Sexual Harassment in Congress: A Closer Look 

Funny thing about that, it's actually called "whataboutism" and it's a very effective Soviet-era propoganda tool to ensure that nothing gets done because "the other side is just as bad!" You can read about it here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

Rob _ thank you. At this point it doesn't matter which side that they're on because it needs to stop Democrats and Republicans and any men and/or women who believe that it's okay to engage sexually with someone without their consent

Yes, it was on John Oliver and is a popular tactic that's been ongoing for a while now. Hillary is the most whataboutisted person in the universe.

Rob _ tell tgat to the Republikkklans

no, you cannot. this is one of the results of a two-party-system. everything is just two-sided. so, whatever happens on 'your side', you just try to switch the attention to 'the (only existing) other side'. in a multi-party-system these things usually don't work. even if you try to blame one of 'the others', there are still a bunch of 'other others', that basically are your opponents (and the opponents of the side you're blaming), too.

Fair enough, you make a good point. I might be generalizing when I agree that this is a society-wide problem; but by the same token, you are casting a very narrow net. We're not just talking about the actions of "senators and Hollywood millionaires." We're talking about how the problem (however you want to define it) affects multiple aspects society and different professions. Yes, it affects our national legislature and the movie business, but it also apparently affects; the entertainment business in general (think music, comedy), the legal profession, the law enforcement profession, the sports industry, the tech industry, the higher echelons of the business industry, higher education, the restaurant indusry, among others. At this point, you bear the burden of proof of why a problem, which affects almost all sectors that have been historically male-dominated, is not a society-wide problem.

Turns out they think the accusations against Roy Moore are part of some vast left-wing conspiracy to bring him down.

silvsilvsilv well, of course. every liberal has inherent biases against conservatives, a repressed minority. the claims against moore clearly have been inflated beyond belief - why else would there be so much evidence against him?

I can't tell whether you're being sarcastic or not...

Liberal and feminists are demanding Franken resign too. Check Huffington Post and Vice News.

silvsilvsilv sorry, i was being sarcastic. probably should have been clearer.

Nice one lol

Eh? 😗 🦌

👏

Awesome lol

seth thanks. I needed a laugh.

John Nycto Alabama...

David Spiller to be more specific, the age of consent in Alabama at the time was 16 years old (and probably still is but all that really matters is what the law was at the time). So the allegations about the then 14 year old is the only one where statutory rape would apply. Of course a number of the other allegations involve a lack of consent, and that would be potentially criminal at any age.

to be fair, it's a bit buried under all his other bullshit :| that man is a mess.

His support base was/is too fanatical for that. Remember when he said he could shoot someone in public and still get elected? For once, I believe him.

Joshua Benson 10/10

Touché

Lol nice

Joshua Benson And some Roger Moore

Less is Moore! :)

Emperor Palpatine lol. Funny stuff

Just a tip, but you might want to stop calling yourself The Senate. You might want to cut ties with the whole legislative branch until this blows over.

senator*

So this is how democracy dies...

Emperor Palpatine wait a minute, you called yourself 'The Senate', right? logical question: Have you engaged in any acts of sexual harassment? -gets ready for chase if you are to run-

Define “Serious Questions”

regular_max well.... questions on sexual assualt seem pretty serious

Better idea: politicians must answer ALL questions from reporters with CORRECT answers, unless the reporters are filibustering to the extent of verbal harassment.

Define “Correct Answers” you see when you cast such a wide net like that many innocent politicians would be arrested, your idea sounds disgustingly authoritarian

A sexual assault they have nothing to do with?

2Stonefly Unless more accusations about him sexually assaulting women comes out, I'll still take him as one of the good ones. Woman was wearing amour and he could hardly touch anything, and he was stupid enough to make stupid jokes that aren't funny at all. Hardly equivalent to Weinsteins of the world.

squallofreeves this kind of attitude like.... It's just one woman is dangerous... That makes way for multiple victims.

2Stonefly if he resigns , then another Dem will take over his seat. And it’ll be all good.

A kp Well, it's one woman and I too take into account the severity of the case. I see a man making a crass joke that he somehow think is funny. It's a gross mistake and a stupid one but not a serious one. Unless, like I said, more serious accusations against him come out, or I think this incident alone is not enough for us to discredit the entirety of his character. Well, for me, at least.

2Stonefly Yeah. Can't even begin to describe my disappointment.

HiroTheHero unfortunately this show only seems to let Amber speak on "black" issues, which is irritating and patronizing.

Does she ever get gropped or sexually harrassed on set?

No

Me too ☹️

Håvard Antonsen yeah all we want is just 1 normal guy. JUST ONE.

Well, he did issue a sincere apology which the woman who came forward, Leann Tweedan, accepted. From what everyone seems to be saying this instance was just an inappropriate joke gone wrong.

Crimson51 - I agree. I think the right is gonna try to milk it as much as possible. Let's see what Fox News says....defends Moore, who is a pedophile, but will probably drag Franken through dirt for a poor joke.

i honestly don’t care. he sexually assaulted someone. he needs to go down.

