Okay this totally chaps my ass...

[DearAbby]

Why are they bringing up the pasts of these women, work history, bankruptcies, being an Unmarried mother. Is it me or are they arguing, some situations a woman deserves to be harassed or Assaulted?

Poor Work history? YOU DESERVE to be harassed sexually. Better think twice calling in sick, or coming in late.

Going through a rough patch financially? You are automatically a liar, untrustworthy, even though you're not asking for a dime.

Unwed Mother: well can't call you a tease, you did put out. No harm no foul, it's not like you were a virgin. You deserve what you got!

You have children outside of marriage, they too are fair game. The Rotten fruit doesn't fall far from the tree they too deserve what they get!

It's a wonder women come forward at all after being harassed or assaulted. Think of the message this is sending to all females in this country?

As a woman I am very angry. As a human being I am horified. They are actually arguing some women deserve this treatment. You deserve what you get for speaking out.

[librechik]

1. standard legal response to a rape accusation:"She was asking for it"

nothing new here--but the main reason rap/harassment cases are so rarely brought--the victim is humiliated and punished while the rapist is treated like a prince. Who needs that crap in a so called free demaocracy?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

2. "Troublemakers" are not to be believed

It implies that obviously one can't hold down a job, and is looking for other means to make money. SOP in smear campaigns.

[gratuitous]

3. Misdirection works better than dealing with the facts

And attacking one's accuser is one of the oldest ploys there is. When Cain or his little minion Block get to asking "Am I my brother's keeper?" you'll know they're about at the end of the line and Herman can go back to doing whatever it is he does for a living.

[bongbong]

65. asdf

"Herman can go back to doing whatever it is he does for a living"

Whaddya mean? He makes pizzas for a living, at least whenever he isn't running the Long Con on the gullible sheep known as repigs.

[liberal N proud]

4. This is what pigs do the their victims

They try to turn the tables and become the victim.

[laylah]

42. +1!

[RKP5637]

5. It's intimidation meant to defame those that came forward and a warning to

others not to come forward or we will defame you too. It's sick and disgusting and is the twisted society the republicans love. They are a despicable breed.

[a simple pattern]

24. Nailed it.

[Marrah_G]

6. It's what happens all the time to victims

Unless you are "worthy" coming forward is often just more pain.

[sufrommich]

7. Same as it ever was. Loose women picking on powerful,

righteous men for attention and/or money.:sarcasm: And yes, it is a wonder any woman would subject herself to that, that's why it's done.

[Ian David]

8. It's to show women that if you come forward, THIS is what they will do to YOU. n/t

[etherealtruth]

22. Exactly

[treestar]

26. ding, ding, ding

[me b zola]

38. Thank you, Ian

Its what we have always known and have had to deal with.

[CrispyQ]

9. Miss Representation will be re-aired this Saturday on OWN.

Redqueen gives a good synopsis of the film here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2270636

What you see happening with these women is a cultural sickness that is addressed in this film.

Every adult should see this film.

[Remember Me]

35. Thanks for posting that. Yes, everyone should see it

Women can never fully be an EQUAL part of society until this sort of treatment is a thing of the past. This treatment, these sentiments and ideas and beliefs, are profoundly misogynist.

What will be required for us to be EQUAL is a complete cessation of any putdowns or disparate treatment based on any aspect of our gender. That may sound obvious, but in practice it's not. All these criticisms of these women -- well, even before that, what happened to these women -- and everything since they spoke up are all based on their gender-ness. If that point were properly understood, they wouldn't happen or if they did, EVERYBODY (meaning the men as well as most of the women) would not allow it.

Further: if that were the case -- if women were respected and regarded as equally human -- women's unique lives and self-revealed experiences wouldn't be denigrated or doubted. Women wouldn't be called liars when they made accusations -- but the acts wouldn't happen to start with, so there'd be very very few accusations.

[DearAbby]

10. We know the GOP will go too far

I wonder when that line will be crossed here. It will dawn on people what is being done to these women. Why it is being done to these women.

