When we women accuse dirty minded men of telling foul jokes in the workplace, patting our behinds in the coffee room, fondling our breasts or trying to have sex with us when we meet in their hotel room we are able to expose them by name whether they have actually done more than offend or made us jealous – AND WE CAN DO THIS ANONYMOUSLY. We have the power to destroy careers, marriages or other relationships with an anonymous accusation. That is an awesome level of power in our hands as women who have suffered indignities related to our gender most of our lives.

A significant percentage of men – and in some cases women – see the fact that an anonymous accusation can result in a major payday being similar to a prostitute being paid for a sex act often decades after the event took place – even if the man is innocent. This attitude is understandable in that the definition of prostitution is “the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment” and being paid retroactively years or decades later still may qualify if no complaint was made at the time of the alleged abuse.

Recent events have indicated that several paydays can result for women who allow themselves to be identified. The ‘victim’ can increase the level of public sympathy by putting their personal story ‘out there’. She was short of 18 by two months therefore underage; she was a beauty queen who thought she was asked to come to a hotel room with a boxer because she was being ‘honored’; she thought the movie star was giving her a car, apartment and acting lessons because he saw her as a talented ‘potential’ academy award winner; she believed that being a nude model or pole dancer wouldn’t cause men to think she had low moral standards; she didn’t invite the man into the dressing room at the department store thinking he would be aroused.

There is also the opportunity that comes from the accuser identifying themselves and being able to use high school or college pictures that portray a face of innocence rather than current pictures portraying an older person who has ‘been around’.

So put morality and the appearance of extortion aside and consider your responsibility to your gender in a sometimes hostile society and recognize there are benefits to putting yourself ‘out there’ as an abused victim rather than an anonymous older whiner. Recognize that there are over 1,350,000 lawyers out there
many of whom need an opportunity for a payday and will ‘feel’ for you.