October 25, 2017

Ex-Prez HW Bush accused of ass-grabbing: #MeToo overload or the beginning of the end of Old Man Privilege?

I'm reading The Daily Mail: "Former US president George HW Bush apologises after actress claims he 'sexually assaulted' her from his WHEELCHAIR in this photograph - with his wife Barbara standing by his side/Actress Heather Lind made allegations Tuesday claiming when she met former President George H.W. Bush, 93, he 'sexually assaulted' her from his wheelchair/She claimed the 'assault' happened during a photo-op with wife Barbara Bush standing by his side, and claims his wife saw the incident unfold/The now 34-year-old actress also claimed that afterwards Bush's security detail told her she shouldn't have stood next to the former president for the photo-op/Lind says this happened four years ago while she was promoting a movie/In a statement to DailyMail.com the former president has apologized for the incident saying it was an 'attempt at humor' and not meant to offend Lind."

Now, I said "#MeToo overload" when a woman accused Elie Wiesel of taking the same advantage in a photo op and getting his hand onto the ass of the woman who stood next to him. People do line up and crowd together tightly in photographs, and one often accepts/endures the waist-grabbing that seems excusable in the interest of getting us all into the picture frame. How far down from the waist can a person go before the other person knows he's taking advantage? For the photo subject who's enjoying the contact, just the touching of the sides of the arms may be a thrill. For the one who does not want contact, even that may be repugnant.*

I think most contact-seekers in that situation stick to a hand at waist-level pulling the other person closer, and even that can be offensive to the one who doesn't want contact, but the would-be contact-avoider will probably put up with it, and the contact-seeker has deniability. Then what about the hand on the top of the hip? That can seem deniable too. And the fingers on the outside of the middle of the hip? Can that work? Once the contact-seeker has his fingers at the right latitude, the heel of his hand can reach the desired longitude on the globe that is the ass.

But an older man may think he has Old Man Privilege and that it's cool for him to show he's still got some life in him and everyone will think it's just fine if he forthrightly gropes the ass. HW Bush's apology calls it an "attempt at humor."

I remember something Jeb Bush said back in July 2015, when his father was in the hospital: "[My] dad gets in the hospital kind of pretty regularly at 91, he's a little frail. But when he starts telling semi-dirty jokes to the nurse, we know he's on the rebound." I quoted that in a post titled "Jeb Bush has a tin ear for sexism" and said:
Apparently, Jeb thinks the old sexy nurse trope works today. The audience warmly chuckles, and Jeb thinks he's cute, because his dad is so old and sweet. But that doesn't play with me or, I suspect, with many modern women. Old men in the hospital leering at the nurses. Ugh!
I want to stress the importance — as we're fired up about sexual harassment — of not wrongly lumping things together. I wouldn't rake the dead Elie Wiesel over the coals for a 3-decade-old ass-grope (even if that happened). And I wish ancient HW well. But there is something I'm going to call Old Man Privilege that needs to be seen and rejected. It's not cute. It should not be endured as routine. A mentally incompetent old person should be treated with empathy, but women should not be expected to smile and indulge groping. HW should know better, and Jeb should certainly know better.

Donald Trump was rightly excoriated for saying, "And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything."

Similarly, we need to reject the idea And when you’re an old man, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the ass. You can do anything.

________________________

* I myself dropped out of participating in a certain significant law school activity because it involved sitting in small, locked together chairs in a way that forced me to accept over an hour of thigh-to-thigh contact with a colleague on either side of me. No one was groping me, but I couldn't accept being seated like that. Similarly, some people won't fly on airplanes because of the risk of being forced into thigh or arm contact with another person. I avoid almost all flying for a number of reasons, and that is certainly one of them. It's awful if you have the feeling that the other person is getting a kick out of it!

257 comments:

1 – 200 of 257   Newer›   Newest»
mccullough said...

HW grabbing some Millenial Ass. WWII vets get a pass

bleh said...

This is what I think happened. Bush, as he is in a wheelchair, put his arm where it would go naturally, and that's around her lower back. He touched her ass accidentally and made a dumb joke about it to relieve the tension. I see that sort of thing happen all the time on the subway. Guy accidentally gropes girl (believe me, it happens all the time), guy either apologizes or tells joke to make clear he's not a creeper.

rhhardin said...

Bullock climbing down ladder to boat

Bullock: I'm not getting on that boat.

Reynolds: You don't have to. See you in a few days.

Bullock: - You know I can't swim.

Reynolds: - Hence, the boat. Come on. Come on. Here we go. Looking good, boss. Take your time, though.

Betty White: She comes with a lot of baggage.

Reynolds: Just gonna give you a little hand here.

Bullock: Hand off ass! Off ass!

Reynolds: There you go. You're there. Congratulations.

- The Proposal (2009)

cubanbob said...

Thirty four year old actress needs to grow up. She ought to be fired as that would certainly wise her up. This childish hypersensitivity needs to end now.

traditionalguy said...

Good point, Professor. The bullying aspect really is the only focus of fondling assaults of young women by dirty old men. They are not aggresive flirts, because sexual purpose in the contact is missing. They are power kidnappings intending on mind control over the weaker person.

n.n said...

Trump stated an observation of a socially liberal religious/moral ethos, which is both logically and actually true. It's a mistake to conflate observation and action.

We are conceived with a liberal mental and physical disposition, then discover a conservation of both principles and stature as we evolve, which is not a progressive process, but follows a bell curve for mental and physical acuity.

So, the problem is old and young man privilege, but also denying women agency by placing conception before choice, and men's dignity with a presumption of guilt or "burden".

SGT Ted said...

It's #metoo band-wagonning. Women dig the attention they get for being a Victim of the Bad Men via group approval female socialization needs.

rhhardin said...

Stay away from Italians.

Chuck said...

Donald Trump was rightly excoriated for saying, "And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything."

Who hacked the content pages of Althouse? Somebody notify Ann.

Seriously, props to Althouse in having staked a position (Trump's open-mic comments were about "behavior," and behavior that amounted to "sexual assault") more than a year ago:
http://althouse.blogspot.com/2016/10/what-donald-trump-said-into-hot.html

But I get the impression that she has taken something of a different long-term view with respect to Trump, who is now the President, from Harvey Weinstein, a private citizen in the film business who's been fired from his last job.

Birches said...

Didn't HW have a stroke? I don't think he has a filter anymore. My cousin was hit by a car at 16 and survived but it is physically impossible for him to censor himself. I would think HW might be the same. If he were ib his right mind, he'd be mortified by his behavior.

rhhardin said...

Guys enjoy a breast nestled into the back of their arm, if any women want attention.

Ralph L said...

Semi-dirty joke: the bed pan is only half full.

I believe dirty old man syndrome is a real illness in some formerly clean old men.

rhhardin said...

Seriously, props to Althouse in having staked a position (Trump's open-mic comments were about "behavior," and behavior that amounted to "sexual assault") more than a year ago:

That was just a hot button plus proof that women should not be allowed to vote.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Not just old man privilege. No one should be grabbing the ass, pussy, dick or tit of anyone. Gee it's not so difficult.

I don't think you begin to end "old man privilege" by giving HW a pass. Just chastise him and say he shouldn't do that. I believe HW is basically a nice man and he would respond appropriately.

