GOP Mississippi gubernatorial candidate refuses to be alone with female reporter

[7,052,770]

This is a perfectly normal common reaction.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/men-are-afraid-to-mentor-female-colleagues-in-the-metoo-era-heres-what-not-to-do-2019-05-20

Are 60% of managers rapists now?

There is a difference between (largely irrational) worrying about potential negative consequences of well-intentioned professional interactions in an unequal power relationship in the same organization, and not meeting with a reporter as a candidate for public office because she happens to be a woman. The latter is stupid enough to be disqualifying on its own for public office.

And remember, basically all of these assholes who have been busted for sexual harassment in the #metoo era have had accusations laid at them by multiple unrelated women. It is one thing to think one crazy/vindictive woman could make false allegations against you, but if you fear that would cause some some sort of career-ending chain reaction, you either have no respect for women, or you have legitimate skeletons in the closet.

Ahem

https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/05/23/michigan-state-keith-mumphery-lawsuit-sex-assault-claims

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Brian-Banks-Rape-Case-Exonerated-NFL-Atlanta-Falcons-218978851.html

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/mans-life-destroyed-following-classmates-false-rape-allegation/news-story/05ba6eeffae4791c3b99993634afa226

No one has denied that there are some examples of false accusations here and there, just like there are examples of men committing rape here and there. However, if someone was afraid to be alone with Donborvio because he's a man and men have committed rape, I think you would cry foul, even if I linked 3 news articles about other men committing rapes.

The fact is that false accusations are extremely rare and not something that you should blanket suspect women of, any more than you should suspect every black person of being a murderer.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/05/23/michigan-state-keith-mumphery-lawsuit-sex-assault-claims

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Brian-Banks-Rape-Case-Exonerated-NFL-Atlanta-Falcons-218978851.html

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/mans-life-destroyed-following-classmates-false-rape-allegation/news-story/05ba6eeffae4791c3b99993634afa226

... and the "one crazy/vindictive woman" in each of those cases was found out and either forced to cough up damages or sent to prison. Have I not said there is some room for understandable concern, given the increased media coverage of such events?

Also, they have no similarities to the situation at hand here. I don't see what point you're trying to make.

Dude still lost 10 years of his life that he'll never get back.

And the point is simple: one person can ruin another person's life.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

This is a perfectly normal common reaction.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/men-are-afraid-to-mentor-female-colleagues-in-the-metoo-era-heres-what-not-to-do-2019-05-20

Are 60% of managers rapists now?

There is a difference between (largely irrational) worrying about potential negative consequences of well-intentioned professional interactions in an unequal power relationship in the same organization, and not meeting with a reporter as a candidate for public office because she happens to be a woman. The latter is stupid enough to be disqualifying on its own for public office.

And remember, basically all of these assholes who have been busted for sexual harassment in the #metoo era have had accusations laid at them by multiple unrelated women. It is one thing to think one crazy/vindictive woman could make false allegations against you, but if you fear that would cause some some sort of career-ending chain reaction, you either have no respect for women, or you have legitimate skeletons in the closet.

Ahem

https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/05/23/michigan-state-keith-mumphery-lawsuit-sex-assault-claims

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Brian-Banks-Rape-Case-Exonerated-NFL-Atlanta-Falcons-218978851.html

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/mans-life-destroyed-following-classmates-false-rape-allegation/news-story/05ba6eeffae4791c3b99993634afa226

No one has denied that there are some examples of false accusations here and there, just like there are examples of men committing rape here and there. However, if someone was afraid to be alone with Donborvio because he's a man and men have committed rape, I think you would cry foul, even if I linked 3 news articles about other men committing rapes.

The fact is that false accusations are extremely rare and not something that you should blanket suspect women of, any more than you should suspect every black person of being a murderer.

And if they were, I would respect their state of mind and try to keep my distance. And I know there are many actual rapes, never denied that.  I'm batting for the good people that don't want their lives ruined by malicious people. 

[7,052,770]

This is a perfectly normal common reaction.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/men-are-afraid-to-mentor-female-colleagues-in-the-metoo-era-heres-what-not-to-do-2019-05-20

Are 60% of managers rapists now?