KNOW YOUR PLACE. KNOW WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU. KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT.

When is it going to be a step too far? Will this be a conscious awareness moment, like SIR, HAVE YOU NO DECENCY, moment.

[catbyte]

11. It6's all part of the "nuts and sluts" smear that worked against Anita HIll

:puke:

[geardaddy]

12. Chaps mine, as well.

Typical blame the victim mentality.

[Mojeoux]

13. The logic is so shifty. If the raped "deserve" the raping, so then

the rapists are agents working on behalf of a "moral" society?

It's so icky and disgustedly Freudian. These people need deep therapy to escape the self-loathing of their own humanity.

[CrispyQ]

47. Thank you for that astute observation.

It's a perfect response to a hateful, perverted attitude.

[SemperEadem]

53. that's Taliban logic

the honor of the man deserves defending by the thievery of the accuser's personhood.

[newspeak]

70. on our local station last night

they had a woman on discussing sexual harassment against a pro-cain man. Just listening to part of the discussion, he was attempting to make it about one woman, instead of the women (plural) that have allegedly been harassed. Also, KO last night was talking about how Cain's man lied or was ignorant that one of the victim's relatives worked for politico. None of the victim's family worked for politico. Of course, if you repeat the lie on the telly, most of the sycophants will be repeating it over and over again in public.

[The Straight Story]

14. Reminds me of Rielle Hunter at times here on DU

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3758625

etc

[patrice]

15. My FaceBook post on this topic this a.m. (with a couple of edits) :

Love your point comparing the differences between personal conduct and truth.

Think of Venn diagrams here:

Absolutists adopt pseudo-deconstructionist tactics for their own covert absolutist agendas. Thus, pretending that all truths, in this case behavioral ones, are equal, IOW all sets are identical. This is referred to as false-equivalency. It is either a conscious lie or an error.

Truths (including behavioral truths) ARE different, relevant to their various contexts, and, though the valence of those differences can be judged individually, and relatively uniquely, there ARE commonalities in authentically free individual judgements that allow those who come to those commonalities (again, freely!) to claim their own shared validities, as opposed to context-less and, hence, falsely equivalent "validities" imposed across empirical differences by false "authority".

[JuniperLea]

16. It's very much like blaming the raped for being raped...

Wearing 'suggestive' clothing, etc., as if that gives anyone a pass allowing them to commit a crime!

No wonder women don't come forward or report crimes.

The Cain victim teamed with Gloria A. said right off the bat that she knew she would be drug through the muck... and that she was strong and could take it and had every intention of sticking with this. Brava!

[Charlemagne]

45. Exactly

Banks have a lot of money and they let you know that. So if someone robs a bank it is really the banks fault, right?


We arent that far removed from the era when rape was explained as "boys will be boys." So it isnt surprising that a smear on the victim would work.

[Taverner]

17. As a human I am horrified too

Seems like a variation on the "she was asking to be raped - look at her dress" defense

[dtexdem]

18. Hey, they're just following their age-old script.

But at least their audience has dwindled somewhat.

[Mnemosyne]

19. Amen! K&R! n/t

[BlancheSplanchnik]

20. indeed! plenty of people *here* slagging the women for not speaking out immediately

I can't blame them, seeing what the system does and has always done to ANY woman who dares to challenge the Men in Charge.

[Scuba]

21. "Blame the victim" is the Repukes favorite game. n/t

[evrstrong]

23. Thank you.

I mean, really.

[Arkansas Granny]

25. I tried to explain some of this to the guys I work with this morning.

I'm afraid it went right over their heads. They assume that the allegations these women have made are baseless because they are just now bringing them to light. I try to tell them that they were reported before, hence the agreements and settlements. They assume that I don't believe Cain just because I'm a woman. I feel like I'm bashing my head against a wall. And these are nice guys who have wives, daughters, mothers and sisters.

[SemperEadem]

55. they are nice guys with wives, daughters, mothers and sisters

who they think this will never happen to them, hence their inability to see beyond their own dicque.

when it happens to their wife, daughter, mom or sisters is when they will struggle very hard while giving up the shield of protection this mindset provided them and then discover that NO WOMAN DESERVES IT, whether or not she is related to you by blood or legal document.

