weinstein, and a new claim brought against Masterson from “That 70’s Show”. I thought to myself: Where is the backlash for Kobe Bryant?

Years ago, Kobe Bryant was…involved…in an alleged rape of a young hotel employee in Colorado. When I say alleged, I mean to say that Kobe both admitted to the rape, yet was not formally charged (the witness wouldn’t testify). I won’t go into the specifics of the case (read more here), but let’s just say that he initially lied about having sex with this woman, doubled back and said it was consensual, bought his wife a 4 million piece of jewelry, and SOMEHOW, the rape victim just didn’t feel like testifying.

Men have been using their power for decades, no, centuries, no…as long as humans existed. It’s coming to the forefront in Hollywood, which has been long overdue. We have crucified the likes of Kevin Spacey, demanded answers from media executives, and came away with a #MeToo movement, intended to give a voice to the abused. So…where the hell were these folks when we cheered on a rapist while he basked in glory? Do people know that Staples Center is up the street from Hollywood?

The double standard is the reason why powerful men have gotten away with this abuse for so long. The same double standard exists in sports, where villains are given more than one public outcry to try and keep their character intact. Pete Rose was banned from baseball for gambling on his own teams, yet Kobe Bryant admitted to raping a girl during his career, and was still sitting front row while L.A cheered him on as his jerseys rose to the ceiling, where they will stay forever. A constant reminder, just like the poor victim of his forceful rape (she had multiple lacerations on her vagina, constant with rape).

It’s O.K though, right? It’s not like he will walk the stages at the Oscars….and CERTAINLY, no way would he be nominated for a short film….right?!