There is a difference between (largely irrational) worrying about potential negative consequences of well-intentioned professional interactions in an unequal power relationship in the same organization, and not meeting with a reporter as a candidate for public office because she happens to be a woman. The latter is stupid enough to be disqualifying on its own for public office.

And remember, basically all of these assholes who have been busted for sexual harassment in the #metoo era have had accusations laid at them by multiple unrelated women. It is one thing to think one crazy/vindictive woman could make false allegations against you, but if you fear that would cause some some sort of career-ending chain reaction, you either have no respect for women, or you have legitimate skeletons in the closet.

Ahem

https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/05/23/michigan-state-keith-mumphery-lawsuit-sex-assault-claims

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Brian-Banks-Rape-Case-Exonerated-NFL-Atlanta-Falcons-218978851.html

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/mans-life-destroyed-following-classmates-false-rape-allegation/news-story/05ba6eeffae4791c3b99993634afa226

No one has denied that there are some examples of false accusations here and there, just like there are examples of men committing rape here and there. However, if someone was afraid to be alone with Donborvio because he's a man and men have committed rape, I think you would cry foul, even if I linked 3 news articles about other men committing rapes.

The fact is that false accusations are extremely rare and not something that you should blanket suspect women of, any more than you should suspect every black person of being a murderer.

And if they were, I would respect their state of mind and try to keep my distance. And I know there are many actual rapes, never denied that.  I'm batting for the good people that don't want their lives ruined by malicious people. 

LOL bullsh**t. If Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris had done this with a male reporter because "there is an epidemic of men raping women and women like me have to protect ourselves from this," there would be a 20-page circlejerk by now about how awful liberals have gotten with their manhating, and you would be part of it.

[7,052,770]

https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/05/23/michigan-state-keith-mumphery-lawsuit-sex-assault-claims

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Brian-Banks-Rape-Case-Exonerated-NFL-Atlanta-Falcons-218978851.html

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/mans-life-destroyed-following-classmates-false-rape-allegation/news-story/05ba6eeffae4791c3b99993634afa226

... and the "one crazy/vindictive woman" in each of those cases was found out and either forced to cough up damages or sent to prison. Have I not said there is some room for understandable concern, given the increased media coverage of such events?

Also, they have no similarities to the situation at hand here. I don't see what point you're trying to make.

Dude still lost 10 years of his life that he'll never get back.

And the point is simple: one person can ruin another person's life.

A certain counter-protestor lost a lot more than 10 years of her life back in 2017, but that doesn't mean it's reasonable for me to refuse to step on a street if there are Trump supporters driving around.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

This is a perfectly normal common reaction.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/men-are-afraid-to-mentor-female-colleagues-in-the-metoo-era-heres-what-not-to-do-2019-05-20

Are 60% of managers rapists now?

There is a difference between (largely irrational) worrying about potential negative consequences of well-intentioned professional interactions in an unequal power relationship in the same organization, and not meeting with a reporter as a candidate for public office because she happens to be a woman. The latter is stupid enough to be disqualifying on its own for public office.

And remember, basically all of these assholes who have been busted for sexual harassment in the #metoo era have had accusations laid at them by multiple unrelated women. It is one thing to think one crazy/vindictive woman could make false allegations against you, but if you fear that would cause some some sort of career-ending chain reaction, you either have no respect for women, or you have legitimate skeletons in the closet.

Ahem

https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/05/23/michigan-state-keith-mumphery-lawsuit-sex-assault-claims

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Brian-Banks-Rape-Case-Exonerated-NFL-Atlanta-Falcons-218978851.html

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/mans-life-destroyed-following-classmates-false-rape-allegation/news-story/05ba6eeffae4791c3b99993634afa226

No one has denied that there are some examples of false accusations here and there, just like there are examples of men committing rape here and there. However, if someone was afraid to be alone with Donborvio because he's a man and men have committed rape, I think you would cry foul, even if I linked 3 news articles about other men committing rapes.

The fact is that false accusations are extremely rare and not something that you should blanket suspect women of, any more than you should suspect every black person of being a murderer.

And if they were, I would respect their state of mind and try to keep my distance. And I know there are many actual rapes, never denied that.  I'm batting for the good people that don't want their lives ruined by malicious people. 

LOL bullsh**t. If Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris had done this with a male reporter because "there is an epidemic of men raping women and women like me have to protect ourselves from this," there would be a 20-page circlejerk by now about how awful liberals have gotten with their manhating, and you would be part of it.

