Trump Is Right About One Thing In My Book....

[gimmethesimplelife]

Yes, I did post that and no, there is no snark here.

Trump recently made a statement that I could not agree more with. Drumroll please......His statement was the this is a very scary time for young men. I could not agree more with this - Trump was referring I believe to the potential of false accusations that young men face today, especially on college campuses. I'm not suddenly going radical and batting for the other team as it were but on this one issue, I believe he is right and even though I usually can't handle hearing him speak for more than a minute or two, this time he's right.

What do you'all think? Rob

[ApatheticNoMore]

The potential certainly exists for accusations without proof to become a bullying or mobbing tactic.

But I don't know of all dangers going through life I don't know that it's uniquely significant.

[catherine]

This is the type of situation where when one group of people finally is empowered to speak the truth and have a chance of being heard, the pendulum may swing a little at the expense of another group. I agree that women may now be able to accuse men of violent sexual behavior, and they may be telling the truth, or they may be telling a lie. The environment may be ripe for people actually paying attention and trying to bring justice (finally) to these types of acts. Men, frankly, have been getting away with aggressive, entitled acts of violence and intimidation scot-free for millennia and still are, all across the globe.

I hear Bannon is freaking out that women will be ringing the death knell for patriarchy. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just treat each other truthfully and respectfully, without a "revolution." But, often when it comes to correcting power struggles, the pendulum swings the other way for a while. So, if it's a scary time for young men, maybe their parents should teach them how to best reduce the chances they'll be wrongly accused and even arrested unjustly. Just like black parents have to teach their children.

[Ultralight]

This is the type of situation where when one group of people finally is empowered to speak the truth and have a chance of being heard, the pendulum may swing a little at the expense of another group.

How do you know they are speaking the truth? Also: What prevented them from speaking up during the past 30 or 40 years?

The "expense of another group" is the language of revolution. Like: "Wanna make an omelette? Gotta break some eggs!" Shortly after than comes retribution.

I agree that women may now be able to accuse men of violent sexual behavior, and they may be telling the truth, or they may be telling a lie. The environment may be ripe for people actually paying attention and trying to bring justice (finally) to these types of acts.

What about due process?

Men, frankly, have been getting away with aggressive, entitled acts of violence and intimidation scot-free for millennia and still are, all across the globe.

The across the globe thing is interesting. Comparing the sexual assault problems in America to various other nations ought to be pretty dang illuminating. See how women are treated Somalia or Saudi Arabia.

So, if it's a scary time for young men, maybe their parents should teach them how to best reduce the chances they'll be wrongly accused and even arrested unjustly.

Describe what this would look like.

[catherine]

How do you know they are speaking the truth? Also: What prevented them from speaking up during the past 30 or 40 years? You don't know, of course. Many legal situations require weighing evidence, and in these types of cases, evidence is scant. It becomes a he-said/she-said. And I'm not necessarily referring to recent events, but there are many psychological reasons abused women don't speak up. Doesn't mean it didn't happen, or that the women gave consent.

The "expense of another group" is the language of revolution. Like: "Wanna make an omelette? Gotta break some eggs!" Shortly after than comes retribution. I think historically, that's what happens. If people are oppressed too long, they become reactionary. I don't subscribe to that model--I prefer reason and respect in every situation, but look at history.



What about due process? Of course due process must be adhered to. I'm sure that's all women want--a fair hearing and assurance they will be taken seriously.



The across the globe thing is interesting. Comparing the sexual assault problems in America to various other nations ought to be pretty dang illuminating. See how women are treated Somalia or Saudi Arabia. That's what I'm saying. Maybe there's no genital mutilation in the US, but doesn't mean that women haven't been repressed/abused in many other socially-accepted ways.





Describe what this would look like.

Parents would teach their sons that respect for women is paramount, and fathers should model that respect towards their mothers. That's #1. I'm with Terry--I have 3 sons and I can't imagine my sons being disrespectful in any way.

[Ultralight]

Parents would teach their sons that respect for women is paramount, and fathers should model that respect towards their mothers.

I agree with this!

When I was about 13 my mom sat me down and said: "Be very careful about being alone with the girls around here -- girls in general, really. They can say something happened that didn't and you could get in very big trouble. Sometimes girls lie. So you need to be cautious. If there is a group of you, guys and gals, that is probably okay."

Thoughts on this approach?

[gimmethesimplelife]

Parents would teach their sons that respect for women is paramount, and fathers should model that respect towards their mothers. That's #1. I'm with Terry--I have 3 sons and I can't imagine my sons being disrespectful in any way.

I have a problem with what you have posted, here, Cathy. To be clear, I don't disagree with you.....respect for women is important, and young men and men in general should be displaying this quality and possessing it to begin with period. Granted and given.

So where is my problem, you ask? Fair question. Respect is a two way street. Women ALSO need to be possessing and displaying respect for men PERIOD. Now if a man is a jerk or is being threatening or is persisting after a rejection or is crossing the line in some legal/sexual/predatory way, yes, ditch the respect. I'd agree with this but I'd also say that if a woman treats a man in the same way, same thing....auto ditch the respect for women and it becomes all about survival (I don't mean so much physical survival but financial and reputational survival). My point? Women need to have respect for men as much as men need to have respect for women. This is a two way street and until it can be a two way street with women on board with this concept, there really can be no true equality period. Just a mirage with no real substance nor meaning.

So to be clear, Cathy, I don't disagree with you, I just added more layers to the issue. And added a (gay) male perspective. And an interesting side note: Something funky about the men's rights movement is that a few of the key players (certainly not all by any means) are indeed gay men. I find that interesting, I really do, as gay men are going to overall - yes, with exceptions - have different levels of involvement/interactions with women overall than straight men would tend to. Just interesting is my take. Rob

[Ultralight]

A black woman I know thinks that straight white women are the most privileged members of American society. She says that supporters of Dr. Ford think that white women should be "automatically believed" when they accuse a man of sexual assault. She also thinks this is dangerous and likens it to an era when black men would be accused of things by white women. And you know how that often ended for black men.

[iris lilies]

Yes, I did post that and no, there is no snark here.

Trump recently made a statement that I could not agree more with. Drumroll please......His statement was the this is a very scary time for young men. I could not agree more with this - Trump was referring I believe to the potential of false accusations that young men face today, especially on college campuses. I'm not suddenly going radical and batting for the other team as it were but on this one issue, I believe he is right and even though I usually can't handle hearing him speak for more than a minute or two, this time he's right.

What do you'all think? Rob

What do I think? I think you have 3 oddly focused hobby horses, and this is one of them.

[gimmethesimplelife]

What do I think? I think you have 3 oddly focused hobby horses, and this is one of them.

We all have our pet causes, IL, no? I
'm just more vocal about mine that most is my take. YMMV here, I get that. And this is one of my "hobby horses" (funky way to phrase it, I may actually use this phrase going forward is that's cool?) - I'll give you that. Rob