Shouting Thomas said...

You either slipped into senility, or your asshole feminism has morphed into self-parody, Ann.

You’re really going to continue this ridiculous fucking old hag ranting?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Well if this is the threshold standard for former president behavior I look forward to the many Bill Clinton stories the DNC-Media complex must be working on in the back ground.

bobby said...

Speaking as a male ex-frequent flier, I can assure you that we generally get no enjoyment out of thigh-contact, and mostly just wish that our seat-neighbor wasn't wide enough to intrude into our space.

sprx said...

When do we start taking his name off federal buildings?
Are there any statues that need to come down?
And aren't there living former Den presidents implicated by last week's photo op? Have they denounced him yet?
If not, why the delay?

Ralph L said...

So Trump should be excoriated for being honest and forthright about star power?
I thought Althouse said she liked that about his tweets.

Jupiter said...

Does she want to be in the picture, or doesn't she? There's a price to be paid.

M Jordan said...

Ten years ago I would’ve given Old Man Bush a pass. Two years in fact. But then the Bush Dynasty got tweaked by vulgarian Trump. They responded by proving they were really Obama-lite all along, with all the attendant nastiness.

So I said, “Lock him up!”

Jupiter said...

Don't stand, don't stand so, don't stand so close to me.

Curious George said...

"Chuck said...
But I get the impression that she has taken something of a different long-term view with respect to Trump, who is now the President, from Harvey Weinstein, a private citizen in the film business who's been fired from his last job."

So you see those two situations as identical?

Rob said...

“Rake over the coals” may not be the most felicitous turn of phrase for a Holocaust survivor who barely escaped the ovens.

Big Mike said...

Put Ms. Lind on a locked room with Barbara Bush for 15 minutes. She’ll change her story.

n.n said...

Something else that is noteworthy, is that the constitutional right of privacy is limited to abortion and cannibalism of wholly innocent human lives performed inside State-licensed abortion chambers and clinical offices, respectively.

Not just old man privilege. No one should be grabbing the ass, pussy, dick or tit of anyone.

Yes, there is a universal religious/moral principle at stake, which should not be sacrificed for political or social progress.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Telling "semi-dirty jokes" to nurses <> "the old sexy nurse trope" but whatever.

Saying "they let you do it. You can do anything" <> an admission of sexual assault but whatever.

As long as we get our shots in at the truly deserving bad guys like HW Bush it's all good.
Solid work everyone.

Patrick Henry was right! said...

Althouse the Puritan scold.

Who knew?????

Shouting Thomas said...

Feminism is Marxism.

Althouse’s feminism was always bullshit. Feminism is bullshit.

The only perspective the old hag refuses to consider is that she’s spent her life peddling a bullshit lie.

Look what you’ve become, Ann. You’re the idiot high school principal. A Monty Python parody.

CStanley said...

Having forgotten about that anecdote that Jeb told about his dad, my assumption was just like BDNYC's. Now I'm reconsidering, if he really does have a reputation among his loved ones as a randy old man.

Even still, I can see the possibility of it being somewhat in the middle of those two possibilities. Maybe the "joke" was about how awkward it is to be seated in the wheelchair so that her ass was right at his arm level? I guess whether any offense was committed depends on whether or not he seemed to be trying to avoid and comment on the awkwardness or if he was taking advantage and grateful for the opportunity it provided.

I also think senility is at least a mitigating factor. Loss of filter is a real thing.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

sprx said...When do we start taking his name off federal buildings?
Are there any statues that need to come down?
And aren't there living former Den presidents implicated by last week's photo op? Have they denounced him yet?
If not, why the delay?


CNV-77 USS George H.W. Bush

William said...

It's more like an old man debility than an old man privilege. I don't believe one should be incontinent in public, but if some ninety year old had a problem in that direction. I would not describe it as a privilege.......This is speculation on my part, but I would guess that the most disturbing part of unwanted sexual contact is the worry of what will happen next. Not much to worry about when you're being "assaulted" by a ninety year old guy in a wheelchair.

Freeman Hunt said...

Sexual assault covers too many things now. How can there be a hashtag that covers everything from, "I was forcibly raped," to "A 93 year old man in a wheelchair touched my ass during a photo-op?" Old men should not be doing that, and he was right to apologize, and she was right to be angry or annoyed, but how can all of these things be "me too?" I've seen "me too"s referencing horrendous sexual crimes committed against friends when they were children and "me too"s referencing crude comments at work. How can such things be lumped together?

Jupiter said...

My dentist has never hired a male technician. They are all young women. I don't know what they do when they get middle-aged. But anyway, some of them press up close to me, thigh against mine, tits on my arm, like I am basically just an object they are working on, and they require contact to get the proper leverage. Others manage to do the same job without any contact except my face and my chest. Tell the truth, I try not to show it, but I kind of enjoy the touchy-feely approach. But I might feel differently if she hires a man.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Seems like this post could pretty easily have been about the problem of "old person privilege" and the problem of dirty old women could have been discussed right along side the problem of dirty old men. Seems like that would have been both broader, more equitable, and have deflected some of the (natural) defensiveness people who like HW Bush will feel and express towards this post.

But I guess I'll file that under "write your own damn blog" and/or "stop concern trolling the feminist posts, Hoodlum."

n.n said...

It's awful if you have the feeling that the other person is getting a kick out of it!

Huh, I never considered that possibility. I wonder how many men and women get a kick out of simple physical contact, an incidental brush, a stray glance, but don't follow through.

rhhardin said...

How can such things be lumped together?

#nagging

Bob Ellison said...

Holding an arm around a woman's waist is a wonderful thing, and not always sexual.

Jupiter said...

"It's awful if you have the feeling that the other person is getting a kick out of it!"

And yet I'll bet you give money to charities, don't you.

Jupiter said...

Shouting Thomas is back!

Chuck said...

Curious George said...
"Chuck said...
But I get the impression that she has taken something of a different long-term view with respect to Trump, who is now the President, from Harvey Weinstein, a private citizen in the film business who's been fired from his last job."

So you see those two situations as identical?

They are not identical.

One difference is that Trump's case is more serious because he is President.

Another difference is in the reaction(s) once the stories hit wide publicity; Trump threatened to sue the claimants, while Weinstein admitted failings and went to counseling.

bleh said...

Ah yes, old women privilege. They say and do whatever they want. They try to cut in line, and if that's not working they'll try to guilt you into letting them cut the line. At the grocery store they wait until everything has been scanned before fishing their checkbook out of their purse. I can't tell you how much of my life has been wasted waiting on them. I've been effectively kidnapped many times by privileged old women. Kidnapping is a serious crime. #MeToo

Tim said...

I'm sure I patted an ass or two in 1971 at some college function. Some females patted mine! I've been assualted! Help me Gloria Allfraud!

GRW3 said...

Ann said: "Similarly, some people won't fly on airplanes because of the risk of being forced into thigh or arm contact with another person."

I am continually surprise by people flying in shorts or exposed shoulders. Airplanes are public accommodations. "Cleaning" between flights means picking up the obvious trash, it's not a disinfectant process.

William said...

