What’s the most crucialimportant thing in your life?
Money? Llove? Relationships? Job? Career? Reputation? Respect? Self-esteem?
What if any of these,or all would be gone just like that?
What if someone from your acquaintances became the reason for this loss?
How bad would that feel? Well, bad is a small word. Agony, frustration, turmoil, despondence, these are the feelings you feel when you lose preciouslose your precious values of your life just because you are wrongfully accused of something you haven’t intended to do. How disturbing it is, and how helpless one feels.
The news:
According to recent news Neil deGrasse Tyson, the famous American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator had been publicly accused of sexual misconduct. Those accusations received a fair amount of press, whereas Tyson, has denied the charges, that he sedated and raped a former classmate in 1984.
For Tyson, the allegations have put a risk to his books sales, media and speaking engagements, from which he earns the major part of his revenue.
Along with Cosmos, Tyson also hosts and produces the show Star Talk, which is aired on the National Geographic Channel. He makes several paid speaking appearances every year, with tickets typically starting at $50 each. He has also authored 15 books, including his book titled Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, published in 2017 and has sold more than a million copies.
Doesn’t that sound morally brutal? A well-known, well-respectedwell-respect innocent person is charged with a horrendous crime?.
Imagine the psychological turmoil he feels. How can anyone mess with someone’s reputation? ItThis clearly means ruining someone’s life.
Although it is said that it’s a man’s world, a man’s society, but it is also true that several incidents related to injustice, with men, are also seen, known or witnessed.
Tyson declined to comment because he thought that such severe allegations should not be judged in the press. But then he decided he shouldn’t stay silent for long.
Three women were involved in wrongfully accusing him.
When, Why, What, How it happened? Who did it?
In 2009, Dr. Katelyn N. Allers, Tyson’s colleague, at an after-conference, a social gathering, came up to him asking for a photograph. She was dressed in a sleeveless top. On her arm, there was a tattooed solar system extending towards the shoulder. Since he had a professional history with the demotion of Pluto, so, he was curiousinquisitive about whether people still include it in their tattoos or not. He was accused of havingto have “groped” her by searching “up her dress,” while according to Tyson, it was just a search under the covered part of her shoulder for theof the sleeveless dress.
He came to know after nine years that she considered this behavior disturbing.
In 2018, while filming this past summer, Tyson had a (female) Production Assistant, Ashley Watson, assigned to him. She was also his driver, to and from the studio. In the car, they would have a good conversation on almost every topic. They became quite friendly. She used to meet people by hugging them on the set. Tyson intentionally refused eachrefused to each hug offered, often during the Production, and instead offered a handshake. Sometimes, he clumsily declared that if he hugged her, he might just desire for more. He intendedHis intention was to convey a message of genuine affection, as well as sweetly restrain her hugging gesture restrain her hugging gesture in a sweet way. But his words were given a wrong meaning. In the final week of shooting, he asked her to wine & cheese at his place. He even notified her that other cast and crew from the production were getting together at some other place that evening, so it was up to her to come or not. She chose to accept the invitation by her free will.
Later, she came into his office to tell him that she felt uncomfortable about the wine & cheese evening. She considered the arrangement as an effort to seduce her, even thoughdespite the fact that she sat across the wine & cheese table from him, and all chat had been just like they ususallynormally talked before.
But he heartily apologizedapologized which was accepted.
In the earlyIn early 1980s Tyson had a short-term relationship with a fellow student Tchiya Amet. He got intimate only a few times at her apartment, but they couldn’t develop understanding. So, the relationship ended pretty soon.
A couple of years laterafter, he encountered her and found she was pregnant and also that she dropped out of graduate school.
Over thirty years after, he came across a new blog post accusing him of sedating and raping a woman who turned out to be the same person whom he dated briefly in graduate school. She had changed her name and got married with children, before this accusation.
National Geographic and Fox Broadcasting, which produce the show Cosmos, that Tyson hosts, saidtold that they are carrying out investigations regarding the allegations.
Those who wrongfully accuse others, do not realize the irreversible repercussions of their heinous complaint. Accusations can gravely damage someone’s reputation, marriage, career, peace of mind.
This person was a husband, scientist, and educator.
It was not in any corner of his mind that such incidents would take over. Life takes strange twists and turns making one feel like a fool.
Reckless and selfish role of media:
The media is trying to turn the science hero into a #MeToo villain.
Media, press, public, all of them need spicy stories and news today to highlight and especially ‘be the first one’ to present. They don’t care what’s the “truth.” They are also heedless towards the emotions, reputation, and life of the person, about whom they’re spreading false stories, or in other cases, stories that lack much evidence. Their greed and selfishness know no bounds.
Shout out to Justice:
ItThis is a call to the whole justice system. A person who is “accused” feels so helpless that he feels as if he’s been sentenced to death. At first, he did not even feel like speaking up.
Why?
Because he doesn’t see anyone listening to him, he doesn’t see justice being granted to him. He has lost faith in the power of truth because truth today is modified. The person who tells a strong “story” is considered truthful.
The irony of today’s time:
Sadly,It’s sad that we live in a generation where people believe in rumors, and perception has more value than digging out the truth. And the media is ever ready to add fuel to the fire just because they lust for more followers, more ads, and more revenue.
Awareness on the part of the public:
Awareness on the part of the public:
People need to fully be aware of what “sexual misconduct /harassment” truly means.
Accusing someone onlyjust because you ‘think’ it is, is just going to make things worse for both parties.
And what benefit do the accusers want to earn?
Their acts do not only bring a bad name to the one they accused but also to themselves. Don’t they care about that?
Moreover, everyone should first do comprehensive research on any rumors they come across instead of spreading them as if they don’t matter.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is not just a person;. hHe is a personality. People look up to him. He has a family, colleagues, fans, friends, students. How can anyone shame and defame a renowned person and turn his life upside down just like that?Every celebrity has a social life or a private life, and making a noted personality an antihero in either parts of his/her life just because one might gain notoriety himself/herself is an act of viciously lashing out.
Be aware of your actions. You might be the victim too!
Every celebrity has a social life or a private life, and making a noted personality an antihero in either parts of his/her life just because one might gain notoriety himself/herself is an act of viciously lashing out.
Be aware of your actions. You might be the victim too!