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Poll finds 86% of respondents think society is more suspicious of men after Harris conviction

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An online poll by Telegraph Men has found 86% of respondents believe society is more suspicious of men in general as a result of the conviction of Rolf Harris.

The poll asked: “Do you feel that society has become more suspicious of men generally in the wake of the conviction of Rolf Harris?”

As of 20:00 on Thursday 10 July, 86.57% — or 864 votes – said yes, while 13.43% — 134 votes – said no.

The results were reflected in reports of everyday men’s experiences by the BBC.

In a BBC Radio 5 Live phone-in on Monday 7 July, several men said they felt surrounded by a sense of suspicion, while others described instances of being openly accused of being paedophiles.

‘It’s there all the time’

Several men were asked if they would feel comfortable going to help a child who they did not know who was in distress.

One man said: “If you do see a kid on the road, yes it does cross your mind that people might think there’s something sinister going on with yourself.

“It’s there all the time, it’s always in your mind. I mean when I was growing up it wasn’t, but it’s in your mind now.”

Another said: “It’s probably more difficult for a man, than it is for a woman. A woman would be accepted to do it. Sometimes a man, he could be misconstrued.”

‘Paedophile at the school gates’

A third man said: “You might be a bit paranoid, maybe, because of what’s happened and the perception that people have on, maybe, solo men now going up to a young child, but if they are still a lost child I don’t think that would change what I would do.”

Journalist and editor Martin Daubney described being aggressively verbally abused by a passer-by after he stopped to say hello to his son in the playground of his son’s new school.

Daubney said: “I was passing my son’s school, he only started school in reception last September, and it just happened to be a lucky occasion when he was outside playing in the playground.

“So I sort of stood by the school gates and I attempted to peer through, to catch a glimpse of my son – a magical moment, I thought — but a man at the bus stop had other ideas and he just came straight over and just went into a tirade of abuse really — ‘what the F are you doing?’ — and I was overwhelmed by his reaction and it sank in really quickly that of course he thought I was some sort of paedophile at the school gates.

‘It’s omnipresent’

“I was absolutely mortified that this had happened and I found myself being really apologetic and I kind of trotted off and then I felt furious afterwards, that even a son at the school gates and a father trying to catch a glimpse, was put under this magnifying glass of suspicion and I think it’s omnipresent now.”

He added: “I think the real sad thing about this is it’s actually having a real effect in the real world – if you go to primary schools, my son is in primary school, I went to about nine local schools and I was just struck by the total paucity of male primary teachers

“Males aren’t coming forward to be primary teachers because of the fear of being labelled as paedophiles, it’s just terribly sad. My son has got a male primary teacher next year and there’s only one in the school.”

By Dan Bell

Photo courtesy OliBac

What do you think is the impact of constant media reports of men as sexual offenders?

Do you think these reports are affecting the way society sees men? How do you think these reports are affecting the way men see themselves? What effect do you think these messages are having on men’s relationships with children?

Do you think these reports are an accurate reflection of men’s behaviour in general? Is a heightened sense of suspicion around all men, a price worth paying to bring perpetrators of abuse to justice?

Please tell us in a comment or a Tweet.

  • Nigel

    Growing up in the late sixties and 70s we were made aware at school and in “stranger danger” campaigns not to be too trusting of adults we didn’t know. So it isn’t the case that the much freer childhood was without consideration of dangers. But there wasn’t a linking narrative of male badness. Of course there are moral panics and the speed and ubiquity of media means these grow quickly . Naturally charities and agencies play on these to gain funding. But it becomes more corrosive when it’s played into a narrative that men / males are a “class” who all inherently dangerous or complicit . So we end up with sexist policies such as in British Airways and Quantas which stigmatise all men as inherently dangerous to be kept away from children.. There is a combination of salacious celebrity gossip and a feminist orthodoxy producing not only the sentiment of fear of men and suspicion but the actual fact of discrimination in the treatment of men. The reality is as always both much less dramatic( these crimes are rare, and complex, most abuse of young children is by their mother for instance and usually overall not by strangers. So the answer to your questions is yes. One material effect is that it fuels institutional sexism against fathers in contact disputes for instance.

    • Inside MAN

      Hi Nigel,

      Thanks very much for your comments.

      I think you make a very interesting point that needs exploring — what are the concrete impacts of this on-going narrative about men? In addition to the airline policies you mention, Martin Daubney refers to the reluctance of men to become primary school teachers. Of course, cause and effect are notoriously difficult to establish, but it is widely acknowledged that persistent negative portrayals of any identifiable group, will eventually have a detrimental impact on the way they are seen by society and civil institutions.