Fair enough, there are plenty of examples of how one group gets preferential treatment over the other or vice versa.

[fhtagn]

Claiming we live in the "#MeToo Era" is a deliberate attempt to negatively portray the attempts by victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out about a serious, long dismissed issue that can have serious psychological consequences for its survivors. These people blaming the victims for speaking out, as if it's their fault that so many men are inclined to predatory and abusive behavior, are disgusting. If you feel uncomfortable around women because of this, then everyone should question what sort of behavior and thoughts you have to make you so overly cautious and feel persecuted.

In short, this guy is a moron and if he can't handle being around women in a professional setting, then he doesn't belong in a professional setting. The same applies to anyone else who feels like they need to protect themselves from women because of the "#MeToo Era."

Women who abused the popularity of #MeToo to make false accusations are the reason many men are cautious around women today. Especially men in positions of power that can easily be brought down by a false accusation. Even if the accusation is proven to be false and they clearly did nothing wrong, the man still has an incredibly damaged reputation they're unlikely to recover from.

There's nothing wrong with taking additional steps to avoid potential issues later on.

[7,052,770]

Claiming we live in the "#MeToo Era" is a deliberate attempt to negatively portray the attempts by victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out about a serious, long dismissed issue that can have serious psychological consequences for its survivors. These people blaming the victims for speaking out, as if it's their fault that so many men are inclined to predatory and abusive behavior, are disgusting. If you feel uncomfortable around women because of this, then everyone should question what sort of behavior and thoughts you have to make you so overly cautious and feel persecuted.

In short, this guy is a moron and if he can't handle being around women in a professional setting, then he doesn't belong in a professional setting. The same applies to anyone else who feels like they need to protect themselves from women because of the "#MeToo Era."

Women who abused the popularity of #MeToo to make false accusations are the reason many men are cautious around women today. Especially men in positions of power that can easily be brought down by a false accusation. Even if the accusation is proven to be false and they clearly did nothing wrong, the man still has an incredibly damaged reputation they're unlikely to recover from.

There's nothing wrong with taking additional steps to avoid potential issues later on.

So if the mods decided to ban you from the Atlas Forum because they were afraid you might accuse them of rape in real life, you'd think there was "nothing wrong" with that?

And this is just a hobby for you - not your career like in the case of the journalist in this story.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Claiming we live in the "#MeToo Era" is a deliberate attempt to negatively portray the attempts by victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out about a serious, long dismissed issue that can have serious psychological consequences for its survivors. These people blaming the victims for speaking out, as if it's their fault that so many men are inclined to predatory and abusive behavior, are disgusting. If you feel uncomfortable around women because of this, then everyone should question what sort of behavior and thoughts you have to make you so overly cautious and feel persecuted.

In short, this guy is a moron and if he can't handle being around women in a professional setting, then he doesn't belong in a professional setting. The same applies to anyone else who feels like they need to protect themselves from women because of the "#MeToo Era."

Women who abused the popularity of #MeToo to make false accusations are the reason many men are cautious around women today. Especially men in positions of power that can easily be brought down by a false accusation. Even if the accusation is proven to be false and they clearly did nothing wrong, the man still has an incredibly damaged reputation they're unlikely to recover from.

There's nothing wrong with taking additional steps to avoid potential issues later on.

So if the mods decided to ban you from the Atlas Forum because they were afraid you might accuse them of rape in real life, you'd think there was "nothing wrong" with that?

And this is just a hobby for you - not your career like in the case of the journalist in this story.

This female journalist isn't entitled to access to a candidate.  The candidate can give access or deny it as he chooses.  Now the candidate isn't entitled to freedom from blowback at the polls from such a decision.

But this woman does not have the right to an exclusive interview. 

[7,052,770]

Claiming we live in the "#MeToo Era" is a deliberate attempt to negatively portray the attempts by victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out about a serious, long dismissed issue that can have serious psychological consequences for its survivors. These people blaming the victims for speaking out, as if it's their fault that so many men are inclined to predatory and abusive behavior, are disgusting. If you feel uncomfortable around women because of this, then everyone should question what sort of behavior and thoughts you have to make you so overly cautious and feel persecuted.

