To Be Or Not To Be Found Guilty

By David Farrell

Is Hedley guilty of anything more than being blackballed by the music industry for alleged sexual misconduct?

At this juncture, NO!

Have we learned nothing from the McCarthy era when anyone could label anyone a communist and ruin careers?

Apparently not.

Do we not live in a society where one is deemed to be innocent until proven guilty?

Perhaps!

What sort of society is this where defamatory remarks can be spat out on social media by anyone hiding behind anonymity?

A society gone mad.

I have no clue as to the substance behind the accusations pitted against Hedley. More than a few have suggested to me that Jacob Hoggard and his band mates have acted like jerks for years. Maybe this is true, but the same can be said for many bands and many people holding lofty seats and wielding influence.

The one thing that truly bothers me in all of this is the same thing that struck me hard about the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, and that is as bad as his actions are alleged to have been, too many others must then have been complicit in enabling him to get away with these actions.

The bottom line here is that there has to be a line drawn in the sand. If one is privy to someone preying on others, one has a moral duty to call them out and if nothing changes, bring them down.

Plain and simple.

Rock and roll has lived a libidinous, licentious life for decades. The audiences have grown, the purses are richer, and the spotlight brighter and more ubiquitous. I am saddened that R&R is now going to be waving a Puritan flag, but I also understand that sexual conquest in and of itself has run its course and had to stop.