Eesh, that's scary that such a person went on to teach high school.
I know what you're saying and I agree that anyone is capable of sexual harrassment/assault, but like I pointed out in our last conversation on the subject, let's not turn this into something it isn't. I resent the fact that apparently some people have now turned #MeToo around and are trying to make men out to be the victims and making it out to seem like most accusations are false, when we know that is not the case. Women are still the victims, in the vast majority of cases. And I think this whole Kavanaugh thing has shown us that nothing has changed all that much since the days of Anita Hill. If anything, they seem to have gotten worse. After all the claims that Kavanaugh's life and reputation have been ruined and he'll never recover and blah, blah, blah ... turns out, he's going to be just fine. Better than just fine, he's now a Supreme Court Justice. Meanwhile, Christine Blasey-Ford and her family still can't return home because their lives are still being threatened, and she was mocked and ridiculed by the President on national television (after very painfully describing in her testimony how her attackers laughed at her while they were attacking her and how that has stuck with her all these years), while a huge crowd of people laughed along with him. And I still see people wondering why victims don't speak out while at the same time trying to paint men as the victims. It's crazy.
As to this stuff about men having to be so darned afraid about flirting with co-workers in the office, now that women are speaking out, I'm sorry, but I don't have much sympathy, if that's men's biggest problem here. Maybe I can illustrate this for you. It was a nice night last night and so I felt like going for a walk and maybe grabbing a coffee at the shop a couple of blocks away. It was around dusk and was just getting dark. So I realized it was going to be quite dark on my way back. Instead of just putting on my shoes and walking to the shop, as my husband would do, I had to sit and think about what I would need to bring with me to be safe. Or whether I should even go at all. I grabbed my cell phone, and put that in my front pocket, just in case I needed to call someone if there was an emergency. Then I needed to get something to use as a weapon, just in case I was attacked. I grabbed a pocket knife that my father had given men for that very purpose and put that in my front pocket as well. I didn't want to bring my purse on my arm, in case someone were to grab it, so I stuffed some money in my shoe. Then I thought I should call somebody and talk to them on the phone while I walked, thinking that maybe if someone were thinking about attacking me, they might think twice if I were talking to someone on the phone that could help me. So I called my sister. She didn't think it was weird at all that that was the reason I was calling. I live in a very safe neighbourhood, where people are seldom attacked. And yet here I was doing all this. Millions of women do this every day of their lives as part of their routine, while men just walk out the front door without having to give it a second thought. So it's hard for me to muster up much sympathy for people when they complain that thanks to women sharing their sexual harassment/assault stories more openly now, that in-office flirting is going to be negatively affected.
You really should use more paragraphs....at least until I get new glasses.
(My prescription is old, & the lenses are damaged by solvents.)
Some objections....
- I've seen no claims that "most" accusations are false. But I've disputed the claim
that false accusations are "rare".
- Dismissing Kavanaugh's experience as "blah blah blah" shows no understanding
what it's like to endure such accusations. Tis better to recognize how both parties
to this debacle have suffered lasting woe. It shouldn't be about picking a gender
to side with, or side against....to give sympathy, or to dismiss. We are individuals.
General prescriptions.....
- Treat everyone as an individual, & consider their trials & tribulations with respect.
- Due process & the Blackstone formulation will work unfairness upon accusers,
but we've no better legal standard.
- Both women & men are vulnerable to attack. You & I both have been. (Although
I've fared better.) I don't ask for sympathy, but neither do I expect men's concerns
to be dismissed because we're lower in the pecking order of identity politics.
As we see, unfounded accusations can be devastating.
The confirmation process....
Kavanaugh cannot be blamed for Trump insulting Ford, or for malefactors threatening her.
(Neither can Ford be blamed for threats to Kavanaugh.)
Clearly, both Ford & Kavanaugh have suffered from all this, but I'll take Ford to task
for some irresponsible conduct.
1) She, a recognized expert in psychology, came forth knowing full well that her case
had major problems. Memory, uncorroborated by any records or witnesses, &
incomplete on major details cannot be relied upon to make credible charges.
She would also know that memory (including hers) can greatly change over time.
Despite her expert knowledge of this, she made the accusation. She should've
foreseen that her case would not be made, but great turmoil & damage would ensue.
She exorcised personal demons without regard for others.
2) It's reasonable to believe she would be aware that her letter given to Feinstein
would not remain secret in such a contentious political environment. It would be used
to prevent this much hated (by Democrats) candidate from becoming a USSC justice.