      I am not aware however of any evidence that most abuse of young children is by their mother — do you have sources for this you could link to? It’s crucial that these discussions are grounded in solid evidence — not doing so leads to the atmosphere of speculation and suspicion that we are concerned about.

      Thanks again for taking the time to comment.

      Best, Dan

      • Nigel

        I should be clear that this is all forms of child abuse and it shouldn’t be a surprise as mothers are still generally the most in contact with babies and young children. The patterns diversify to other female and male relatives and partners as children grow and are in connect with a greater diversity of people. Ally Fogg has done some good pieces on this and NSPCC data is a good source. The point is that public narrative reflects expectations rather than messy reality. We are shocked that mothers kill and abuse children , even though it is actually frequently reported in at least local media, and that it is logical given mothers are most frequently in contact with their children all day every day. That shock to out conception of “mother” is precisely why the NSPCC could not pick that from their data set to encourage support! And I must add that all this is about what are rare crimes in a society far safer( and numerous ) than it has ever been.

      • Scott

        Some citations for mothers being statistically more likely to abuse children:

        https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/chapterthree.cfm

        “The largest percentage of perpetrators (83.9 percent) was parents, including birth parents, adoptive parents, and stepparents.30 How do fathers compare to mothers in the perpetration of child maltreatment? As discussed earlier, Federal data derived from CPS reports in 2003 indicate that in 18.8 percent of the substantiated cases, fathers were the sole perpetrators of maltreatment; in 16.9 percent of the cases, the fathers and the mothers were perpetrators; and in 1.1 percent of the cases, the father acted with someone else to abuse or neglect his child. Mothers were the sole perpetrators in 40.8 percent of the cases and acted with someone besides the father in 6.3 percent of the cases.31 This means that fathers were involved in 36.8 percent of child maltreatment cases and that mothers were involved in 64 percent of child maltreatment cases. ”

        “Mothers are almost twice as likely to be directly involved in child maltreatment as fathers. Mothers are more likely to abuse or neglect their children than fathers because they bear a larger share of parenting responsibilities in two-parent families and because a large percentage of families today are headed by mothers. In some communities, they are the majority.33 Perpetrator patterns differ, however, by type of maltreatment.”

        “A British retrospective prevalence study of 2,869 young adults aged 18-24 (May-Chahal & Cawson, 2005) found that mothers were more likely than fathers to be responsible for physical abuse (49% of incidents compared to 40%).”

        • Inside MAN

          Hi Scott, that’s brilliant — thanks very much for posting that source.

          Dan

        • Nigel

          Thank you Scott. To me the point of so much of the research that gives such data is that mothers are simply human beings, neither uniformly saints nor sinners. Just as most child abuse occurs within “families” because that’s where the vast majority of children are. I’m sure in Sparta most abuse of boys would have occurred in the “barracks” the majority lived in.

  • Nigel

    So the moral panic feeds the feeling that all men are under suspicion . And the proof of this not being just a feeling is that public and private organisations will treat them on the basis they are under suspicion( as well as people at bus stops). In other words it’s not paranoia!

  • Nigel

    Just as a thought with regard to Martin Daubney’s vignette. Clearly the behaviour , looking at children playing through a school fence, elicited a response based on an interpretation of stalking or the like. The same behaviour by a woman probably would be interpreted differently (anxious mother ?) . Though the recent Mankind advert really only showed what we know , it is powerful to see it played out. In my work I am constantly surprised by how powerful these assumptions about the same observerved behaviours are, even from professionals who should not leap to such stereotypical conclusions.
    http://www.buzzfeed.com/candacelowry/watch-how-people-react-when-they-see-a-woman-abuse-a-man-in?s=mobile

    • Inside MAN

      Thanks for that clarification re mothers and abuse statistics.

      Yes, I think the issue of how ingrained societal expectations and narratives often over-write the facts is very relevant. I am also consistently taken a-back not only by the power of preconceived ideas to shape our perceptions, but also by the vehemence with which people defend them if they are put into question.

      I think an interesting question is, what ways are there to encourage people to let go of deeply ingrained false assumptions, especially if they don’t even know they have them?

      Best, Dan

  • Nigel

    You may guess from my posts I think a start should be made with those professions and agencies who have at least a theoretical mandate to go further than the surface appearance or to serve with equity. If they are lazy in their thinking one can’t expect more from media .
    By the way I assure you this flurry of comments reflects exitement at your magazine rather than an intention to keep up such levels of production. One of my frustrations is that it is often said that there is no or little research in gender issues. When in fact the reverse is true it’s just people don’t look hard enough! Which is disgraceful for those claiming or mandated to be “expert” . I will take your point and link or reference this in future.
    Thank you for taking the time to respond. I look forward to your future articles.