I read the Chernow biography of John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller went to church every Sunday and never once in his life cheated on his wife. In extreme old age, he got handy when he was around women. He weighed about ninety pounds then, and the women took his gropes in good humor.......What a waste. He was the richest man alive. Think how much they could have won in a lawsuit if such conduct had occurred today. My heart goes out to those poor women who lived in that benighted era.

Drago said...

"So you see those two situations as identical?"

No.

LLR and "Accidental Leftist" Chuck is simply noting that Trump is the worst of all time and anything Trump simply states is far worse than decades of actual crimes committed by dems.

Oops!

Oh my gosh, how did that happen again? LLR and "Accidental Leftist" Chuck has inadvertantly veered into full throated support of bulls*** democrat/lefty talking points!

Darn it! Just how in the world does that keep happening? It's absolutely inexplicable I tellya!

TreeJoe said...

I watch Shark Tank with my wife. Everytime a 'built' man comes on, Barbara Corcoran ogles them quite thoroughly and often makes comments to the same of how much she's enjoying looking at them.

Should that type of behavior be tolerated?

Jupiter said...

Shortly before my Father died, I was driving him to the hospital, and we passed a woman walking on the sidewalk in a short dress. "Some nice legs on her", my Father remarked. I was past forty, and my Father was nearing eighty. I had never heard him remark on a woman's body before, and I realized that he must be profoundly depressed.

Chuck said...

And right on cue, after I wrote not one syllable defending Harvey Weinstein, and after I substantially quoted the blog hostess on Trump, Drago makes the unsupportable comment that I "veered into full throated support of bulls*** democrat/lefty talking points!"

You might want to take it up with Althouse, sport.

Hagar said...

The young actress' complaint is indeed over the top and merits the #Metoo-overload tag.

However, my big sister would not have approved of such behavior regardless of the miscreant's age.

I am much disappointed with both Bushes' behavior over the last year.

Birkel said...

The Scarlet Letter as a "How to..." manual.

This was not the 21st I was promised.

Ray - SoCal said...

Bush Sr. - In appropriate touch and dirty joke.

Trump - Said something crass / vulgar after being egged on by Billy Bush. And cheated on first wife.

Weinstein - 6 rape allegations with investigations in NY, LA, and London? 30+ accusations from women of major sexual harassment. My gut feeling is his victims are in the hundreds in the movie and modeling industry.

All 3 are morally wrong. Are they equally wrong?

Birkel said...

Chuck, so called fopdoodle, thinks Trump's pre-presidential words are worse than the actions of private citizen Harvey Weinstein. That is no defense of Weinstein, except to place forcible rape as a lower offense than words spoken.

Nice work, fopdoodle.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Calling it sexual assault is more than a little bit defamatory, so having traded civil torts, does that make them even? I also notice that H.W. did not violate the Pence Rule on this occasion.

bleh said...

What happened to women sticking up for themselves in the moment? I'm serious. Now more than ever the legal and social strictures are in their favor. Sexual harassment laws and HR policies and so forth have basically removed any reluctance an employee might otherwise feel to report the misbehavior of another employee or manager. I'm serious, why are women waiting years to publicly shame someone for something that he might not remember and in any event is behavior that should not be lumped together with rape? Why aren't these women piping up when they are made to feel bad? I'm technically a millennial, but I remember girls being taught to stand up to boys, and boys being taught to respect girls and to back off if told to back off. None of this shrinking violet crap.

The upshot of all this is that many people will be colder with on another and more guarded. More sterility will make our social interactions worse. Sexual harassment and "assault" are bad, but that could be worse, in my opinion.

Anyway, I think this actress is full of it and just wants to be relevant like all the other actresses who have spoken up. They're a very competitive breed. Whatever Bush did is being blown way out of proportion -- she's called it "sexual assault"!

Darrell said...

I didn't know Trump was President in September 2005 when the "grab 'em" tape was recorded. Thanks, Chuck, for your Chuckery.

mockturtle said...

While I don't know the details of GHW Bush's illness, I do know that my husband's Lewy Body Disease [a Parkinsonian disorder that involves dementia] caused inappropriate behavior, not usually sexual but often combative. Did it ever occur to these nitwits that many sick and elderly people have impaired judgment and weakened inhibitions?

Kate said...

Where are the women of old who would say, "Watch the hands, buster," wink and move on? Katharine Hepburn, Maureen O'Hara, even someone as recent as Kathleen Turner. Women have become mewling babies.

Drago said...

Chuck: "And right on cue, after I wrote not one syllable defending Harvey Weinstein..."

LOL

etbass said...

ST perhaps has been following the blog silently for some time, but then just couldn't contain himself at this latest.

I agree with the Professor but do think Freeman makes a pretty good point. There are degrees in "dirtiness." (uh oh, is that a word?)

Birkel said...

Drago,

"That is no defense of Weinstein, except to place forcible rape as a lower offense than words spoken."

Like every LLR.

Drago said...

Right on cue, "accidental leftist" Chuck is "on the job" to minimize, deflect and mitigate political damage for the dems/left.

Unexpectedly!

Enjoy the day deflecting for the dems/left Chucky! Seems to me you will be busier than usual with your "accidentally" lefty-aligned work. Oh well, when it rains, it pours.

mockturtle said...

Where are the women of old who would say, "Watch the hands, buster," wink and move on? Katharine Hepburn, Maureen O'Hara, even someone as recent as Kathleen Turner. Women have become mewling babies.

Amen, Kate! The more women claim to feel 'empowered', the more feeble they become.

Unknown said...

What are the other reasons that you avoid flying?

Thorley Winston said...

I want to stress the importance — as we're fired up about sexual harassment — of not wrongly lumping things together. I wouldn't rake the dead Elie Wiesel over the coals for a 3-decade-old ass-grope (even if that happened). And I wish ancient HW well. But there is something I'm going to call Old Man Privilege that needs to be seen and rejected. It's not cute. It should not be endured as routine. A mentally incompetent old person should be treated with empathy, but women should not be expected to smile and indulge groping. HW should know better, and Jeb should certainly know better.

I agree. I wouldn’t hug someone unless we were really close (family member, close friend or significant other) or they initiated the hug. Touching someone on the rear end that you’re barely acquainted with isn’t something that would ever cross my mind as being acceptable. I remember a few years ago when Bush 41 was hanging out with Teri Hatcher the two of them joked about 41 goosing her and she seemed to take it in a playful manner. Maybe they were close enough that she took as a sign of affection and was fine with it. Maybe she was just trying to be “nice” and didn’t want to embarrass him by calling him out on his bad behavior. Either way though at the time I thought “this is not okay.” I really hoped that Teri Hatcher had admonished him privately for his behavior but even if she didn’t, Bush 41 should not have done it and shouldn’t need to be told not to do that.


BarrySanders20 said...

Barbara Bush says to HW:

"Read my lips. No New Asses!"

Kate said...

Of course I know the answer to my own question and why. When the womb was sacred, men and women could tell the difference between ribald and threat. Now, with no boundaries, every overture could lead to sex and every sexual act could lead to abortion.

rhhardin said...

I started the Bermudas on airplanes tradition in 1968. Also the Bermudas at work tradition.

rhhardin said...

Amen, Kate! The more women claim to feel 'empowered', the more feeble they become.

