Students weigh in on Weinstein scandal

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After the breakout of the sexual harassment accusations against former Hollywood film executive Harvey Weinstein, actress Alyssa Milano tweeted #Metoo, a call-out to victims “so we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” So far, as many as 30 women have come out in attempts to expose Weinstein for molestation and rape. With such a large number of accusations, some have begun to wonder whether or not these women truly were abused, or if they’re angry at Weinstein for his actions and wish to further ruin his reputation.

“It can be possible that these women are trying to support the ones who were really affected because they don’t want those women to feel singled out,” sophomore Julia Amorde said. “But either way, that means [Weinstein] really did do something and should therefore face consequences.”

Sophomore Erica Camacho agrees with Amorde.

“I think that all accusations should be taken seriously until otherwise proven to be false,” Camacho said. “It’s normal to want to wait to speak up. It’s a scary thing.”

At least one student said she feels closely attached to the scandal because of traumatic personal experiences similar to those of the affected women.

“I have been sexually mistreated by a much older man and honestly couldn’t say anything about it,” a sophomore who asked to remain anonymous said. “So I understand why [the women] would wait until others spoke up about the same person first.”

But not everyone believes all of the allegations are accurate.

“I feel like that some of these cases could be real issues,” sophomore Walter Wilinsky said. “It’s not unheard of for men to do things like this. But I feel like not all of them are legit. Thirty seems a little high. Some could be real, but 30 different charges? That’s just unlikely.” 

By Gracie Moravecky