In short, this guy is a moron and if he can't handle being around women in a professional setting, then he doesn't belong in a professional setting. The same applies to anyone else who feels like they need to protect themselves from women because of the "#MeToo Era."

Women who abused the popularity of #MeToo to make false accusations are the reason many men are cautious around women today. Especially men in positions of power that can easily be brought down by a false accusation. Even if the accusation is proven to be false and they clearly did nothing wrong, the man still has an incredibly damaged reputation they're unlikely to recover from.

There's nothing wrong with taking additional steps to avoid potential issues later on.

So if the mods decided to ban you from the Atlas Forum because they were afraid you might accuse them of rape in real life, you'd think there was "nothing wrong" with that?

And this is just a hobby for you - not your career like in the case of the journalist in this story.

This female journalist isn't entitled to access to a candidate.  The candidate can give access or deny it as he chooses.  Now the candidate isn't entitled to freedom from blowback at the polls from such a decision.

But this woman does not have the right to an exclusive interview. 

No one is saying that he legally has to give her one, just that he's an outrageous asshole for not trusting a professional journalist not to accuse him of improper conduct based solely on her gender, and that he's a charlatan for doing this on purpose to get attention and hock tacky shirts.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Claiming we live in the "#MeToo Era" is a deliberate attempt to negatively portray the attempts by victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out about a serious, long dismissed issue that can have serious psychological consequences for its survivors. These people blaming the victims for speaking out, as if it's their fault that so many men are inclined to predatory and abusive behavior, are disgusting. If you feel uncomfortable around women because of this, then everyone should question what sort of behavior and thoughts you have to make you so overly cautious and feel persecuted.

In short, this guy is a moron and if he can't handle being around women in a professional setting, then he doesn't belong in a professional setting. The same applies to anyone else who feels like they need to protect themselves from women because of the "#MeToo Era."

Women who abused the popularity of #MeToo to make false accusations are the reason many men are cautious around women today. Especially men in positions of power that can easily be brought down by a false accusation. Even if the accusation is proven to be false and they clearly did nothing wrong, the man still has an incredibly damaged reputation they're unlikely to recover from.

There's nothing wrong with taking additional steps to avoid potential issues later on.

So if the mods decided to ban you from the Atlas Forum because they were afraid you might accuse them of rape in real life, you'd think there was "nothing wrong" with that?

And this is just a hobby for you - not your career like in the case of the journalist in this story.

This female journalist isn't entitled to access to a candidate.  The candidate can give access or deny it as he chooses.  Now the candidate isn't entitled to freedom from blowback at the polls from such a decision.

But this woman does not have the right to an exclusive interview. 

No one is saying that he legally has to give her one, just that he's an outrageous asshole for not trusting a professional journalist not to accuse him of improper conduct based solely on her gender, and that he's a charlatan for doing this on purpose to get attention and hock tacky shirts.

I'll place my order as soon as I log off here.  They'll be collectables in a few years.

[JA]

Claiming we live in the "#MeToo Era" is a deliberate attempt to negatively portray the attempts by victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out about a serious, long dismissed issue that can have serious psychological consequences for its survivors. These people blaming the victims for speaking out, as if it's their fault that so many men are inclined to predatory and abusive behavior, are disgusting. If you feel uncomfortable around women because of this, then everyone should question what sort of behavior and thoughts you have to make you so overly cautious and feel persecuted.

In short, this guy is a moron and if he can't handle being around women in a professional setting, then he doesn't belong in a professional setting. The same applies to anyone else who feels like they need to protect themselves from women because of the "#MeToo Era."

Women who abused the popularity of #MeToo to make false accusations are the reason many men are cautious around women today. Especially men in positions of power that can easily be brought down by a false accusation. Even if the accusation is proven to be false and they clearly did nothing wrong, the man still has an incredibly damaged reputation they're unlikely to recover from.

There's nothing wrong with taking additional steps to avoid potential issues later on.

So if the mods decided to ban you from the Atlas Forum because they were afraid you might accuse them of rape in real life, you'd think there was "nothing wrong" with that?

And this is just a hobby for you - not your career like in the case of the journalist in this story.

This female journalist isn't entitled to access to a candidate.  The candidate can give access or deny it as he chooses.  Now the candidate isn't entitled to freedom from blowback at the polls from such a decision.