E Potter "Do by believe" What did you mean to type?

E Potter Minnesota will have to decide whether he should represent them, it's not up to anyone else (assuming you are not Minnesotan).

Ramanan Roger stone? Or are we doing whataboutism?

I'm sorry, when I wrote that comment, I hadn't read the part about the kiss. I assumed the whole story was about the picture.

TCt83067695 One could don a tin foil hat and wonder why Roger Stone tweeted about the allegation hours before it was posted and the accuser seemingly accepting his apology really quickly. But Occam's Razor suggest that this is simply what it looks like without any need for partisan sniping.

Krista Kenneth, I disagree. If convicted, then they should be removed. Some allegations that come or are false, so someone shouldn't be able to ruin another's care by pressing false charges.

Give it a break

Samuel Ademeso after you pal.

abbyboyone it was touching a padded jacket in an attempt at a tasteless joke. He apologised for it

Did or did not, that should not excuse his actions towards her. She was asleep and he attempted/groped her breasts. That is very inappropriate. Although that is over and down, he has apologized, she has accepted his apology, and he is now calling for an investigation into this. I'm very disappointed that this occured, but I'm very glad that he took responsibility for his actions 🙂

BALISTIC VEST...There's a metal plate between the hand and her anyways..wtf

Exactly. Some Americans have it all backwards.

Eva Luna Did you see the picture? She's wearing a flak vest plated with ceramic armor. He didn't grab her breasts.

Eva Luna he said his joke was in poor taste that he should not have done that!

@Eva Luna Maybe you need to carefully read his statement on the matter.

@Eva Luna I don't see an explicit confession of sexual assault. He certain isn't denying the legitimacy of the photo, but you have to see it for what it is: a rude, tasteless joke. We shouldn't dilute the definition of sexual assault to include an incident like this.

deka360 lol!!!

Almost made it...

Too late! I groped you, 2 hours ago, by telepathy.

I’m too late!

deka360 a rape joke on a video talking about sexual assult.

Inky Hands Grossly disappointed 🙁

Chris Morin I figure that god has just Fucked off to some long forgotten realm, and he's chilling with gods of yore, higher than a kite, enjoying the show from afar.

carl perkins He asked for a "ride into the sunset" He asked to have his "six shooter" polished... H

Jerry David You are completely missing the point. It's not a contest over who is most assaulted. It is indicative of a much larger problem. Social acceptance and defense of actions that violate laws already on the books. Laws that ARE NOT ENFORCED. It doesn't matter if she was parading around nude. That still doesn't give anyone the right to do anything of a sexual nature without consent. Your argument that she deserved it makes me think you live in the countries where uncovered women are "whores" who deserve rape.

vanished001 It is illegal to hold anyone in a sexually posed position without consent. If he took out his dick, but didn't touch her with it, it is still a violation. I know you all did that all the time in collage, but it is still actionable, no matter how funny you think it is.

I google searched for such a law but nothing came up, legitimately interested to see it. And to pose/hold someone in a sexual position, you'd have to touch them right. If 'groping' the air in proximity of another person is illegal. I have to say that's beyond ridiculous. I'm honestly never letting myself be alone with a woman who is not a close relative. Was Franken stupid in this picture? YEP. I find it very difficult to convict someone on a singular statement of an event from a decade ago. If no other person can confirm the events described. You can't destroy a person based on one recollection of events. We can't simply shout WITCH and accept everything said afterwards as an absolute truth. Tagging Franken, in the media, as a sexual assaulter of women is just not right. Prove him guilty first, or throw him in a well and see if he floats.

Don't forgot that if you regret sex the next morning it's rape , only for the women tho.

As he should...

CN What I'm Saiyan? well could you explain this? When Al Franklin issued the investigation on himself the girl panicked and asked him not to?

Nick30468 agreed.

Federico Forlani If he did or didn't, that is still very innapropriate. He attempted/groped this woman's breasts while she was asleep. It is not okay to touch a woman without her consent. I was very disappointed when I saw the picture 🙁 I'm a big fan of Sen. Al Franken, but I will not excuse his actions. Now that he has apologized to her and she accepted his apology and is willing for an open investigation into what happened, that made me feel a ton better that he is trying to amend for what he did/attempted.

Sorry, but I wasn't not discussing whether it is appropriate or not, it's clearly inappropriate if you are not very close with sleeping person. It's a matter of context, I don't think the picture would be a problem if it was made between two friends, and it would be disgusting if done by a stranger passing by. Do you get my point? It's a matter of context. Here Franken is fucking around and making stupid stuff as a friend would do. Evidently, that wasn't how she felt in his regards and she's absolutely right in speaking out. But my point was different and much simpler: in the picture HE IS NOT TOUCHING HER. Looking at that picture and saying that he's groping her means that you're blind or in bad faith. I just don't understand how can someone says that he's groping her when there is not physical contact. And yes, it matters, since pretending to grope someone is not the same as groping someone. Truth always matter. Why are you okay with representing facts in a untruthful way? We can do both: tell the truth and side with the victim. Stating this fact (Franken was not touching her) doesn't mean I'm downplaying any degree of harassment. That said, I hope he will get investigated and will come out clean from the investigation.

