I've had a rather harrowing week and haven't spent much time here, but I've given this much thought. How much of the culture of women not coming forward with accusations of sexual assault begins in the home when incest or the behaviors of a "funny" uncle at a family reunion are swept under the rug?
Daughters who tell their mothers that Dad or a brother has been doing inappropriate things to them are often ignored or even admonished for saying such things. Same thing happens when a cousin or uncle makes unwanted advances towards female relatives at a family gathering. Family members of the alleged perpetrator are shocked or angered that such an accusation could be made about a husband, son, nephew, etc. The accuser is made to feel that she is lying, making things up, or was actually responsible for the unwanted encounter.
I think it's safe to say that many here have had these types of experiences, and I believe that it contributes to the embarrassment or fear that girls/women have if they "tell" on someone. Past experience in their own homes or at family events where they were ignored or admonished for saying something to Mom about unwanted sexual advances convinces them to keep quiet and not rock the boat. I've found myself in this situation a few times when I was growing up, and I feel certain that many of you have experienced the same thing. It's about time that girls/women can feel free to speak up about sexual assault and any type of unwanted sexual advances.
I agree with much of this. However, these circumstances are not the same as those under which Al Franken was "lynched". What you're describing, IMO, is more akin to the Josh Duggar sweep-it-under-the-rug circumstances. As I posted upthread, we have to come to a place where we as a society can evaluate the circumstances of EACH allegation of sexual impropriety, and decide what (if any) "punishments" will be meted out.
There are many different "kinds" of sexual impropriety/ assault/ rape, and we have to use our critical thinking to decipher just what exactly is going on.
For example, for all of the chest beating about child rape, and the 40 year old allegations against religious bride seeking Roy Moore, as a society we are perfectly content to watch from afar as religious cults like the FLDS birth children into their nightmare, with the express purpose of creating a hostage and ignorant population of little girls for the exaulted men to sexually use and prey on, all under the guise of "freedom of religion".
We are content, as a western society, to turn a blind eye to the forced genital mutiliations and child marriages of the immigrant muslims living among us, for the express purpose of annihilating a woman's sexuality, causing permanent pain, and truncating her life possibilities as "freedom of religion". Indeed, scores upon scores of women (and men) on our soil vociferously support the systematic abuse and subjugation of muslim girls and women on our soil as "freedom of religion", and insist that they are "persecuted" for their beliefs and actions.
Millions of little children have been abused sexually by trusted adults, clergy, relatives, teachers, caregivers. No one is denying that happens.
Many women HAVE been raped violently, or forced into sexual slavery or submission. No one is denying that happens.
Many women HAVE used/ exchanged/ traded their sexuality or sexual favors to advance their careers, or to increase their income-- many willingly, others coerced.
Some women HAVE completely fabricated stories of sexual impropriety or assault for the purpose of vengeance, or extorting favors or money.
What I'm saying, and what a lot of other people are saying, is that what Al Franken has been accused of is VASTLY different, and yes, VASTLY less damaging, vastly less serious, and vastly less PROVABLE than the first abusive scenarios above, and should not be lumped in together with those situations.
There can be NO DENIAL that SOME women (and men) HAVE used, exaggerated, or fabricated sexual accusations of dubious truth, with the purpose of vengeance against someone, personal, occupational, or political.
The situation with Al Franken, IMO, is
precisely that kind of situation.
"IF" he is guilty of anything, he is guilty of boorish or vulgar, episodic pranks/ lewd jokes. No small suprise there, as he MADE HIS CAREER AS A BOORISH, LEWD COMEDIAN at the time the alleged behavior happened! A prank, or a joke, 10+ years ago, with a willing participant who made her career as a stripper, is definitely not the same thing as being a sexual predator. How do we know he stuck his tongue in her mouth?? How do we know she didn't encourage him or tongue him back? How do we know what kind of sexual-charged banter went between them on and off stage? We can't, because her own circumstances make her
not a credible complainant.
Tweeden isn't objectively "right" just because now, ten years later, she claims she "felt" a certain way about what did, or didn't happen. He shouldn't lose his political seat over that, IMO. (And I'm no fan of AF's politics.) She didn't say a word for 10 years. TEN years. And not because she was "afraid" she wouldn't be believed, or was so "traumatized." She's a vindictive woman who knew how to report and manipulate that situation to weaponize it for political and personal gain. That's despicable.
Complaints which are definitely not prosecutable crimes, nor even realistically winnable civil matters, which have exactly no proof, presumably happened decades ago, and accusers of dubious credibility, have been used as a witch hunt by a media, political machinery, and civil population to lynch AF for political means. Just exactly like the witch hunt "campus sexual assault" claims that end up being a vindictive immature coed knowing exactly what to say and do to annihilate the reputation and future of their ex (like disgusting "mattress girl" Emma Sulkowicz-- remember that her accused BF won a very large civil suit against the university).
The lynch mobs have to stop. We have to have a more robust and systematic, fair and objective system to evaluate and take action on these claims-- particularly accusations that are
decades old. Right now, the tide is turning such that anyone who makes a claim of sexual assault or sexual impropriety are starting to be looked at as vindictive and calculating, money grubbers, or "hysterical." That is a step back of at least 50 years, and a serious and devastating blow to women, girls, and children who are ACTUAL victims of life changing sexual assault.
