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Friday, December 15, 2017

Liz Peek: Sexual misconduct is quickly becoming politicized. And that's bad news for all of us

Roy Moore’s defeat in the Alabama Senate race tells us that charges of sexual improprieties can be a potent political weapon.

This is not good news for President Trump, whom several women accuse of past misbehavior. It is also not good news for women who become victims of serious attacks or of rape.

Moore joins a growing list of celebrities, business titans and politicians toppled by claims that they behaved inappropriately towards women; his loss will inflame a red-hot movement. Because the issue has rapidly become politicized, with Democrats hoping that sex harassment charges will damage or even oust President Trump, there is a real danger that it will go too far, and hurt the very women its leaders want to protect.

Already, charges of assault and rape have become conflated with accusations of gross behavior. Failing to distinguish between serious threats faced by women and unpleasantness in the workplace will lead the public to tune out and belittle the issue; that is the worst possible fall-out for victims of abuse.

It is important, in other words, to distinguish between louts and criminals. The former is offensive, and should be met with hostility and shaming. The latter should bring on penalties, like job losses or legal charges.

Consider the case of Samantha Holvey. The former Miss America contestant has accused President Trump of ogling her and other women in the beauty pageant dressing rooms. Ms. Holvey is one of several women saying that Mr. Trump behaved “inappropriately” towards them and who, according to the New York Times, want to be taken more seriously.

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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Accusations are weaponized now. Gone is the presumption of innocence.

Anonymous said...

... unless your name is bill clinton.
.

Anonymous said...

The ship is slowly sinking because of female issues with anything. They now are talking advantage of these fake sexual issues to advance their cause for , What? They don't even know!

Anonymous said...

You mean the President who was impeached 7:27? There's a simple solution...don't be a sexual predator.

Anonymous said...

Remember the time period when sex/drugs/rock'n roll were societal/national priorities?

Nothing has really changed. Regardless of political party, priorities are still bass ackwards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing matters today though - HAPPY TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

"Ogling" them means he saw them. BIG DEAL. How many other males saw them???

Anonymous said...

Ogling at a beauty pageant. Him and 200,000,000 other people, male, female and whatever.

Anonymous said...

The world has gone nuts....we now look for the bad in people, even if it is not true, instead of the good in people.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for all this come back and bite them and hurt those who were really sexually harassed. Remember the boy who cried wolf too often.

Anonymous said...

It's just funny how commercialization has sexualized everything in the fantasy of all the sex that no one is getting is some kind of commodity. Reality at large does not consider what you do naked. Who cares and who wants to hear about it but when it is combined with assumed power public and media perceptions of trusted peoples it is hardly tolerable. Like we didn't know all this has always gone on even our local party is a bunch of egomaniacal swingers they bitch and moan and butt hurt little gets done. Politics have become a circle jerk social club. All puffed up bitching and moaning and clinging to values that never existed. These fantasies is what is killing true CONSERVATISM . The party really has no tolerance for moralistic wage slaves. The reality is those of us that have will carry on and have more and the rest of you can pray to Jesus and vote for whatever we pass down that you want to hear and you will be no better off. That's the business of the privileged . It's not democracy.