The explosion of sexual assault and harassment allegations against politicians, entertainment figures and other authority figures signals a cultural shift that this behavior will no longer be tolerated. Which means it’s a new era for a certain kind of man.
We Hardly Knew Ye, Old Boys Club
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The Final Countdown" talk show on Radio Sputnik. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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The latest slimebag to be exposed to the light: Judge Roy Moore – yes, that paragon of virtue who would tell us all how to live our lives is, himself, a child molester.
I can’t imagine how forcing yourself on an unwilling partner can possibly be fulfilling. Anyone who can hurt a little girl in that fashion isn’t completely human, and should not be allowed to run around loose.
I’ve seen comments (Twitter) from at least one Republican politician who claims that voting for a pedophile is preferable to voting for a Democrat. Can you imagine? 🙁
The old boys’ club? Yeah, some of us knew ye very well….
I’d like to hope, Ted, that the cultural shift you speak of above will not only apply to gender relations, but even to other relations in which the power between two parties is unequal. Alas, I find it difficult to be sanguine on this point….
Henri
PS : Good statement by Louis Szekely in yesterday’s New York Times….
Henri–
Re: “Good statement by Louis Szekely”:
I’m curious to know what you thought was good about his statement, which I found fairly offensive: four or five times he pointed out that his “power” was being admired and looked up to; the listing of his current projects read more like a press release than a statement of regret or apology; and in fact he never once even hinted at making an apology. What did I miss? (That’s a real question, BTW, not an indirect speech act, like the one he refers to in his statement: “when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn’t a question.” At least he got that right — a shame it was then undercut by clarifying the nature of his power.)
I wonder if such a statement coming from Putin’s lapdog would be read so sympathetically.
«I’m curious to know what you thought was good about his statement, which I found fairly offensive: …» To my mind, Iburanen, Mr Szekely’s recognition of the power relations – «when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn’t a question» – encapsulated the essence of the matter, i e, someone with power forces someone without power to do something which appears to be voluntary but is not. This doesn’t have to be about men forcing themselves on women – here in Sweden we have a female radio show host whose projects have now been cancelled due to allegations that she forced her attentions on other women – or even about sex in the first place ; rather it’s about power over the lives and employment of others….
I find it surprising that you regard Mr Szekely’s statement as «read[ing] more like a press release than a statement of regret or apology» ; I read it as a detailed apology to all affected by his actions, despite their not participating in them.
Your comment about «Putin’s lapdog» I find both irrelevant and absurd, but I am aware that some people find such amusing….
Henri