The Kangaroo Court of Public Opinion

Unpredictable, volatile, easily swayed, reactionary.

If you were on trial, and this was the description given to your judge and jury, do you think you could count on a fair trial? The court of public opinion is all of that and more. It dangerous to say the least.

Yet in this day and age of social media and instant gratification, it seems more and more, the principles of innocent until proven guilty, the rule of law, and the burden of proof being on the accuser, are being eroded.

If you’re life, your career, your family can be ruined by someone making an accusation, whether it’s true or not, can it be said that we live in a country governed by the rule of law?

Just the Facts

I may be in a minority, but I still believe truth matters. I believe that wrongdoing should be punished according to the law. However, mere accusations cannot become convictions.

It seems just about everyday, there’s some new scandal regarding sexual abuse. The fire started in Hollywood, and is now spreading all across state capitols and in D.C.

Let me make clear - sexual abuse is a horrible crime against God, the victim, society, and the law. We should have no toleration for any kind of sexual abuse. Period. It goes without saying, those convicted by the law of such despicable crimes deserve their punishment.

What we must realize is that there is a difference between listening to an accuser, and believing an accuser. Everyone has the right to be heard, but in order for society to continue, not everyone can be believed.

Principles of Jurisprudence, and Other Fun Stuff

That is why we have this thing called evidence. It is foundational, vital to any society that attempts to uphold certain standards of jurisprudence.

Anyone can accuse anyone of anything. Yet what makes the difference between a baseless accusations and a reason for criminal prosecution is evidence.

This principle is written into the very heart and soul of America. In the Declaration of Independence:

Jefferson goes on to list 27 pieces of evidence to prove his case. The Declaration of Independence would’ve been much shorter, and far less convincing if Jefferson had stopped with nothing but an accusation.

Like I said, truth still matters. If the accused is someone you dislike, you cannot condemn them until evidence has proven guilt. And if the accused is someone you do like, you cannot withhold condemnation if evidence has proven guilt.

The Bigger Question

Now that we’ve gotten that figured out, there’s something we need to examine - Why?

If it was some random person in your county being accused of these kind of evil actions, you might see a story in the local paper, but it wouldn’t be “that big of a deal” in pop culture.

What makes these stories so explosive is that they are reaching the highest levels of society. These are our leaders, our role models, the richest, most influential people that we know, being accused of heinous things.

The country’s general reaction to this tells me 2 things:

1. We still have (at least somewhat of) a heart

In this day and age where we hear it proclaimed that “love is love” and “anything goes”, we see that this is not practically the case at all in the minds of the majority of Americans. For those who decry the “hateful bigotry” of the simple idea of right and wrong, their own reaction demonstrates that, even if they won’t admit it, they still believe in some aspects of right and wrong.

It may seem like I’m grasping at straws, but it’s a ray of hope. And right now, I’ll take it.

2. It’s time to look in the mirror

Whether it’s in Hollywood or in Washington D.C., what are we tolerating in our cultural and political leaders? What are we demanding from them?

Something to think about.

Jonathan Paine

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