But this woman does not have the right to an exclusive interview. 

No one is saying that he legally has to give her one, just that he's an outrageous asshole for not trusting a professional journalist not to accuse him of improper conduct based solely on her gender, and that he's a charlatan for doing this on purpose to get attention and hock tacky shirts.

I think we're in the wrong professions, my friend. The real money is in rightwing grift. If your morals can handle it, I definitely believe becoming one of them is a great way to make an easy buck.

Now, I may not know everything about the rightwing, but I do know enough to exploit them. Maybe I need to look into this...

[HisGrace]

The issue here is not that false accusations exist. I am not particularly worried about being falsely accused of being a murderer or drug trafficker because people generally don't believe accusations like that without evidence. I am not those things, so evidence against me does not exist. In sexual misconduct allegations people get emotionally involved and immediately demand that anyone accused lose their job and leak their address online so an angry mob can show up where they live and so on. Then even if the allegation is disproven it won't matter and you'll still have people denouncing you as a rapist until you die. There wouldn't be so much paranoia about this stuff if the left and feminists would drop the lynch mob mentality. Which doesn't mean you assume accusers are liars either.

[7,052,770]

The issue here is not that false accusations exist. I am not particularly worried about being falsely accused of being a murderer or drug trafficker because people generally don't believe accusations like that without evidence. I am not those things, so evidence against me does not exist. In sexual misconduct allegations people get emotionally involved and immediately demand that anyone accused lose their job and leak their address online so an angry mob can show up where they live and so on. Then even if the allegation is disproven it won't matter and you'll still have people denouncing you as a rapist until you die. There wouldn't be so much paranoia about this stuff if the left and feminists would drop the lynch mob mentality. Which doesn't mean you assume accusers are liars either.

Yes people keep saying this, but can you demonstrate that this has happened on any large scale? What prominent #MeToo case was ever demonstrated to be fabricated, and then once you find one, can you demonstrate how people didn't accept the evidence but continued to "denounce" the rapist?

No one is saying that false accusations don't ever happen, but their frequency is blown out of proportion by the Right by several orders of magnitude, as is the amount of damage they do. And none of that justifies treating women differently than men merely on the basis that women can hypothetically manufacture a fake allegation, even if there's no evidence that a particular one will.

[lfromnj]

The issue here is not that false accusations exist. I am not particularly worried about being falsely accused of being a murderer or drug trafficker because people generally don't believe accusations like that without evidence. I am not those things, so evidence against me does not exist. In sexual misconduct allegations people get emotionally involved and immediately demand that anyone accused lose their job and leak their address online so an angry mob can show up where they live and so on. Then even if the allegation is disproven it won't matter and you'll still have people denouncing you as a rapist until you die. There wouldn't be so much paranoia about this stuff if the left and feminists would drop the lynch mob mentality. Which doesn't mean you assume accusers are liars either.

Yes people keep saying this, but can you demonstrate that this has happened on any large scale? What prominent #MeToo case was ever demonstrated to be fabricated, and then once you find one, can you demonstrate how people didn't accept the evidence but continued to "denounce" the rapist?

No one is saying that false accusations don't ever happen, but their frequency is blown out of proportion by the Right by several orders of magnitude, as is the amount of damage they do. And none of that justifies treating women differently than men merely on the basis that women can hypothetically manufacture a fake allegation, even if there's no evidence that a particular one will.

Not #metoo but predates it by a few years.

Mattress girl. It was a semi national news issue and major politicians supported the false accuser.

[Pandaguineapig]

The issue here is not that false accusations exist. I am not particularly worried about being falsely accused of being a murderer or drug trafficker because people generally don't believe accusations like that without evidence. I am not those things, so evidence against me does not exist. In sexual misconduct allegations people get emotionally involved and immediately demand that anyone accused lose their job and leak their address online so an angry mob can show up where they live and so on. Then even if the allegation is disproven it won't matter and you'll still have people denouncing you as a rapist until you die. There wouldn't be so much paranoia about this stuff if the left and feminists would drop the lynch mob mentality. Which doesn't mean you assume accusers are liars either.

Yes people keep saying this, but can you demonstrate that this has happened on any large scale? What prominent #MeToo case was ever demonstrated to be fabricated, and then once you find one, can you demonstrate how people didn't accept the evidence but continued to "denounce" the rapist?

