Kamala Harris stated today that re: Biden that “I believe her.” How bloody absurd. There has been no denial and no accusations of anything illegal or immoral. Just weirdo Joe being weird. I don’t always agree with him but the man has served with distinction in the Senate forever and is respected by virtually everyone on both sides of the aisle. Time for both Obamas to speak up in support of the man they’ve both referred to as family. Show some spine and character!
Biden grasped a Cabinet official’s wife, and the photo went viral. Now, she says everyone had it wrong.
…
Stephanie Carter, the wife of the former secretary of defense, Ashton B. Carter[,]… was troubled, too. But not by her interaction with the vice president, as she affirmed in a Medium essay published on Sunday. Instead, she resented how a tender moment between friends was reduced to a single misleading image, caught in the maw of online punditry. In the essay, titled “The #MeToo Story That Wasn’t Me," she recounted how the vice president had whispered his thanks into her ear and “kept his hands on my shoulders as a means of offering his support.”
…
Instead of criticizing Biden, Stephanie Carter indicted the ecosystem of online outrage fed by Twitter, political punditry and late-night television.
END SHORT SEGMENT QUOTES
There is much more at the links given.
BE CAREFUL, TOO, OF FALSE EQUIVALENCIES!
A kiss on the back of the head, or a nose rub can be intrusive and awkward. With some people they can even feel like power plays. BUT THEY ARE NOT SEXUAL ASSAULT. Pretending that those are the same causes real problems for people who are working to reduce the ever-present problem of sexual assault. Now, grabbing women’s genitalia when that is not requested IS sexual assault, and bragging about it afterward and saying that celebrity makes it okay is way beyond tacky.
Being kissed on the back of one’s head is NOT the same as being sexually assaulted. It is insulting to victims of sexual assault when people behave as if there are not different type of touching. Any male or female, adult, teen, or child who has had someone demean them with a sexual assault certainly knows the difference, and every single one of those who was fortunate enough to not suffer worse is grateful for being spared that even while knowing that he or she was victimized badly.
Pretending that different types of touches are equivalent can cause very real problems for helping victims of sexual assault and even interpretation difficulties for others who NEED to understand the differences among touches or assault types. Do NOT perpetuate the myths created by false equivalencies!
Obviously, I am really, really getting sick of the FALSE EQUIVALENCIES that some people are leaning over backwards to make. They are totally unfair to victims of sexual abuse, and they create confusion for everyone.Yes, there are times when a friendly touch helps, as the friend of Biden whose shoulders he held in support during a touching moment has herself pointed out when she said that the viral photo has been grossly misrepresented.
There are other times when that or an unwanted kiss to the back of the head can feel intrusive and awkward, or infantilizing.
These things are NOT the same as what a person goes through with sexual assault. Ask any victim of sexual assault, male or female, and those who are confused will learn better than to depict the actions as equal.
PLEASE, there is way too much false equivalency garbage going on in the nation, and this is just one more example. Since when did preferences and opinions wind up being treated like they were the same as facts? Since when did people forget that there are incredibly different subsets within broad categories (so that one type of touch is NOT the same as another type — which is kind of a no-brainer if a person takes ti
#MeToo run amok and as Ms. Crandall clearly says, this is old school 60’s hug everyone stuff, not to be equated with Weinsten, Louie C.K. Matt Lauer or their ilk. This could easily become a cry wolf scenario, denigrating legitimate concerns
Ontman about 5 years ago
It might be too late.
guyjen2004 Premium Member about 5 years ago
Kamala Harris stated today that re: Biden that “I believe her.” How bloody absurd. There has been no denial and no accusations of anything illegal or immoral. Just weirdo Joe being weird. I don’t always agree with him but the man has served with distinction in the Senate forever and is respected by virtually everyone on both sides of the aisle. Time for both Obamas to speak up in support of the man they’ve both referred to as family. Show some spine and character!
Stevefk about 5 years ago
At least he keeps his pants on, more than we can say for the current president!
SukieCrandall Premium Member about 5 years ago
About the shoulder holding image that people have misused and misrepresented:
https://medium.com/@scarterdc/the-metoo-story-that-wasnt-me-6c1d5eb1e94d
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/04/01/biden-grasped-cabinet-officials-wife-photo-went-viral-now-she-says-everyone-had-it-wrong/?utm_term=.012db7e283ef&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1
SHORT SEGMENT QUOTES
Biden grasped a Cabinet official’s wife, and the photo went viral. Now, she says everyone had it wrong.
…
Stephanie Carter, the wife of the former secretary of defense, Ashton B. Carter[,]… was troubled, too. But not by her interaction with the vice president, as she affirmed in a Medium essay published on Sunday. Instead, she resented how a tender moment between friends was reduced to a single misleading image, caught in the maw of online punditry. In the essay, titled “The #MeToo Story That Wasn’t Me," she recounted how the vice president had whispered his thanks into her ear and “kept his hands on my shoulders as a means of offering his support.”
…
Instead of criticizing Biden, Stephanie Carter indicted the ecosystem of online outrage fed by Twitter, political punditry and late-night television.
END SHORT SEGMENT QUOTES
There is much more at the links given.
BE CAREFUL, TOO, OF FALSE EQUIVALENCIES!
A kiss on the back of the head, or a nose rub can be intrusive and awkward. With some people they can even feel like power plays. BUT THEY ARE NOT SEXUAL ASSAULT. Pretending that those are the same causes real problems for people who are working to reduce the ever-present problem of sexual assault. Now, grabbing women’s genitalia when that is not requested IS sexual assault, and bragging about it afterward and saying that celebrity makes it okay is way beyond tacky.
SukieCrandall Premium Member about 5 years ago
Being kissed on the back of one’s head is NOT the same as being sexually assaulted. It is insulting to victims of sexual assault when people behave as if there are not different type of touching. Any male or female, adult, teen, or child who has had someone demean them with a sexual assault certainly knows the difference, and every single one of those who was fortunate enough to not suffer worse is grateful for being spared that even while knowing that he or she was victimized badly.
Pretending that different types of touches are equivalent can cause very real problems for helping victims of sexual assault and even interpretation difficulties for others who NEED to understand the differences among touches or assault types. Do NOT perpetuate the myths created by false equivalencies!
Obviously, I am really, really getting sick of the FALSE EQUIVALENCIES that some people are leaning over backwards to make. They are totally unfair to victims of sexual abuse, and they create confusion for everyone.Yes, there are times when a friendly touch helps, as the friend of Biden whose shoulders he held in support during a touching moment has herself pointed out when she said that the viral photo has been grossly misrepresented.
There are other times when that or an unwanted kiss to the back of the head can feel intrusive and awkward, or infantilizing.
These things are NOT the same as what a person goes through with sexual assault. Ask any victim of sexual assault, male or female, and those who are confused will learn better than to depict the actions as equal.
PLEASE, there is way too much false equivalency garbage going on in the nation, and this is just one more example. Since when did preferences and opinions wind up being treated like they were the same as facts? Since when did people forget that there are incredibly different subsets within broad categories (so that one type of touch is NOT the same as another type — which is kind of a no-brainer if a person takes ti
buckman-j about 5 years ago
#MeToo run amok and as Ms. Crandall clearly says, this is old school 60’s hug everyone stuff, not to be equated with Weinsten, Louie C.K. Matt Lauer or their ilk. This could easily become a cry wolf scenario, denigrating legitimate concerns
bwhitmore about 5 years ago
Interesting how Democrats take this stuff seriously but Republicans try to bury it. I think it says a lot about the current leadership.