[lunatica]

27. A lot of women keep silent because they have husbands or boyfriends

who would probably go do something to the man who assaulted their woman. Then they would get in trouble with the law, or worse, they could actually hurt the man badly or get hurt. Women learn to shut up around their fathers, brothers, husbands and boyfriends.

Men may not know this but it happens a lot with women.

[DearAbby]

28. I can't believe the media is doing this

When is someone going to have courage to say, "THIS IS FOUL"?

[prairierose]

50. For the corporate media, this is all just more grist for...

gossip mill. You act as if you are expecting them not only to report actual news but to have some kind of integrity while doing it....not gonna happen any time soon.

[bluestate10]

29. Cain's objective is to intimidate the women that he abused into silence.

Let's hope that each one of the women come forward to hold him accountable. The ones that think they can sit back now and not have their names become known is deluding themselves. They must come out blazing with facts.

[minavasht]

30. If memory

serves me right, there was once a president who was getting blowjobs from an intern.

[SemperEadem]

56. If memory continued to serve you right

there was a lot of taxpayer money that went into making a huge deal out of it, leading to the attempt to impeach him, too.

[minavasht]

63. If memory serves me right

the impeachment was for the "I did not have sex with that woman" part, not for actually having sex with her.
But I may be wrong, old age and all.

[LanternWaste]

68. 'Consensual' seems to be the relevant yet missing phrase...

'Consensual' seems to be the relevant yet missing phrase...

[Mister Ed]

31. Does the GOP really want to define themselves as the party of "she must have been asking for it"?

I wonder how well that's gonna be received by women voters, and by decent people of any gender.

[SemperEadem]

57. the women who would vote for these tools

would be the loudest ones hollering that she was a slut and she deserved it.

[iris27]

32. Sadly, it is standard operating procedure when women speak out

about sexual threats and/or violence.

[BiggJawn]

33. Standard "Blame the victim" defense.

It sucks.

[femrap]

34. Best OP

of the past month!!!!!! Wish I could rec a million times. What the majority of the world's population puts up with...I blame the patriarchy.

[redqueen]

69. You should blame the patriarchy,

because the reason this happens is due to the societal rules put in place, maintained, and defended by those serving it.

[femrap]

72. Patriarchy is pretty

much the reason the world is so f*cked up! I believe the paradigm will shift soon from competition to cooperation.

Down with the patriarchy!!!

[Frisbee]

36. It worked for Clarence Thomas...

and until the perpetrators of these slanders are called out and publicly humiliated for it, it will continue, despicable as it is.

[harmonicon]

37. "these women"? Context is your friend - I can't read minds and know what the hell you're on about.

[chervilant]

40. Wow...

I reckon it's true what they say: some folks are pure-dee ate up with teh Dumbass...

[pam4water]

39. Case it worked inThomas vs Anita Hill and the rest of the USA :(

[mntleo2]

41. "Poor Work History" Bunk ...

...it is a well known fact by labor statistics that women lose on the average of $275,000 over a work lifetime due to care giving. First it is their children, then their parents and then it is their spouses. Each time women face the agonizing choice of working for a wage or the 24/7 needs of their loved ones. In most cases, not only is it better to care for these loved ones themselves, it so expensive that working for a wage is not enough to provide for this care and to pay the bills.

Until these so-called "family values" morons call this work "work" and support it as "work" instead of codifying it into law that it is "doing nothing" such as they did with the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (Welfare DEFormed), then in these idiot's small brains, women will always have "poor work habits".

Before anyone tries to tell me, an activist and advocate for low income families, that Welfare DEFormed was aimed toward poor women, give it up. Besides being extremely classist to think aiming laws at a certain segment of the population is OK, it is freaking unconstitutional. These laws apply to EVERYONE. And before one person asks me why should that have to "support other people's kids" then I will tell them to take this a step farther and ask THEM, "With your thinking then why should these kids support you with their Social Security payments when you are too old, fight in your wars, or take care of your infrastructure when you can no longer do it? They always shut the hell up ~ but that is another story ...

