You are a 16 year old Republican page, you are homophobic...

[originalpckelly]

and you receive the following e-mail message from a Congressman:

"I just emailed will...hes such a nice guy...acts much older than his age...and hes in really great shape...i am just finished riding my bike on a 2.5 mile journey now heading for the gym...whats school like for you this year?"

Would this e-mail freak you out? I think I understand why he was weirded out, at least from his Republican and probably homophobic perspective. It isn't at all appropriate for Mr. Foley to have described the physical appearance of another page in such a way (or someone else young, presumably a intern if not a page.)

[Hav]

1. .

I think, too that some of them might have issues about gays and that they felt pretty uncomfortable. But as he was the Congressman, they couldn't just say "Shut up, you freak." At least not if they were looking for a political career.

[patcox2]

2. A republican page is not likely to be homophobic.

Trust me.

[BOSSHOG]

3. There might be some conflict in the lads head

since he(they) most likely was(were) indoctrinated to take care of the republican congressmen as part of the training to become a young republican. They and their supporters are sick disgusting constitution hating bastards.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. I'm hetero, and if I got that from a Congresswoman, I'd be freaked.

That really crosses a line there, whether you're gay, straight, or anything else. When you have someone in power pursuing you like that and they're more than twice your age, it's a bit unsettling.

I would think the reaction would be the same if the page in question were female too.

[gollygee]

6. I agree

I would get a "weird" vibe if anyone of Foley's age, male or female, described any 16-year-old that way, male or female.

[TheBaldyMan]

12. two words - Katherine Harris

*shudder*

[Warpy]

14. It seems that Foley did that to a lot of hetero pages

which makes it look like freaking kids out is what gave that creep his jollies.

Most 16 year olds are homophobic because they're not yet secure in their own sexuality, whatever that will turn out to be.

You bet it freaked them out.

[rocktivity]

5. If this e-mail was sent out AFTER the pages went home

How would Foley KNOW what kind of shape Will was in?

:headbang:
rocknation

[wakeme2008]

7. OK I will be different I do not see a problem with that email

He was talking about bike riding and going to the gym. Health nuts talk like that. :shrug:

[DaveJ]

10. Good call -- a sheltered kid would not see a problem with it.

Just an older man concerned about kids keeping in shape. As adults though we know that's the kind of talk of a predator. However I did not grow up with the Internet and imagine kids probably are smarted about things like that now.

[TahitiNut]

11. Agreed.

It takes a bit of "worldliness" to regard that as suspicious, I believe. At the same time, kids often have "internal dowsing rods" that smell something predatory -- but that's in face-to-face interactions, not text.

[Neshanic]

8. If I was a rich previledged Republican spawn, that

learned from my mommy and daddy that strangers are bad, but ratting out a creepy republican is a sin, then no.

But any other normal kid on the planet would be creeped out and be telling the parents, who not republican would do the right thing.

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. Sexual orientation, gender and homophobia have nothing to do with it.

Such an email is entirely too personally oriented for a member of Congress to be sending to a page. Or a business executive to send to an intern. Or a minister to send to an acolyte.

It's a boundary violation regardless of sexual orientation and gender of the respective parties.

It would weird me out as a female. I'd be thinking, "What is this old guy doing sending ME something this personal?"

[Neshanic]

13. If not about the list you provide, then what, quantum physics related?

[Pacifist Patriot]

17. Boundary violations as I stated.

When I say that gender and sexual orientation has nothing to do with it, that means it doesn't matter if it's a mature male or female contacting a subordinate male or female in any combination. The content of that email is inappropriate given the relative power position and ages of the principles.

[Sinti]

15. I don't know how the homophobic minds works

So I can't speak to that, but the content of this email (as a young girl) would not have freaked me out. At 16 the mere fact that this 50+ year-old dude was sending me this super-friendly, verging on creepy email would have freaked me out a bit. In this particular case I wouldn't have run to mommy just yet, though. I probably would have tried to divert his attention away from me on my own. It's not nearly as unusual as it should be for 50+ men to think they can get some 16 Y.O. skin - you have to arm yourself mentally long before things happen.

[blogslut]

16. You forget where

Foley asked the page to send him a pic. :)

[PurityOfEssence]

18. Money and power are everything to the true reactionary

As long as the rich don't have to pay their fair share and the inferiors shoulder the burden of supporting the government, most "conservatives" will tolerate ANY abuse as long as they get away with it. It's about "getting away with it", which is the heart of the American character.