Damn...I really don’t want to believe that...

Probably many With all this coming out lately, i even searched my own memory banks - seems I'm a gentleman

BawBags 19 lol I'm a woman and searched mine too

then good? it does suck when someone you respect turns out to be a creep but it'll be for the best overall. raises the standards for us all.

Ben Rotter Hi😃

Hi

Cougarelli maybe you are hanging around the wrong people also maybe don’t be sexist

jason R considering I have friends from all over the world I seriously doubt that.

Cougarelli that’s not the point so do I but only one has been assaulted maybe it’s just your personality

jason R is it sexist to say that men have sexually assaulted women? is it sexist for women to be angry about that? because that’s what you seem to be suggesting. she didn’t say “all men.” she just said that it’s many, many fucking men.

Politician's Syllogism she said the majority of men commit sexual assault so yes that is sexist as it isn't true and is stereotyping men

dfo dfo Trump is probably embarrassed Roy Moore couldn't sexually harass a child and get away with it. That's why he's looking especially orange.

Fresh coat of spray tan

Putin has a vice grip on his balls

You’re only now noticing he’s orange? Some of his nicknames are the racist clementine, the angry creamsicle, agent orange, moronic mango, the butternut squash who wished on a shooting star and became a real boy.

BEcause they grade the pics to look that way

Oh no. Bernie once caught the silhouette of a woman out of the corner of his eye once. I guess he's a sexual predator now too. We can't stop until the world is PURE!

A virus apparently)

regular_max I’m pretty sure that guy spiked her drink in “Baby, it’s cold outside”...

puckerings That wont stop republicans from vindicating their prejudice against liberals. look at all the people who believe that the picture is "Proof" or strong indication of sexual assault.

puckerings well that's a silly defense

Given that Al Franken has apologized and acknowledged the mistake, it seems that there is some truth (at the least) in this accusation. Plus, since in this case everyone agrees on an investigation, we can hope the know what really happened.

Did you actually listen to the segment? The sleeping reporter stated that Franken kissed and groped her. Beyond that having a photo taken of a person while they are sleeping and making overtly sexualized gestures is entirely not OK. Just because he's not touching her in the photo does not diminish the fact that he is sexualizing her while she's asleep.

All he said is that "the picture" isn't evidence of groping, and it's not. The reporter claims "the picture" is proof, and since the picture is not proof, it's a matter about her story vs his and they seem to have worked it out, which is fine. Honestly I almost think that makes it no-one's business but theirs, right? If there was a trial and he was convicted that would be one thing... In b4 wall of text xD

em v. It is still actionable if someone wishes to make it so, no matter how hilarious you think it is. If you make a sexual gesture to an unconscious person without consent, that's a violation. It doesn't matter how in "Good fun" it seems.

christine paris that's why you're not my close friend. That's what I mean about context.

Sorry, that wasn't quite articulated properly. What I meant was, the very definition of a "good friend" is the kind of person who doesn't find your dumb jokes actionable, and clearly, since you feel this way, and I'm the kind of person that thinks it's funny to put a hot dog in someone's face when they pass out (possibly up their nose), we're probably not destined to be close friends. That WOULD make it a violation. That's the point I mean to convey both to people who see the AL Franken picture and think "that's just a joke" and to people who think "that's awful, crucify him!". It was a joke, but it was not appropriate, because it was not in a context of trust BECAUSE they were not close friends. The earlier forced kiss puts an even darker spin on it. See, context.

We’re the first two! XD

hannah warner Hi😃

Hi

Syd theKolinkBattler Trump raped a 13 year old girl. Trump should resign. Moore need to step a side. It don't make any different what polical party the person belong to. Doing those things are not Acceptiful

TROLL IS OBVIOUS

Syd theKolinkBattler please become a Republican :) we don’t fucking need or want you here on the left

Locke3000 neither the left nor the right needs you. you okay one action, then people will use it as an excuse. that's what happened with trump. it was okay for him to talk about being a creep, and they all proudly stepped into the limelight.

Syd As I listen to this “story”, I find it hard to believe this woman didn’t feel her breasts being touched, asleep or not. U can tell from the smirk on Al’s face that it was a joke. How many women coming forward with accusations against Trump will it take for him to resign. Al has 1, where did she come from all of a sudden, and ask yourself “maybe she’s being paid to undermine his respectability”, who’s next, Elizabeth Warren! Going against the president of the” laughing stock country of the world “ does not bode well for the non-conformist to his regime.

Israel Yakuze ..YEAH AS SOON AS MOORE AND TRUMP DO THE SAME!!!!!!!

Dahn it seems like a hit job because al issued an investigation on himself then the girl panicked and told him not to do that ...