Recently there have been scandals abounding of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual coercion accusations. Most towards men, but not all of these accusations have been directed at men. One famous, or rather infamous, accusation was levied against Melanie Martinez by her long-time friend, Timothy Heller. Heller is accusing Melanie of getting her intoxicated and then performing sexual acts without her expressed consent.
Now this has been particularly notorious as many fans stick by Melanie, while many people are upset by this as they claim that the men who are being accused are being assumed guilty when they have the same amount of proof. While this isn't exactly true, as many people denied the allegations brought forth against such celebrities as Michael Jackson, Kesha's manager, and LeBron James, it is getting a lot of attention.
Part of the reason fans of Melanie are disputing the allegations is because of Timothy Heller's social media presence and her use of the scandal to bring herself notoriety. Shortly after accusing Melanie she used her increasing fame to start marketing herself and her concerts to her increased fan base of supporters. Now, maybe they're right, maybe she is using this as an opportunity to gain more fame and publicity. That being said, just because she has made the accusations shouldn't mean that she has to stop living her life as a person and make it all about being a victim. Could she have waited a few days before advertising her concerts? Yes, but should she have to? Why can't she use what she has been through (assuming her accusations are true) to help her? Turn lemon into lemonades, as the saying goes?
Melanie's usage of social media during this time was far more questionable. She released a statement which basically encapsulated the age old sentiment that many people accused of rape use, "she didn't say no". Now, her statement does expand on their friendship and a few other points. It was a brief statement, but it does seem to suggest that a)something did happen between the two and b) clear consent was not given. Melanie didn't confirm or deny the accusations that she got her drunk or high.
This was an incredibly poor move by Melanie. There are riots across the nation and in other countries happening with increasing frequency where the message is "only yes means yes". Her friend, Timothy Heller, not saying no was not the same as consenting and she should have known better, both in the situation and in posting her response.
While it is hard to say how many, if any, of these cases will actually be taken to court, especially after so much time has passed for many of them, this case would be difficult to prosecute without blood tests to corroborate Heller's story. And even then, it would be a "she said/she said" situation as Melanie would likely be at same levels of insobriety and could say that it was Heller's idea.
Just some thoughts for the train ride. Until next time!
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