The point is nagging. Anything will do.

Shouting Thomas said...

Althouse has a fantastic legal mind.

Unfortunately, she wastes it on the trivial idiocy of identity politics and the evil shit of feminism.

In other words, she spends all her time now bitching and nagging. Really, what was the past 60 years of feminism but demented bitching and nagging? Our fathers were right. Women can't help but bitch and nag. My generation was too pussy whipped to fight back.

I do follow the reports of Althouse's posts on other sites, and come here when I think there might be something worth reading.

I seldom find anything. Her current hysterical descent into feminist senility, bitching and nagging is interesting in a negative way.

I'm retired and long past being blacklisted. Since I no longer want a job, the quota bitching of feminism doesn't affect me. It never really did. Feminism women were always too fucking lazy to learn hard tech skills. It was easier to bitch and nag about feminism and get a payoff from the slush fund for parasites.

dreams said...

I think we've created a monster, a bunch of young dumb entitled monsters. Sometimes it's best to just deal with the situation and keep your mouth shut with the realization that there are a lot worse things that will happen in life.

Bay Area Guy said...

Fair warning to everyone I know:

If I make it to age 93, Yes, I will grab ass, and then feign confusion or dementia.

tim in vermont said...

He almost made it to the grave a respected man.

rhhardin said...

Nagging is a short circuit in a larger male/female dynamic.

1. Woman sends man on quest. Usually quest will make no sense but whims come all the time and women want them.

2. Guy goes on quest. Being average on the average, he screws up some of the time.

3. Woman shows guy she's satisfied with him, regardless.

Repeat forever.

The short circuit cuts out number 3. That's nagging. The constant is whims, and guys should give it to me.

If it's addressed to all men in general, as feminism does it, #3 is not possible in any case. It's just #1 #2 #1 #2 forever. Guys at some point drop out. Fuck 'em.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

goosed by an old man. omg - first world problems.

At least he didn't pull his pants down and jerk off into a plant in front of her. Who did that? oh well...

Sebastian said...

"But that doesn't play with me or, I suspect, with many modern women. Old men in the hospital leering at the nurses. Ugh!" We know, we know. But when I am old and infirm, you will grant me the right to request male nurses, won't you, just in case I want to avoid female nurses with Althouse Syndrome?

"I want to stress the importance — as we're fired up about sexual harassment — of not wrongly lumping things together. I wouldn't rake the dead Elie Wiesel over the coals for a 3-decade-old ass-grope (even if that happened). And I wish ancient HW well. But there is something I'm going to call Old Man Privilege that needs to be seen and rejected." We need some laws here. Because we men should never do anything any woman doesn't like. Something I'm going to call Old Feminist Privilege, which, of course, needs to be seen and accepted.

@BD: "What happened to women sticking up for themselves in the moment?" They don't want to and they don't have to. There's greater advantage in whining after the fact.

"Where are the women of old who would say, "Watch the hands, buster," wink and move on?" You mean, grant men any Man Privilege? That doesn't play with many "modern women."

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The hillaryood left must dilute Harvey. For the glory of the golden statue!

Darrell said...

You can't argue with Althouse's basic premise--No physical contact without a direct invitation for such contact, or prior permission. Immediate apologies for accidental incursions.

rhhardin said...

There must be really upscale call girls they could get instead of regular women, and avoid the problem.

Surely some of them can act, too.

Men are hiring the wrong people.

rhhardin said...

Adopting the Althouse no imagined contact rule would be neurosis appropriation.

rhhardin said...

... anxiety, sadness or depression, anger, irritability, mental confusion, low sense of self-worth, etc., behavioral symptoms such as phobic avoidance, vigilance, impulsive and compulsive acts, lethargy, etc., cognitive problems such as unpleasant or disturbing thoughts, repetition of thoughts and obsession, habitual fantasizing, negativity and cynicism, etc. Interpersonally, neurosis involves dependency, aggressiveness, perfectionism, schizoid isolation, socio-culturally inappropriate behaviors, etc.

Wiki neurosis

policraticus said...

When the spectrum of sexual assault runs from "Gosh, you look pretty today" to forcible rape, I think the term is too broad to support itself. Can't defend HW's ass grabbing, but lumping him in with Weinstein or O'Reilly seems petty. So to speak.

DKWalser said...

When my grandmother was about 93, she attended the 1st birthday party of my daughter. At dinner, grandma referred to African Americans as 'darkies'. I'd never heard the term. I thought it offensive. My parents told me that the term, in my grandmother's youth, was considered polite. During my lifetime, the polite term for people of African decent has changed from negro, to African American, to Black, etc. I've had a hard time keeping up and I'm not yet in my dotage.

My point is a simple one: We should cut old people some slack when they run afoul of our constantly shifting mores. No, it is not alright for someone, of any age, to grope a nurse. Yet, not long ago, a pinch on the bottom from a 90-year old was not thought of as a big deal by virtually anyone. It must be awfully hard to understand that times have changed at that age.

Big Mike said...

Similarly, we need to reject the idea And when you’re an old man, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the ass. You can do anything.

And this after I entered my seventies! Bugger. :-(

mockturtle said...

The hillaryood left must dilute Harvey. For the glory of the golden statue!

Exactly.

RAH said...

From the photo his right shoulder was dropped and behind her . I expect he was copping a feel. Simple solution is put her hand back, grab his and put it back All done unseen It gets the message discretely that the women is not happy at the stealthy groping What is it with women that they do not know how to handle this? .

Bob Ellison said...

It's OK. I'm just going to crawl into my cave and die.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Ass-grabbing is such a stereotypical old man privilege thing.

I want to be clear, when I grab a woman's ass, I'm doing it ironically, as social commentary, in an effort to end old man privilege. We all must do our part. You can thank me later.

BarrySanders20 said...

"Similarly, some people won't fly on airplanes because of the risk of being forced into thigh or arm contact with another person."

It's practically impossible not to have some contact with your row-mate in coach with 18" seats if you are in the middle. It may be possible that the person next you is getting thrills by being squeezed into that seat and forced to share the same armrest, but more likely the person who thinks that is what's happening is the row weirdo.

Gahrie said...

You might want to take it up with Althouse, sport.

Althouse doesn't deny being a Lefty.....

Anonymous said...

But an older man may think he has Old Man Privilege and that it's cool for him to show he's still got some life in him and everyone will think it's just fine if he forthrightly gropes the ass. HW Bush's apology calls it an "attempt at humor."

As Birches and others have pointed out, "Old Man Privilege" is sometimes just "loss of filter", and it's a function of real, organic, cognitive decline. I'd cut geezers in their '80s and '90s some slack.

Not that, having waitressed in my late teens and early '20s, I'm unaware that there are perfectly mentally-intact assholes in their 50s and 60s who are "young enough to know better" than to get gropey with the service workers, yet who still imagine that it's cute. (But I had the good fortune to be working for people who did not take a "the customer is always right" line with these assholes. They always took the waitresses' side when she set the perp straight.)

SGT Ted said...

When it's Bill Clinton doing the sexual assaulting, the wronged women are made out to be trailer trash whores, we get a "one free grope" rule enacted by feminist leaders and woke lefty women offer to blow him, because politics.

