I'm not here to refute a bunch of points and support a bunch of others, but here to discuss one single one. I'm not heavily in to politics, but I am in to defending people. This hypothetical is not 100% accurate, but is the best representation I can produce of the scenario through multiple testimonies I've heard and my best assumption as to how a victim would feel.
So let's present a hypothetical situation. A woman works in an office in a tower owned by a man , heralded by many as one of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the world. She's never spoken personally with the guy, but she knows most importantly that she's working under his roof. It's closing time, and she gets on an elevator to leave. The door opens and there he is, the owner of the building and CEO of the company, and by association, her boss. She politely nods and he flashes her a toothy grin. The door to the elevator closes and begins its descent. About half-way down, the CEO throws himself on to her, violently groping her between her thighs and in unspeakable places. She's uncomfortable, she's shaken, and she's trying to pull herself away. He goes for her lips, and in that moment, the elevator opens, and she breaks into a sprint to leave the building. She drives away as fast as her wheels can take her. She finally arrives in the parking lot of her apartment and stares down at where she'd been assaulted. She'd been violated. She feels disgusting. She's scared. She's hurt. Should she return to work tomorrow? What will she say to her co-workers? What's her next course of action. It's all uncertain to her. Should she call the police? She ponders the thought before deciding she shouldn't, skeeved by the thought of dealing with the police questioning. What was she wearing? Was she asking for it? Is she sure it was him, because they've definitely met the CEO before and he seemed like a great guy? With defeat, she throws herself into the shower to clean herself. She's been in there for two hours. She keeps scrubbing but she still feels as if she's dirty. Nothing is working. Her mind drifts to a hypothetical. So what if the case goes through? How many money-hungry attorneys will flock to his side to defend him against such a slanderous woman. She finally gets out of the shower and completely wraps herself in her duvet, refusing to leave for a few days. She returns to work, and continues this cycle of disgust, attempted cleanse, and remorseful wrapping daily.
Twenty years later, she's got a new job that she doesn't enjoy, but she finds it better than working in the building of her assailant. She's still single, as whenever she attempts to get intimate, she feels incredible discomfort. Sex has never been the same for her. Neither has anything else. She knows that the man who sexually assaulted her is in the running to be the leader of the country. Because of this, she's made an attempt to avoid news outlets. She's afraid that if she sees his face plastered across her television, she'll be bombarded with flashbacks and relive the agony. Twenty years later and she's still shaken by it.
One day, she enters the office in which she works and hears some whispers from some co-workers. She walks to her desk, located just next to where her co-workers are chatting. She listens in, hearing them discuss that the same man who assaulted her, the man who is running to be the leader of their country, has just had audio-evidence leaked in which he bragged about sexually assaulting women. She immediately runs to the bathroom and shuts herself in a stall. The last thing she'd wanted was to hear his name again. She sits on the cold seat of the toilet and shuts her eyes. She remains seated until her mind wanders.
If he's bragging about this, perhaps there are others like me? With this thought, she steels herself and stands up. She neither feels empowered, nor does she feel entitled. She feels as if she is about to do the right thing. There is a case now. She has reason to be believed. And she will not sit down and let another woman suffer through what she has. And she is not the only one.
Sound familiar? Perhaps now you'll see why they're "all suddenly claiming" sexual assault.