Is Everyone Trash?

This morning, news broke that actor Morgan Freeman was accused of inappropriate behavior by eight different women on films sets and interviews. There was one account by a production assistant that he lifted up her skirt and asked her if she was wearing underwear. This allegedly happened on the Going in Style set. Of course, after these allegations came to light, Freeman apologized.

When I first saw his name trending on Twitter, I was scared that he had died. However, this is worse. To see someone who you admire and watch be accused of something so ugly, it kind of puts you off. It made me sad that he was accused of this, but then I realized that it isn't my place to feel sorry for him. Freeman doesn't need my pity. He is an Oscar winning actor with millions of dollars and many other accolades. But that doesn't take away from the fact that, for the longest time, there were women who uncomfortable to work with him.

And, of course, we did not know this. When the public finds out something unflattering about a celebrity, we are quick to jump to why it took so long for this to come to light. We ask why it wasn't this mentioned sooner or if this person is even telling the truth. But we are not the judge and jury. As outside observers, we do not know everything that goes on in Hollywood as we would like to think.

There are many people that we admire and favor because of their talent and charisma. But that does not mean that they are blameless and perfect beings. Of course, no one human being is perfect, but that does not mean we can ignore other's faults. It is so tempting to ignore people's shortcoming's in order to hold on to the perceived image that we have of them. It is easier to put our favorite actors, athletes, artists, and politicians on a pedestal like idols. However, that means we are not holding them accountable for their actions and other people will be hurt as a result of that.

It was weird for me to read about the sexual harrasment allegations against Freeman, but it reminds me to remain critical of people I simply do not know. Sure, we all love Glory and Bruce Almighty, but the Morgan Freeman that we know isn't the same one that these women knew.

Moreover, I cannot imagine what it must be like to come forward with a story that paints someone as famous as him in an ugly light. There may have been many people who told these women to keep their stories to themselves because opening up about this could keep them from getting another job. Maybe they were told that these things happen and if they don't develop tough skin then they wouldn't make it in this industry.

But women shouldn't be silent in order to protect the reputations of powerful men. No one should feel that their story doesn't matter or should be questioned on whether or not they are trustworthy. It is up to us to listen to these stories and remember that people aren't as perfect as we think they are. They are flawed and make mistakes. When they make these mistakes, they must answer for them and truly change. We need to make sure we are holding people to a higher standard to be better. That way we can create spaces where everyone feels like they matter and they are heard.