#Metoo is all political bullshit. White knighting for political bullshit is pathetic. Don't get sucked in. So to speak.

Paddy O said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
traditionalguy said...

The mentally ill pass is usually graciously offered. But that means the nasty guy's learned restraints are off and his dirty young man has returned. All of that is OK until they pull it off in public, which is really amounts to them shooting a bird at all the wimps in the room that allow it to go on. We used to know a 90 year old CPA who attended retirement parties, 80th birthdays, etc., where he would grab and tongue kiss the poor women attending while everybody just ignored it.

Oso Negro said...

"But that doesn't play with me or, I suspect, with many modern women. Old men in the hospital leering at the nurses. Ugh!

And this HORRIBLE sexism among the young women of today doesn't play with me! I would recommend ANY man today to marry a foreign woman, better from Eastern Europe, Thailand, or Latin America.

Titus said...

I love the term grab em by the pussy. It is powerful and really a great quote.

Quaestor said...

While we about it we should ban Old Lady Privilege as well. If you're the victim of an unwelcome hand on the ass common decency demands you speak up immediately -- Git your cotton pickin' hands off my derriere! To which official the Old Man reply is Sorry, missy, but you really should hang a WIDE LOAD banner off the back of that thing. This waitin' around for years and years to complain when all evidence for and against the accusation has expired has got to stop.

If it wasn't for Old Lady Privilege we might not get the creeps whenever Bill Clinton is in the room.

DOWN WITH OLD LADY PRIVILEGE.

Anne in Rockwall, TX said...

And Tuffnell wins the thread!

MadisonMan said...

Airplanes are public accommodations. "Cleaning" between flights means picking up the obvious trash, it's not a disinfectant process.

Maybe the recent victims of Necrotizing Fasciitis had also recently flown.

Also, what Freeman Hunt said at 9:39. The should be reread by everyone, once, twice, three times.

Chuck said...

Gahrie said...
"You might want to take it up with Althouse, sport."

Althouse doesn't deny being a Lefty.....

I won't speak for Althouse. I might quote her; I like to quote her. But I won't presume to categorize her.

I'll speak for myself. I'm not a lefty. I'm a conservative. And in years of posting on this blog in the innocent days of Scott Walker and Capitol Square protests and runaway legislators and fighting Supreme Court Justices, I was not regarded specially as a commenter. No one would have dreamed of accusing me of being left-wing. Garage Mahal wouldn't.

Only in the era of Trump, where I criticize Trump on the same sorts of things that have prompted criticism of Trump by Bill Kristol, Steve Hayes, Andy McCarthy, Jonah Goldberg and too many other leading conservatives to count, have I been accused of leftism on these pages.

I criticize Trump, and then Althouse commenters accuse me of being a liberal. That is the cycle.

I ask people to quote me on any support for Democrat or leftwing ideas; they can't. I make comments in strong support of Justices Roberts, Thomas, Alito and the late Justice Scalia, and nobody notices. I make comments in support of other conservative issues and nobody notices. It's Trump. Trump is the trigger. Trump, alone.


Inga...Allie Oop said...

I’m going to give the old President a pass. He probably has dementia to some degree and the young woman needs to chill. She’d never ever make it in the medical field.

Bay Area Guy said...

I have a few female friends, mostly wives of my pals, or Mothers of my kids' friends, who are darn right frisky!

There's one, a transplant from Texas, that I might see at a PTA meeting or volleyball game, and she generally lights up, goes in for an extended hug, while thrusting her massive bosom practically in my face.

It's quite distracting.

alan markus said...

Ann said: No one was groping me, but I couldn't accept being seated like that. Similarly, some people won't fly on airplanes because of the risk of being forced into thigh or arm contact with another person.

I remember this blast from the past: The Butt-Brush and Other Retail Insights

Beware the Butt-Brush

We discovered a phenomenon we call the butt-brush effect. Women especially, but also men, do not like to be touched from behind. They'll even move away from merchandise they're interested in to avoid it. We learned that sales from a tie rack were lower than expected from a fixture located on a main thoroughfare [and we observed movement patterns]. The butt-brush factor, we surmised, was why the rack was an underperformer. [The tie rack was moved] and sales went up quickly and substantially.

Bay Area Guy said...

By the way, I've enjoyed Shouting Thomas' comments for years, but he strays far from the interesting issues he raises, and focuses way too hard on our Hostess.

Kinda like our friend Chuck focuses way too hard on Trump.

Oso Negro said...

Blogger Bay Area Guy said...
There's one, a transplant from Texas, that I might see at a PTA meeting or volleyball game, and she generally lights up, goes in for an extended hug, while thrusting her massive bosom practically in my face.

It's quite distracting.


We still roll that way in the Lone Star State. It is one reason why so many of us resent transplanted Californians. I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts, I have no doubt some SJW will soon set her straight.

Curious George said...

"Chuck said...
They are not identical.

One difference is that Trump's case is more serious because he is President.

Another difference is in the reaction(s) once the stories hit wide publicity; Trump threatened to sue the claimants, while Weinstein admitted failings and went to counseling."

Trump wasn't President when it happened shortbus, and they were just words. And you really want to position Harvey as contrite? BTW his counseling was fucking five days.

Pathetic.

walter said...

Humorless scold
#getagrip

Bay Area Guy said...

Trigger Warning Alert.

Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond (1969):

Where it began,
I can't begin to knowin'
But then I know it's growing strong

Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along.

Hands, touchin' hands
Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you
Sweeeeeeeeeet Caroline

Bay Area Guy said...

@Oso Negro,

We still roll that way in the Lone Star State. It is one reason why so many of us resent transplanted Californians. I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts, I have no doubt some SJW will soon set her straight.

Yes! She is an amazon woman, attractive, practically 6 feet tall, and loves Texas A&M football!

The problem is her hug-disengagement mechanism. You hug somebody, and then you politely disengage. She clenches you with her massive bosoms, wiggles, practically smothers you, presses against you for 5 or 6 seconds, which seems like an eternity, and then you start daydreaming about other things at the PTA meeting.

We definitely need more Texas women in California!

Professional lady said...

I agree that girls/women need to speak up more at the time of the incident. A firm "Keep your hands to yourself" would do it in most cases. I remember when I was in high school, we had a creepy male biology teacher that would stand really close to the girls and put his hands on their arms and shoulders. Definitely not appropriate. Kind of like Joe Biden. One girl had the guts to say when it happened to her to please stop it was making her uncomfortable. Creepy teacher then acted hurt and did the gaslighting routine. That was pretty gutsy for a high school sophomore in the 70s. I am glad to say the teacher did not last long at my high school. I think that probably there were complaints.

As for airplanes, I've never had a problem. However a woman I know needed to use the lavatory and the man in the aisle seat refused to get up and told her to climb over him. I think that would be time to call the flight attendant and rather loudly explain the problem.

alan markus said...

Bay Area Guy said: By the way, I've enjoyed Shouting Thomas' comments for years, but he strays far from the interesting issues he raises, and focuses way too hard on our Hostess.

I too used to enjoy ST's commentary and would often check out his blog. A grieving widower who devoted a lot of time as day care provider to his granddaughter and shared those experiences.