No one is saying that false accusations don't ever happen, but their frequency is blown out of proportion by the Right by several orders of magnitude, as is the amount of damage they do. And none of that justifies treating women differently than men merely on the basis that women can hypothetically manufacture a fake allegation, even if there's no evidence that a particular one will.

Not #metoo but predates it by a few years.

Mattress girl. It was a semi national news issue and major politicians supported the false accuser.

Robert Foster is an idiot who should have handled this better but many of the top level cases have turned out to be hoaxes like mattress girl, UVA, Duke Lacrosse, and the Patrick Kane accuser.

[Mr. Morden]

Yes people keep saying this, but can you demonstrate that this has happened on any large scale? What prominent #MeToo case was ever demonstrated to be fabricated, and then once you find one, can you demonstrate how people didn't accept the evidence but continued to "denounce" the rapist?

I agree with you that Foster's being ridiculous here, but the way you've formulated your argument above makes no sense to me.  I don't think the argument is that there's this class of cases where a rape accusation (or harassment accusation?  not sure if this discussion is limited to rape alone or what) is definitively proven to be a false accusation, and the public ignores said evidence anyway once it's out.  Rather, the issue is more that the fact that there are some cases that are proven to be false accusations suggests that there are probably *other* cases that are never proven either way, that might also include false accusations.  So then you look at how does the public react in *those* cases, no?  Or am I missing something here?

[7,052,770]

The issue here is not that false accusations exist. I am not particularly worried about being falsely accused of being a murderer or drug trafficker because people generally don't believe accusations like that without evidence. I am not those things, so evidence against me does not exist. In sexual misconduct allegations people get emotionally involved and immediately demand that anyone accused lose their job and leak their address online so an angry mob can show up where they live and so on. Then even if the allegation is disproven it won't matter and you'll still have people denouncing you as a rapist until you die. There wouldn't be so much paranoia about this stuff if the left and feminists would drop the lynch mob mentality. Which doesn't mean you assume accusers are liars either.

Yes people keep saying this, but can you demonstrate that this has happened on any large scale? What prominent #MeToo case was ever demonstrated to be fabricated, and then once you find one, can you demonstrate how people didn't accept the evidence but continued to "denounce" the rapist?

No one is saying that false accusations don't ever happen, but their frequency is blown out of proportion by the Right by several orders of magnitude, as is the amount of damage they do. And none of that justifies treating women differently than men merely on the basis that women can hypothetically manufacture a fake allegation, even if there's no evidence that a particular one will.

Not #metoo but predates it by a few years.

Mattress girl. It was a semi national news issue and major politicians supported the false accuser.

Yeah, "Mattress Girl" was never demonstrated to be a false accuser. But the fact that you and lots of people think she is definitely is one disproves your argument that everyone believes accusers no matter what.

[7,052,770]

Yes people keep saying this, but can you demonstrate that this has happened on any large scale? What prominent #MeToo case was ever demonstrated to be fabricated, and then once you find one, can you demonstrate how people didn't accept the evidence but continued to "denounce" the rapist?

I agree with you that Foster's being ridiculous here, but the way you've formulated your argument above makes no sense to me.  I don't think the argument is that there's this class of cases where a rape accusation (or harassment accusation?  not sure if this discussion is limited to rape alone or what) is definitively proven to be a false accusation, and the public ignores said evidence anyway once it's out.  Rather, the issue is more that the fact that there are some cases that are proven to be false accusations suggests that there are probably *other* cases that are never proven either way, that might also include false accusations.  So then you look at how does the public react in *those* cases, no?  Or am I missing something here?

I wouldn't doubt (and like everyone else, I have always acknowledged that) there are innocent people accused of sexual assault. But there is a lot of research out there on the frequency of this, and it's blown way out of proportion by people on the Right. It happens, but it's rare and usually exposed right away before it ruins anyone's lives.

The fact that the Right has to go back years or decades to find examples, and even those tend to be shaky and have really weird circumstances unlikely to be repeated, backs up my point.

