sick of this crap.
Almost all Americans are guilty of mendacity when it comes to sexual assault allegations.
If they are against the "bad people," moguls who skeeve us out, or Republicans we are up in arms.
If they are against George Takei or Bill Clinton, or even Kevin Spacey (at least until people started to realize just how many allegations there are against Kevin Spacey), then so many of us fall back on the same prejudices against he complainants that the most retrogressive defenders of accused sex criminals wear on their sleeves.
Takei's accuser is "not an innocent?" Seriously? That sounds like an Eisenhower era talking point against a woman charging s man with a sex crime.
Even mainstream women's rights crusaders, many of whom always talk about how every woman should be believed, turned their backs on Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Jones.
Many said they were politically motivated or put up to their accusations. Which in Broaddrick's case made no sense as she was a Clinton supporter.
But how is that theory any different than those now saying that Roy Moore's accusers are politicallly motivated?
I am not saying Takei is guilty. I am not saying that sex crime complaints can't be fabricated or politically or otherwise dubiously motivated, just like any other kind of criminal complaint can be suspect.
I don't jump to conclusions that the accuser in a sex crime allegation is always telling the truth. Instead, I acknowledge that I don't know. And treat both the accuser and the accused with the respect that comes from my not knowing what happened because I wasn't there. I'm not the jury. If I was on the jury I'd keep an open mind. And I would reach a verdict consistent with the evidence irrespective of my personal or political feelings about the accused.
But so many Americans love to stand on principle until that principle conflicts with their tribalism or preferences or precious affinities for the accused.
That isn't justice. It's hypocrisy.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/11/reckoning-with-bill-clintons-sex-crimes/545729/
Updated On: 11/13/17 at 04:15 AM