Many Americans become enraged in response to reports of personal misbehavior by politicians (of the other party), especially sexual misbehavior. The news media cover the matter 24/7. Allegations are periodically resurrected decades after the public has lost interest. Meanwhile…
Tag: sexual
The Commonality of a Standard Paradigm
Call it ‘privilege’ if you will, but I don’t believe that it is necessary to identify as ‘cisgender’ for the same reason I don’t think most bread should be labeled as ‘glutinous’ or that most cars should be known as ‘4-wheel cars.’
Factory-Like Schools Are the Child Labor Crisis of Today
There is mounting evidence that increasingly restrictive schooling, quickly consuming the majority of childhood, is damaging children. Rates of childhood anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and other mental illness are surging.
Words Poorly Used, Another Devil’s Dictionary #5
Gall — That of which it takes a superfluity to make a speech in Vietnam that claims that the US has been taken advantage of. Sexual Misconduct — Sexual conduct. Dance — What tough guys don’t do.
How Does Our Demeanor Affect Our Experiences?
We are often told by some women that women (in general) have a unique and crumby experience in the world. Men are constantly ogling them, making inappropriate remarks, sexualizing them, and just generally being creepy. We are told that this is the nature of being a women, or at least a somewhat attractive women. This is bullshit.
How Public Shaming Makes Real Change Harder
As long as we jump straight to public shaming and enemy-labelling, most people won’t have the internal fortitude to take the necessary steps to change. Public shaming should be a last resort when all hope of change is lost.
Will the Real Populism Please Stand Up?
Populism is quite easy to define. It is the separation of people into two warring classes. Let’s call them “the righteous masses” and “the power elites.” The populist, of course, sides with the righteous masses. It’s as simple as that. But the devil is in the details of defining those two classes.
On the Harvey Weinstein Scandal
I have two daughters and there is a good chance I will have more. I imagined what I would tell them about it if they were 8-14ish. I realized that my reaction would be different and I would desire to relay different information than most people. So I thought I might share some of what I might say.
Blaming the Victim, or Digging for Wisdom?
As a man dedicated to stopping the widespread abuse of children, I am very much an ally in this particular fight (“Me too.”). I don’t deserve to be attacked like this. These people don’t know me and the work that I do. They don’t know the trauma I’ve suffered and its long-term effects, effects that I deal with every day of my life. They were wrong to do what they did, but they are not alone in carrying responsibility.
The Cure for Weinstein is a Cultural Change
We have to shift the fear away from would-be victims and strike it into the hearts of would-be victimizers. We have to make it preemptively clear that we will always ostracize those who harass and punish those who assault, not those who are harassed or assaulted.