However, I find the obsession with the hostess to be unhealthy. Sometimes those obsessions get taken to a higher and more dangerous level. Won't mention her name, but there is a former law student that attempts to post here who exhibits a genuine unhealthy jealousy of the relationship that Ann & Meade have.

So, when those commenters get personal, they need to be banned.

n.n said...

Professional lady:

Exactly. A rational and reasonable response would be measured and escalates with the term and severity of the violation, up to and including threats of mortal harm, lawsuits, and public exposure.

rhhardin said...

Men have to recognize us as fragile beings, particurly fragile mental beings.

Men have to recognize us as equals.

Women can think both things at once and it works out, but it can't go public. The resolution is in local interpersonal relationships, not law.

It can't be law because it doesn't make sense. Law works on male logic.

Professional lady said...

nn

The problem is that often incident takes the violated person(for want of a better term) by surprise. So, often it's a case where you figure out what you should have done after the fact.

Rick said...

I hope it comes out that it was an accident. I just can't understand someone doing this.

Rabel said...

"Haphephobia is diagnosed with the same criteria that the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders outlines for diagnosing any specific phobia. The following criteria must be met to be diagnosed with a phobia:

The person demonstrates an excessive or irrational fear of the situation (in this case, human touch).
Exposure to the situation causes an immediate anxiety response or panic attack.
The person knows that the fear is excessive and irrational.
The situation is actively avoided when possible.
Avoidance or anxiety interferes with the person’s ability to function in normal, day-to-day activities."

Roughcoat said...

How does a guy grab a girl by the pussy? There's nothing to grab, I mean no handle or protuberance of any kind to facilitate grabbing. If you're going to grab something, better, or easier, to go for the tits or the ass, am I right?

Anyway, I've been wondering about this. Sorry.

Bay Area Guy said...

If there is to be a "1 free grope" rule for old men, I'm definitely ok with a "1 free swift kick to the groin" rule by the aggrieved party.

I think that's only fair.

But this is a far stretch from sexual assault, rape, and unlawful carnal knowledge with a potted plant.

Clayton Hennesey said...

(raises hand in back of room)

What have we independently verified that President Bush physically did to Ms. Lind, if anything?

If her claim were instead that he had let loose an interminable, malodorous burbling wet fart, would we automatically accept such a less prurient claim with the same credulity?

rhhardin said...

Anyway, I've been wondering about this. Sorry.

Grab by the pussy is literary. No experienced male tries it, learned in high school. Hence Trump is not describing something he does. He's substituting pussy for tit to go up one level, befitting a celebrity, the point he's making.

The pussy area is too soft to produce any tactile sensation for the guy and so no gratification. The woman feels it but not the guy.

It's different without panties but that's not the question. Then it's not grabbing.

walter said...

It's interesting to see this article in the Daily Mail with its standard issue sidebar of sexy pics.
Also note wheelchair is spelled WHEELCHAIR.
So was it a pat or a grab?
She should tell the joke.
Instead of providing clear context, she delivers a lengthy screed.

Qwinn said...

No, Chuck. Trump is not *our* trigger. Trump is the excuse you always use to attempt to deflect attention to every revelation of leftist corruption. Then when you get called out on this defense of the Left - and yes, it's obviously a defense, no matter how many times you whine that it isn't - you whine even more about how we're all hopelessly pro-Trump. Bullshit. When I see you NOT deflect from every new Hillary/Obama scandal to complain about Trump, you'll regain some credibility as a conservative, but not until then, and frankly you'd have to do it for months to even have a shot at making up for all of the times you've carried water by pretending Hillary's corruption has "no relevance" (immediately after stating you never defended her - it's so pathetic its laughable).

n.n said...

Professional lady:

So, often it's a case where you figure out what you should have done after the fact.

The response should still be measured and proportional, with a primary goal of preventing recurring violations, and restitution if the severity and term of the violation warrant it. A mature person is able to judge whether a response should be accelerated or can be deferred until a future violation. There is no perfect, universal answer, but rather one that evolves with facts and circumstance.

n.n said...

What have we independently verified...

Nothing, but there is a modern ethos that presumes guilt, pursues proactive containment, indulges in redistributive or retributive change, and generally paints with broad and sweeping strokes.

stevew said...

When was it okay for an old man, or any man, to grab a woman by the ass? Especially one he didn't know. I'm not young and yet can't remember a time when doing so was considered anything but creepy and offensive.

-sw

rhhardin said...

It's different without panties but that's not the question. Then it's not grabbing.

Probably exploring is the best description for the case.

When you're a celebrity women let you explore their pussy, is something that makes sense. Grab does not.

tcrosse said...

Unseemly feminist anger at the guy who put his wife's picture on the dollar bill.

MadisonMan said...

#MeToo is just too much esprit de l'escalier-ish for me.

The time to react to someone's hand on your ass, or wherever, is when it happens. If you're with a former President, you step back and call him out. Four years after the fact? Or 30?
Why are you hanging on to this item from your past?

rhhardin said...

The elderly Denziel Washington had a nurse constantly adjusting the rabbit ears on the room's TV so as to watch her ass, in some action/comedy flick or other.

Evidence of Hollywood corruption among scriptwriters and directors.

Roughcoat said...

I really don't mind having women's breasts accidentally touching my arm or face as long they are attached to Kate Upton or Brooklyn Decker or some such.

I am not kidding.

rhhardin said...

What the Hollywood scripts show, at least in the ones I watch, are interpersonal relations, and how all this stuff is worked out without a principle being dogmatized.

rhhardin said...

Breast nestling is great. They're a lot softer than they look.

softer than eiderdown.

tim in vermont said...

If a woman presses her breast on you from behind, a little more maybe than she absolutely needed too, is that sexual assault? Because #MeeToo!

Howard said...

This old man groping is not done on purpose, it's a sign that something is wrong with them. You haven't lived life if you haven't seen this by now.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Are men and women fundamentally different, by the way?

I ask only because this whole #MeToo deal is being discussed in a highly gendered way--almost exclusively in terms of MEN victimizing others. That's weird, though, since I've been assured that men & women are the same and that any apparent differences aren't real/valid. Well, any differences that don't mean women are better, anyway.

Oh, I know, I know: it's a problem with men not because of a fundamental difference between the genders (a false concept itself, naturally) but because our sexist patriarchal society allows expression of this particular pathology only by men. In a truly equal society there would be just as much danger of sexual assault from a woman as there would be from a man--since men & woman are alike in all ways and only our sexist society makes us believe otherwise.

It's just weird how quickly you PC people adopt the POV and phrasing of the non-PC when it suits your instant purpose.

Rabel said...

For the curious, the object of 41's affection can be easily found on the internet. Keyword: Boardwalk Empire.

To be sure, the fact that a person has performed naked in a soft-core pornographic production does not justify an old man's unwanted touch.

She gets paid to be a sex object and a capitalist free trader like H. W. know better than to interfere with her marketability by demanding free samples.

Bay Area Guy said...

It's different without panties but that's not the question. Then it's not grabbing.

The problem is with the word, "Grab." It's a bit cacophonous. Nobody likes to be "grabbed." "Grabbing" is not much better.

"OMG, I saw Warren Beatty on the set, he is sooooo gorgeous! And, he came over to me and grabbed my tits! Can you believe it? I'm in love!"

