03-12-2020, 11:23 AM
(03-03-2020, 09:20 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:(03-03-2020, 07:11 PM)beechnut79 Wrote: Cases like those of Weinstein’s and Bill Cosby were horrific to be sure and both deserve to be put away for sure. However, I tend to believe that the unfortunate byproduct of not only the #MeToo movement and others like it is that there’s the potential for experiencing difficulties in some of our personal relationships as well. A few bad folks tend to ruin things for all the rest of us. The sexual revolution era was a wild and fun time in many ways, but we have seen the period’s dark side come home to roost a full half century later. Much harm can stem from miscommunications and misunderstandings which can lead to careers being torpedoed for much less severe action than what those two men did. And while the initial crackdown on workplace harassment began following the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas episode nearly three decades ago and was force fed to the entire business community, it has been carried to such an extreme that even a sincere compliment can potentially get you in trouble. Seems we have become too sensitive and too insensitive at the same time. In fact there may be a correlation between this and the fact of more people preferring to be alone these days, hence the rise I such services as home delivery of food. We could benefit from putting in the energy to maintain what relationships we do have, but often lack the will to do so.
There will always be unforeseen consequences. As bad as sexual abuse of women is I can think of something even worse: abuse of children by a lover or stepfather. A few years ago there was a case on a Reservation in Michigan in which a man killed the potential stepchildren. There is a reasonably good stop against that: a woman can get a criminal record check upon a man. If he isn't willing to submit to that, then something is wrong with him. It is better to have no man than to end up with someone who will hurt his stepchildren. A criminal records check can also detect a history of other violence or irresponsible behavior, including drug offenses, DUI, theft, and assaults. A credit check also can help in detecting overspenders and people who default on bills.
...America is becoming more repressive about sexuality. Even same-sex marriage comes with an implicit crackdown on certain forms of sexual misconduct: child abuse. To get marital rights, mainstream gays and lesbians threw the child-molesting perverts under the bus. Count on gays and lesbians protecting children just as straights do. Date-rape drugs are now banned. Violence relating to sex isn't sexy, but it has been effective. It is now easier to prosecute, and juries are becoming less tolerant of sexual violence. The trucking industry (truckers are especially prone to using the services of prostitutes) has been issuing warnings about involvement with females who may have been trafficked. Trucking companies may be scared that a trucker will be busted for sex with someone underage and put the rig and the load at risk of seizure in such an event.
Cosby, Weinstein, and Epstein got away with what they did longer than others did -- into at least their late sixties when caught. Others who emulate their scummy behavior will be caught earlier.
I don't know how far we will go to respond to the climate of sexual repression.... arranged marriages? Or will people be expected to find safe situations (churches, social clubs, college?) in which people go through the old-fashioned "date and rate". Some tendencies repeat. Human needs and desires don't change; expressions and practices do.
Weinstein has now joined the club with Bill Cosby on being sent to prison. His sentence is even longer than Cosby's was. But what might the future hold for some of the fallen from grace who misdeeds weren't serious enough to warrant prison time, such as Matt Lauer, Tavis Smiley and more recently Chris Matthews? None of these are really old enough to fully retire. Might they be forced into creating their own businesses?