Crosstalk: Weinstein case highlights abuse

Our reality is pretty bad, not just in America (I don’t have enough space here to recount even the tip of the rapist iceberg among American celebrities and politicians) but around the world.

In the United Kingdom, politicians are seeking input from the public on whether “women only” buses should be incorporated into the public transit system to reduce groping, sexual harassment and attacks on women as they commute to work.

According to the Telegraph, many countries have already introduced segregated busing for women, including Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt, India, Thailand, and Iran.

Public transit is the most common place where men and women mix without choice of who they are with, and these attempts to keep women safe are pretty telling. We have a widespread problem, one that goes well beyond public transit, permeating the workplace, social gatherings, pretty much all of society.

Perhaps it always has been this way, but as a boy I was told pretty sternly by my father, “you never hit a woman (or a girl)!”

“But she hit me first!”

“Doesn’t matter, you never hit a woman.”

I decided he was right. It stands to reason you never grope a woman and you never force yourself on a woman, physically or verbally.

You treat them with respect.

But there are plenty of men who do not see beyond their own needs and desires. Men who harass and attack, alone or in a group of like-minded... Juveniles? Pigs?

Some use the crowds on public transit to shield their attacks. Others “go along” with their friends, joining in the obscenities.

Many use positions of power to force “consent,” or pay off their victims to avoid repercussions.

Those in positions of trust have also victimized women and boys, taking advantage of their position as church leaders.

Still others rape and leave their victim bleeding on the street.

None of us condone the street rapist, they are infamous. But is there any real difference between the attacker on the street and the attacker wearing a suit and tie?

Does it matter whether the weapon-of-choice is physical strength or a threat to ruin someones career? Or promises to help a career?

Rape is rape.

The results are the same: People are hurt in the most painful and degrading way.

Sexual assault is far more common than might be imagined. A friend of mine mentioned that she didn’t know a single woman who hadn’t been sexually harassed or worse. It was a surprising statement, but casting my mind back through the years, I can see that this is true of the women in my own life. I, too, know many women who were abused, including a close “sister” drugged and raped by men in a bar.

There is no feeling more frustrating and hopeless than knowing evil was committed against someone you love, and you can’t do anything about it.

Over half of the women and girls I’ve known well have been harassed or abused.

Much of it was criminal behavior, but I don’t know of a single incident in which justice was served.

Men, individually and collectively, need to stand up for what is right.

It appears we suffer from a complete lack of gentlemen, and by “gentlemen” I simply mean men who view woman as people, not sex toys. Who see them as mothers, sisters, daughters and friends.

Men who are ready to defend them against verbal or physical attack, whether it’s on a crowded bus, at church, in a Hollywood studio or in the workplace.

— Mark Gibson

The most awkward moment in the scandal over film producer and former studio executive Harvey Weinstein’s lecherous and abusive behavior with actresses was watching Hillary Clinton denounce him.

It took her five days to speak out against him when stories about his sexual assaults and harassment against numerous women in Hollywood over three decades began to emerge in media reports. (It only took her five minutes to blame the NRA for the Las Vegas mass shootings).

However, it isn’t surprising that Clinton had to take time to practice outrage given that her husband, Bill, has been abusing women for years – and she attacked any victim who dared to come forward.

Clinton also had to figure out how to justify not giving back the $69,990 that Weinstein gave her in political contributions. Between 1990 and last year, Politico reports that the disgraced movie mogul had raised $1.4 million for Democratic federal candidates and political entities in the last 27 years.

Apparently the things feminists say and the things they stand for are not the same. If you vote the way they want on issues then you can have at it with your abusive personal behavior.

Various insiders in Hollywood said Weinstein’s alleged wrongdoing was an “open secret.” So, what were the rules? If he donated money to liberal causes, then his rapacious behavior should be covered up?

Remember the Hollywood feminists howling about Trump being a misogynist who objectified and sexually abused women? Yet, many of these same women kept silent about Weinstein’s alleged rapes and groping on the casting couch.

You also didn’t see Hollywood’s actresses crying out for justice when Bill Clinton was demeaning the Oval Office by his illicit affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

In fact, Gloria Allred, a high-profile feminist attorney, dismissed Clinton’s exploits while Hillary demeaned and destroyed his victims. Not only was Bill accused of rape, groping without consent, exposing himself and sexual harassment, women also accused him of consensual adultery.

Remember New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, who exploited his office to have sexxaytimes chats with various women?

He couldn’t seem to stop sending explicit photos of himself, even when the recipient was a 15-year-old girl. Democrats gave him every break and continued to support him until the teen was abused and they were forced to publicly condemn him.

A New York head of NOW (National Organization for Women) said that Weiner was being given the “benefit of the doubt” when his exploits initially emerged. She said his liberal track record had earned the group’s support.

Then there was the case of Roman Polanski, film director, producer, writer and actor. After being arrested for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old in 1977, Polanski fled the country and many celebrities came to his defense, calling for him to be exonerated of six counts of criminal behavior.

It is the height of hypocritical behavior to only decry foul deeds when it helps your side or involves people you don’t need to further your own career.

The message sent by liberals is that if you are a male with political or star power, you can treat women as you please, as long as you support abortion and other feminist causes.

In reality, Hollywood is a very ugly place to be if you are a woman. As they age, actresses fight for roles and females earn far less than their male counterparts.

Celebrities who want to be vocal in the political arena should have no voice until they get their own house in order.

The Hollywood elite need to use the Weinstein situation for self-reflection. And quit attacking conservatives like Vice President Mike Pence for reporting that he doesn’t dine with a woman alone if his wife isn’t present.

Instead of calling Pence a chauvinist and oppressor, Hollywood should be reconsidering its “anything goes” mindset and setting a few behavioral boundaries of its own.

It’s time these actors and actresses, especially obnoxiously verbose feminists, truly start walking their talk.

— RaeLynn Ricarte