Nobody ever said this.

So, Trump's error was to use the discordant word, "grab."

And Bush's error was to grab.

Touch, caress, massage, hug -- all much better than the coarse "grab."

So, if you're an old man, don't grab and stay away from the word "grab."

HoodlumDoodlum said...

[Bring on the sexbots at any rate. How long until Medicare/Medicaid $ is putting premium Lucy Liubots into nursing homes? I note the Japanese are both pioneers in robot elder care and in the heady fieled of advanced robosexual creation. Problem solved.]

rhhardin said...

You can probably let your airplane seat-mates know of your fear of touching using body language, like putting a toilet seat cover on the seat before you settle in.

walter said...

Maybe women complaining about thighvasion will trigger airlines and public transit move to more generous seating.
I mean..planes, trains and buses are micro-aggression petri dishes.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Also by the way, on a more serious note: there's an actual big problem (bordering on an epidemic) of STDs being spread at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. There is a real problem in gerontology around the dual duty to allow autonomy/independence (including in the sex life/sexual expression of elderly people) and to protect patients (who may not be fully able to give consent at all times, etc). As the Boomers age and start going back into nursing homes (many got pulled out and stuck with their children during the Great Recession) those problems will get worse...and they're not subjects that many people find it pleasant to talk about.

But yeah, let's focus on Dirty Old Man Privilege...that's where the real troubles are.

Fabi said...

"But I get the impression that she has taken something of a different long-term view with respect to Trump, who is now the President, from Harvey Weinstein, a private citizen in the film business who's been fired from his last job."

Said no Republican ever.

Titus said...

Don't some women's pussys hang out of their vagina? I remember looking at playboy magazine years ago and remember seeing a little tongue hang out of the bush.

Doug said...

Is it any wonder then that tough guys from an earlier time would refer to a woman as a "frail"? God save the human race from this idiocy!

Bay Area Guy said...

"Don't some women's pussys hang out of their vagina? I remember looking at playboy magazine years ago and remember seeing a little tongue hang out of the bush."

Somebody needs a refresher course:)

mockturtle said...

I ask only because this whole #MeToo deal is being discussed in a highly gendered way--almost exclusively in terms of MEN victimizing others. That's weird, though, since I've been assured that men & women are the same and that any apparent differences aren't real/valid. Well, any differences that don't mean women are better, anyway.

Interesting question, Hoodlum. I don't know if this has happened to other women but a couple of times in my life I was 'hit on' by other women and was much taken by surprise, not being on guard as I might have been with a guy. I politely declined just as I would have with unwanted advances by a guy.

Beth B said...

I think a case for at least some diminished capacity could be made here. HW Bush is getting pretty near the end of his life and (as reported he has a Parkinson's-like condition), personality changes or trouble with inhibition has probably become a day to day issue. Maybe he really is just a dirty old man. On the other hand, maybe he is suffering from a certain amount of senility or even dementia. I don't think I would have publicly planted my "Me, too!" flag on this frail old goat, whether he was a Republican ex-president who would gain me lots of cred with my Hollywood peers or some doddering nobody who most everybody is cutting a break.

There's a big difference between a wheelchair-bound old fart trying to pinch an ass and a 250+ lb Hollywood boss yanking out an underling's tampon, the better to rape her. Let's try to save our umbrage for the true criminals.

Fabi said...

Did you scream when you saw it, Titus?

walter said...

Titus,
Next time you're grabbing the asses or tits of your girlfriends, ask them about that.
Sounds like they would open up to you about it.

Gahrie said...

The elderly Denziel Washington had a nurse constantly adjusting the rabbit ears on the room's TV so as to watch her ass, in some action/comedy flick or other.

That was RED and it wasn't Denzel, it was Morgan Freeman.

Gahrie said...

When was it okay for an old man, or any man, to grab a woman by the ass? Especially one he didn't know.

When he's rich or good looking, preferably both.

walter said...

Has she said anything other than "touch"?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

mockturtle said...Interesting question, Hoodlum. I don't know if this has happened to other women but a couple of times in my life I was 'hit on' by other women and was much taken by surprise, not being on guard as I might have been with a guy. I politely declined just as I would have with unwanted advances by a guy.

Nice.

But really: yeah! If the problem is "people in power abuse that power in sexual ways" then "let's get more women into power" won't solve that problem. If the problem is "men are pigs and are much more likely to abuse any power for their own sexual gratification while women will not do the same" then getting more women in power will solve that problem but that will mean admitting that there are differences between men & women. Which, you know...is something that'll get you fired for saying clearly like that. So, a puzzle!

Larvell said...

"A mentally incompetent old person should be treated with empathy, but women should not be expected to smile and indulge groping."

But nor should we take them seriously when they describe it as "sexual assault." I think 99.99% of the country does not have a hard time with that concept.

PS -- I always thought Abraham's wife was a lot hotter than Anna. Smarter too.

Etienne said...

I'm an old man, and the thought of putting my hand on a woman's ass in a group photo is revolting.

Actually, my fear of getting my ass kicked is foremost.

Women need to know they can kick someone's ass if they go frisky on them. My wife has a mean elbow, and I know to holster my brain in public.

Darrell said...

Kathleen Turner charged $15000 for men to touch her ass in The Man With Two Brains. It was her business. Her husband never supported her career. Bastard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3803stmkn68

rhhardin said...

I had a girlfriend who discovered that she was not malformed as she had thought on seeing an issue of Hustler.

There's no standard actually. Guys like them all.

gusty said...

I am a small town politician in Texas. One of the adjustments that I had to make was accepting that many women that I meet in an official capacity expect to be hugged.

A handshake will not do; and may be viewed as a rejection. I come from a non-hugging background and this took me quite a while to get used to.

I am aware that this is not the case in other parts of the country, but it seems to be firmly part of the culture where I live.

If he was in a wheel chair and she was standing next to him, and he was attempting a polite hug, the point of contact might well be around the hips.

I am not going to pass judgement until I get further information that convinces me that this was something more than an attempt at a polite hug.

mockturtle said...

Kathleen Turner charged $15000 for men to touch her ass in The Man With Two Brains. It was her business. Her husband never supported her career. Bastard.

Wow. I wonder if someone would pay, say, $1500 to touch mine? Maybe $150? $15? ;-)

brylun said...

From Wikipedia: "Bush suffers from Vascular Parkinsonism, a condition which often necessitates use of Levadopa/carbidopa, a drug with side-effects that include gambling addiction, sexual misconduct, and other impulse control issues."

Sort of takes the "free will" aspect away?

mockturtle said...

At a church I used to attend, one of the young men was hugging women a little too earnestly. We started fending him off with a simple handshake and I think he knew he was outed.

Justin said...

"But nor should we take them seriously when they describe it as "sexual assault." I think 99.99% of the country does not have a hard time with that concept."

In New York what occurred would be characterized as "forcible touching." It's a criminal act.

Titus said...

Seriously I remember seeing a little tongue hanging down.

What is that and why do some women have it and others don't? It is kind of like a tiny cock.

MadisonMan said...

That was RED and it wasn't Denzel, it was Morgan Freeman.