[7,052,770]

The issue here is not that false accusations exist. I am not particularly worried about being falsely accused of being a murderer or drug trafficker because people generally don't believe accusations like that without evidence. I am not those things, so evidence against me does not exist. In sexual misconduct allegations people get emotionally involved and immediately demand that anyone accused lose their job and leak their address online so an angry mob can show up where they live and so on. Then even if the allegation is disproven it won't matter and you'll still have people denouncing you as a rapist until you die. There wouldn't be so much paranoia about this stuff if the left and feminists would drop the lynch mob mentality. Which doesn't mean you assume accusers are liars either.

Yes people keep saying this, but can you demonstrate that this has happened on any large scale? What prominent #MeToo case was ever demonstrated to be fabricated, and then once you find one, can you demonstrate how people didn't accept the evidence but continued to "denounce" the rapist?

No one is saying that false accusations don't ever happen, but their frequency is blown out of proportion by the Right by several orders of magnitude, as is the amount of damage they do. And none of that justifies treating women differently than men merely on the basis that women can hypothetically manufacture a fake allegation, even if there's no evidence that a particular one will.

Not #metoo but predates it by a few years.

Mattress girl. It was a semi national news issue and major politicians supported the false accuser.

Robert Foster is an idiot who should have handled this better but many of the top level cases have turned out to be hoaxes like mattress girl, UVA, Duke Lacrosse, and the Patrick Kane accuser.

Duke Lacrosse not only happened over a decade ago, and would have been ignored by practically every prosecutor in the country immediately. The criminal DA actually went to jail for prosecutorial misconduct in the case - he knew they were innocent (not even a he said, she said) and tried to make the case anyway. It's a poor example of the point you're trying to make because of the bizarre circumstances around it.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

I find it incredibly hard to believe that people in this thread are afraid of being falsely accused of sexual assault by every woman they meet. I obviously have nothing to support this but a sneaking suspicion, but come on guys. It's impossible to operate society at all if you sincerely believe this is true. So give it up.

The reason this is an obvious lie (or at least not the stated goal) in the case of Foster is that he said he wouldn't allow Campbell to follow him unless there was a male colleague present. If there was any true suspicion that Campbell would accuse him of sexual assault then any witness (male, female or otherwise) would suffice. The fact that only a man can be present suggests this is about something entirely different - he's stated that he's afraid of salacious rumors being spread which include but are not limited to infidelity. This isn't unique to Foster - Mike Pence also said before being inaugurated that he wouldn't dine with a woman unless his wife is present. The consequence is that it shuts women out of interactions that are a necessary part of being in power, essentially closing off positions of authority for them.

So quit trying to contort this into some takedown of the metoo movement. Trying to do so is a disgusting way of trying to minimize the pain and experience of actual victims of sexual assault (who outnumber false accusers by orders of magnitude).

[Badger]

The fact that there are so many posters here who think that refusing to spend time alone without Witnesses with another woman, especially in the context of a professional reporter and a candidate for governor, in order to avoid potential false sexual harassment charges, leads me to believe either the average blue or orange Avatar poster on Atlas are complete bunch of basement dwelling neckbeards with a bizarre level of fear and suspicion over any woman they can't put in the category of mommy or girlfriend/wife ( plus our one resident Vichy traitor to her gender).

Or alternatively that the vast majority of Republicans and conservatives have nationwide similarly lost their Collective Minds. I am going to try to be optimistic and assume it's merely option one.

Nevertheless, the fact that this is indicative it even a substantial percentage, even if not a majority, of Republicans and conservatives fear that the me-too movement has gone so "overboard" that this is Perfectly Natural....

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

“Vichy traitor to her gender”.

[Badger]

“Vichy traitor to her gender”.

Yeah, pretty much. And proudly so.

I mean, it takes a special level of troll to blame women have come forward to relate their stories of sexual abuse and harassment for some southern fried dill dough refusing to be interviewed by a female reporter without Witnesses, or the various knuckle draggers in this thread thinking that this is completely normal.

So yeah, don't roll your eyes just because I call a spade a spade.

[Santander]

The fact that only a man can be present suggests this is about something entirely different - he's stated that he's afraid of salacious rumors being spread which include but are not limited to infidelity. This isn't unique to Foster - Mike Pence also said before being inaugurated that he wouldn't dine with a woman unless his wife is present. The consequence is that it shuts women out of interactions that are a necessary part of being in power, essentially closing off positions of authority for them.

These idiots are disqualified from any public office because of this alone.