Canada

How facts become of extraneous in the face of public hysteria. When this story erupted into the public eye, Ghomeshi claimed the allegations were based on his self-professed S&M leanings in an effort to rationalize the allegations of sexual improprieties that will be leveled against him. What initially struck me was the fact that multiple instances have been reported in the media of Ghomeshi's violence toward and against women but not a single act of masochist behaviour on the part of Chomeshi. The wider fall out has eclipsed the gravity of the original allegations, it is now an attempt of launching a national dialogue surrounding sexual assault against women. The problems inherent in attempting to engage the public in such an open discussion in a climate as has been created here can only lead to feeding the hysteria rather than reaching constructive benefits to the larger public community. Whether male or female, young or old, anyone who speaks out in favour of placing distance from the index event will undoubtedly be ridiculed for doing so. The result will be a chorus of consenting voices, even if they are not. The analogy of the swinging pendulum is an apt one, we are seeing played out in the media is a push of the pendulum towards an opposite extreme. To punish, label and convict the accused first has been a reality for more than a decade when it comes to an allegation of sexual assault, but what is the cost to society at large to forgo the rule of law and judicial fairness? Do not confuse my remarks with sexual harassment allegations as an individual's societal, cultural, and psychological issues to name but a few, play integral roles. These are true for both the person who sees themself being sexually harassed as well as the person doing the harassing.