A great movie, that and Red II. Helen Mirren looks awesome when she's shooting up a place.

walter said...

brylun saidLevadopa/carbidopa, a drug with side-effects that include gambling addiction, sexual misconduct, and other impulse control issues."
--
Oh..that's just Old Person "privilege".
I mean..he's an "old goat".

walter said...

Titus..check out the Google. It's pretty amazing.

Chuck said...

Fabi said...
"But I get the impression that she has taken something of a different long-term view with respect to Trump, who is now the President, from Harvey Weinstein, a private citizen in the film business who's been fired from his last job."

Said no Republican ever.

Huh. What would a Republican say, about Trump's "grab 'em by the pussy" comment? Reason I ask, is because Mike Pence nearly dropped off the Trump ticket after that comment came to light. I suppose we need to be careful about the prospects of Pence 'nearly dropping off the ticket,' because Pence was as desperate for the Veep gig as was Chris Christie, the other finalist. But Pence did criticize Trump, and Pence's wife was reportedly disgusted by it.

Bay Area Guy said...

Chuck,

Big distinction between Trump's 10-year old comment and Weinstein's acts, and Weiner's acts (texts to a minor) and even old Bush's grab, right?

mockturtle said...

What is that and why do some women have it and others don't? It is kind of like a tiny cock.

We all have it, Titus, but it doesn't usually hang out.

rhhardin said...

GHWB is an open borders guy, is why.

Darrell said...

Sometimes the little man in the boat grows up.

Darrell said...

And then there's giantism.

Larvell said...

"In New York what occurred would be characterized as "forcible touching." It's a criminal act."

Well, like I said, there's always the other 0.01%.

brylun said...

Ann, I think you need to revise your post to include comment about people who are on prescribed medications that reduce inhibitions. It's not like it's free will, and it's not like being drunk where you bring it on yourself. At least, in my opinion. What is your opinion of the effects of medically prescribed Levadopa/carbidopa?

steve said...

Some actress I never heard of just came out and accused the old President Bush of “sexual assault” because he touched her butt while sitting in his wheel chair in 2014.

First off, if that is considered sexual assault, then the term sexual assault is getting just as watered down as the word racism. Secondly, if it was such a big deal then why not mention it then? Fuck these women coming out and alleging minor incidents years after the fact.

Don’t get me wrong - real sexual assault is not something I’m trying to or wanting to trivialize, but coming out three years later and claiming to have been assaulted by a 90-year-old man in a wheelchair, well.... don’t fault me if I don’t take you seriously and think you’re just an opportunistic, attention whoring twat.

tcrosse said...

What is that and why do some women have it and others don't? It is kind of like a tiny cock.

Moslems like to cut it off. Google FGM.

Big Mike said...

No, Chuck. Trump is not *our* trigger. Trump is the excuse you always use to attempt to deflect attention to every revelation of leftist corruption.

@Qwinn, you cracked the code! Unlike Chuck, I really am a lifelong Republican who was, formerly, very active in local politics, and Chuck’s opinions are unlike the opinions of any other Republican I’ve ever known. Don’t bother to engage him, he’s like a pirate ship sailing under the American flag until it becomes convenient to swap it for the skull and crossed bones, and start slitting throats.

rhhardin said...

I assume Titus is seeing large inner labia, which he sees as one thing and not two.

Rick M said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mockturtle said...

rhardin posits: I assume Titus is seeing large inner labia, which he sees as one thing and not two.

More likely the clitoris, I should think.

Darrell said...

Titus also said that all the girls in high school used to fuck him. Couldn't keep their hands off him. He should have opened his eyes.

walter said...

Well...if he's gay, he must have been closing his eyes to imagine a mouth.

Fritz said...

Actress sticks her ass in his face rushing to be up front in the photo-op, blames Bush. The Bushes are notoriously apologetic.

rhhardin said...

Could be, but less common.

Straight guys worked all this stuff out long ago.

Fabi said...

Thanks for taking that one Bay Area Guy -- exactly.

Jim at said...

Bill Clinton's actual rapes?
Never heard of them.

#notme

Ann Althouse said...

“What are the other reasons that you avoid flying?”

1. I don’t like to commit to travel times and places. Prefer the freedom to come and go at will that I have with a car.

2. Don’t like to submit to the control of authorities, including getting physically searched just about every time for some reason.

3. Like having my car at the destination.

4. Bad air on board. Disease. Grossness.

5. Hate being enclosed in a tube.

6. Hate the idea of dying in the air with a lot of other people. Would prefer dying on the ground alone or with my husband. If I have to die.

Etienne said...

Women with large hands have large clits. Men with small hands have small...

Ann Althouse said...

“I agree with the Professor but do think Freeman makes a pretty good point. There are degrees in "dirtiness." (uh oh, is that a word?)”

My post and the earlier #metoo overload post also make that point, so don’t think FH is making a different point. She is agreeing with.me.

I’m about ending Old Man Privilege goung forward by making it clear.

As for telling off the man at the time, that isn’t always what a person would choose to do, like in a photo op with the president.

tola'at sfarim said...

this is prob why biden didnt run. all the metoo stories

Darrell said...

As for telling off the man at the time, that isn’t always what a person would choose to do, like in a photo op with the president.

That would be the best time. All the parties, witnesses, and the Press are present.

Darrell said...

Barack!!!! Hands!!!!!

Caligula said...

I think I'll side with the old man in the wheelchair.

Unless he has a firearm (or at least a motorized chair) he's not a threat to anyone. If you don't like what he's doing or saying, just walk away.

Is his behavior inappropriate because he's ill, or because he's not entirely aware of what he's doing, or just because he's an old pig? Or, maybe it wasn't inappropriate but he just doesn't know not to apologize for it?

What's truly disgusting here is that actress who's trying to win some outrage-virtue points off of something the old man may not even have done.

Ralph L said...

As for telling off the man at the time, that isn’t always what a person would choose to do, like in a photo op with the president.

The more I think about it, the more despicable it is that she publicly shamed him when he's near death. That isn't old man's privilege, that's common decency. I hope they keep the news from him.

She could have notified Barbara or the SS after the shoot so they could take preventive measures.

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
walter said...

He apologized..so something happened.
But she's not presenting the full context.
Ann turns touch into grab.
Whole lotta lumpin'.

rhhardin said...

JR: You have big feet.

HG: Yes. Yes, always have had.

JR: You know what they say about men with big feet.

HG: No. What's that?

JR: Uh, big feet, large... shoes.

- Notting Hill (1999)

MadisonMan said...

Re: Weinstein

BTW his counseling was fucking five days.

Not sure that will cure his addiction. Might it not just add to it?

Darrell said...

He apologized..so something happened.

Right, He was told about the flap and said he would never - under any circumstance - intentionally cause anyone distress. Assuming he even remembered the incident given the number of people he meets and the photo-ops. I wonder if he remembers borrowing five thousands dollars from me in singles. Said he wanted to go to a strip club--which I thought was odd at the time.

As my whimsy leads me.. said...

President GHW Bush has Parkinson’s Disease. Due to taking dopamine active medications, he could be more randy, and less inhibited, than he would have been as a younger man. I’d give him the benefit of a doubt about the incident unless I knew more about his condition.

Toy

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