Unfounded allegations

[MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack]

With the news about Russell Brand and David Walliams at the top of people's minds, it is perhaps quite natural that people want to talk about these cases, and to talk about the wider culture, especially within the entertainment industry, which has seemingly allowed these men to hide in plain sight while engaging in terrible and sometimes criminal behaviour. This is of course a valid and important discussion.

But inspired by this, we now seem to have unfounded allegations popping up all over the site against other celebrities. It is in danger of becoming a witch hunt and MNHQ really needs to take action to nip this in the bud.

If anyone has any evidence of actual wrongdoing by any celebrity (or indeed by anyone), then please, please go to the police and report your concerns.

If it's just a gut feeling that someone feels a bit sleazy or gives you the ick, please remember that they are an actual human being that does not deserve to have allegations thrown at them on the basis of gut feelings alone.

Pointing the finger at anyone and everyone without any actual evidence trivialises the problem and undermines the testimony of women who have genuinely experienced harm.

Can everyone please stop speculating?

I agree. It’s really risky and stupid. If actual allegations are made public, have at it…

I've reported the thread you refer to. I expect it will be taken down shortly anyway. Anyone speaking up in the thread is being accused of being a sympathiser. Some people are (just) loving all the drama (Mick). Frothing aplenty today!

The problem is that men are assisted massively by this. Women stick to the letter of Blackstones principle and presumed innocent and predators walk around.

Women talking is a defense.

Individuals need to take personal responsibility not to post, I don’t think MNHQ can be responsible for mindless gossip - it happens every day on here, not just in moments of high tension. I just report. It’s easy enough to do. I don’t think a well-reasoned message appealing to members of the site works either - if they were well-reasoned people in normal life they wouldn’t post salacious nonsense. Just report, it’s what the facility is there for.

Hear hear! It's gossiping and potential libel. There's no need for it.

Talking about actual harm that they have experienced, yes. Women should be actively supported to speak up.

I'm not sure that talking about unfounded allegations based on "feelz" really defends anyone.

If anything, I think the random allegations undermine the credibility of the women raising genuine issues. It is so much easier for people to dismiss things as a witch hunt when there is evidence of an actual witch hunt.

I see that two of the threads have now been pulled. Hopefully MNHQ will be vigilant on monitoring this so that discussions can take place without the unfounded allegations against specific individuals.

Oh, I spoke too soon. The threads were hidden for a short while and now seem to have been reinstated.

Bad call imo but I guess MNHQ has made an assessment that they won't get sued so it's ok.

Glad it's not just me.

Some of those threads are an absolute disgrace.

Would be interesting to know MN's stance on divulging actual user names in the event of police becoming involved. Do the posters spewing out all this "I know he's definitely one too" shite realise that many celebrities have PR people who monitor the internet for just this sort of thing. I doubt they'd be so brave about throwing accusations around if they had to stand up in court and say it.

How would they feel if they came onto MN and found thread after thread accusing one of their family members of being a rapist/paedophile based on "spidey senses". Bet they'd be clamouring for MN to remove those posts immediately and provide details of the poster concerned.

I agree.

It's disappointing - and rather surprising - that MNHQ has not even commented on either of the threads that they temporarily hid to suggest that people should at least be careful about what they're saying.

I agree with you, I’ve seen a poster accusing Walliams of rape, and I’ve seen a terrible thread on jonathon Ross where people are throwing accusations where he is guilty by association, and as there is a ten year age gap in his long standing marriage,

its like what’s happened isn’t enough , some want to find more people to go after and are making stuff up to do it,

I reported one which apparently didn’t break guidelines.

It’s disgusting that people are posting a thread titled with the person’s name only so that people click on it thinking they been accused of something, only to find it’s a place to speculate on all kinds of things, real or imagined.

People are practically salivating at the prospect that someone might be guilty of something - it is sick.

There is now also one in Stephen fry, Michael Jackson and Katie Perry, it’s like people are competing to start threads shouting whose next,

Perhaps there should be a separate’random celebrity accusations’ board

I get sick of seeing threads about all this crap.

It's really worrying. Rumours spread so quickly online . It's OK to say to a friend that you think N looks a dodgy, but not on the internet.

Most people on that thread are quite ritghtly saying “what’s the evidence”. So I don’t see any harm in it. As a pp said, women should be allowed to talk about this.

I have no strong feelings about JR or DW (actually always thought he was a bit camp tbh so completely misread that one) but I think people would feel differently if it was their husband/brother/son etc being accused by strangers on the Internet. It may all turn out to be true - who knows? But I'm not typing guff about someone I've never met for the delectation of all and sundry. And no, I'm not trying to silence women.

Yes but they don’t get a licence to throw around random names for no good reason.

That is as harmful to women as to men. Accusations should be taken seriously and investigated but starting threads out of malice just undermines that

You don’t see the harm, so if people started talking about your husband being a rapist you’d have the same view?

Exactly this. It would be different then.

How would people feel if it was their precious sons being discussed?

The problem is is all end up in a boy who cried wolf situation
the people constantly making unfounded speculation are part of the reason why people like RB end up hiding in plain sight

Making up allegations and posting them simply shouldn’t be allowed. It does women a huge disservice, and means nothing is taken seriously

We will have to agree to disagree.

Of course, women should be allowed to talk about these issues, but not to insinuate or suggest that people have committed crimes without evidence.

Apart from anything else, I feel that it trivialises the experiences of the victims by turning the whole thing into some sort of big guessing game.

And it potentially gives ammunition to people who seek to discredit the testimony of actual victims.

Exactly that. You said it better than I did.