Special Edition August 2018

Opinion: What Asia Argento Did Right
Special Edition August 2018

During my lifetime I have been victimized. Each time I have determinedly sought justice. And not once did the accused perpetrator immediately act to restore and protect my dignity, health, or other significant losses. However, Ms. Argento went far beyond offering the standard apology, which—to most who have reported claims like those made against Asia—are just meaningless words. That apology just reminds you that you are nothing: there are no words strong enough to restore what is lost by this intimate type of violation. Something much more concrete must be offered in such cases to jumpstart the recovery process. And Asia extended to a male who accused her just that—something to jumpstart the recovery process and to remind him that he is human. And now I’d like to remind you that Asia Argento is human.

Victim-advocates are likely burning my image over open bonfires by now. And I won’t try to dissuade anyone, if burning my image would make you feel better. However, at least read the rest of my opinion before you burn it too. Had Asia tried to silence her accuser, insisted on non-disclosure language, or paid significantly less restitution, I would not be of this opinion.

I say that Asia is human (and I’ll stand by my opinion) because through her acts towards someone who feels wronged by her, she demonstrated a genuine and contrite heart. Asia didn’t send threatening and demeaning communications, or even attempt to obscure the allegations—she put the other human’s wellbeing above her comfort, and by such acts her core values and personal constitution was laid bare for us all to vilify, crucify, or to extend a second chance. Yes, we can be critical of Asia and vilify her in our collective sanctimonious-superior consciousness, because many of our wrong acts will never become part of the public debate. So, we can comfortably avoid having the public decide if we privately act in a redeemable manner.
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During my lifetime, I’ve been victimized, and I have even suffered intimate violations. I have a reputation for showing zero mercy to perpetrators and wrongdoers accused of intimate violations, such as sexual assault. However, before today, I have never encountered or heard of a single person accused of an intimate violation that demonstrated true redeemable qualities such that the dignity and wellbeing of the other person was placed before the accused person.

I would gladly release New York Law School et al. and Magistrate Judge Cott from confidentiality so that the public can see how a black female and U.S. citizen is viewed in chambers; I want nothing more than to give you the facts and let you decide which side would you want as a neighbor, peer, lawyer, judge, co-worker, etc. (Things can get pretty ugly under confidential legal processes and non-disclosure agreements. Public disclosure means accountability.)

It’s too late and it isn’t true human decency when your press team organizes the spin that we are told to believe is a deep and personal self-correction. Such carefully organized plots we have seen time and time again. And if you’ve decidedly acted with physical force, violent instrument, or against a being of significantly-less comparable size or capacity to reason, such as a child, you are beyond the reprieve that natural society can bestow.

‘What Asia did right’ was to show mercy, and the quality of mercy saves not only the person acted on but the actor also. We must never dilute the harm that is implicit in every sexual assault, still reasonable minds must for the societal good distinguish accused individuals who are of a redemptive nature. So, while no sexual assault complaint can be overlooked or diminished, those among us possessing the ability to reason, must unequivocally agree that there are degrees of conduct within each violation that should determine if an accused can be rehabilitated or should be permanently branded.

Asia—who acted immediately to restore the dignity of the one who accused her, without attempting to obscure our knowledge that such a complaint was indeed made—has demonstrated with more than words that she is contrite, and that she possesses the redemptive quality innate in the best among us.

I can forgive Asia because her accuser has willfully released her. I can forgive Asia because she made suitable restitution permitting her accuser to begin to heal.

As a victim, an advocate, and a survivor, I stand with you always and forever,
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-Theresa Giovanna