Therefore "poor work habits" is a code word against women who have to do the work that has been traditionally on their shoulders since the beginning of humanity in almost all cultures. They will *never* have the work habits of non-caregivers. This work should be supported, not call it, "poor work habits". Corporatists who expect women to work for them 16 hours a day saying, "Do you want fries with that?" and politicians who refuse to support with laws and policies that respect this care giving as work, or a community who refuses to support it, are IMO a bunch of elitist, sexist pigs.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cat in Seattle

[dkf]

43. No one is saying she deserved it. These cases are he said she said so people are trying to

figure out if it is true or not.

That goes to credibility. Neither women nor men have automatic credibility. We have seen cases of false and of true allegations. People just want to know the allegations and situation so they can make a judgment.

And this won't go to court so it will be tried in the court of public opinion.

Where did you all stand on Paula Jones or Kathleen Willey?

[DaveJ]

46. Cain should have learned from those events

He didn't which shows his incompetence.

Although, he's reacting in the only plausible way he can now. Damage control. He knows he won't win, but he has a life to lead. So he can't just say, "ok you got me." He still has to play the victim so he can have some semblance of a career after this.

What really disgusts me is how we are still electing people into power, who are just power hungry. Their desire to sexually harass people is evidence of that. But we keep electing them, and promoting them in the workplace. I think people are disgusting for letting it happen.

[SemperEadem]

62. Pride goes before destruction and the haughty spirit before the fall

Cain felt that he was untouchable, both during and after these incidents... and because the cases were settled, that meant that he vanquished them. I agree with you in that he's trying to do damage control for his life after this fantasy-chasing, with his wife because now he has to again endure her glacier now that this has been vomitted back up in her face again.

If there wasn't something that could have dragged the NRA into a court of law and be forced to undergo the microscope, then they would have forced these women to take it to a jury of their peers. They took the preemptive move to nip it in the bud before it had a chance to blossom into something they could not control.

Corporations do not settle over nothing/no merit. If they were just money-grubbers, they'd have made them go on the record with it at that time. That's not what happened. They bought silence.

Cain was used to operating like this and got pulled up short at least 3 times. The only set back her suffered was being replaced as the head of NRA... maybe his wife was angry with him for a year or two. That's it. No real consequences have been set out for him to endure, so since he just got a slap on the wrist, his pride ballooned and that's why we see him acting with the bluster we see him use about these women.

[SemperEadem]

64. delete--dupe

[tclambert]

44. They want to question the credibility of the women. Of course, Cain is a politician, so where's his

credibility? The best he can hope for is to make their credibility as questionable as his. That shouldn't work. How did Arnold Schwarzenegger get away with it? Oh, yeah, he's famous. Cain's screwed.

[DainBramaged]

48. It's the Republicans, and they should have the light of shame cast on them

not these women. Fucking pervs.

[yodermon]

49. THIS sad episode is exposing the ugliness & misogyny that is endemic to the republican party.

Draw out & expose the crazies so the rational populace can rightly dismiss them.

Thank you Herman Cain? i think?

[seabeyond]

54. not just the republican party. i am hearing it from duers, too. it is not a party problem.

it is a societal problem

[SemperEadem]

51. not only the message being sent to all females

but females signing on to this bullshit and dishing out the abuse, too. That is what sickens me more.

this is but a facet of the continuing war on women... all women are sluts and whores and deserve what comes to them because they don't stay home, out of sight and spit out babies--like they do in Taliban-run countries. If those leading this campaign could get away with throwing acid in their faces, they'd be doing that, too.

[seabeyond]

52. then i listen to SOME men actually argue if a woman does not prosecute it is false claim

when i hear this as we continually watch women harassed, assaulted and raped who dare to speak out trashed, totally trashed beyond what the accused ever experience, i get so mad.

what woman is going to go against a man, especially one with power and money

we are basically being told, lay back and enjoy the rape

[Hepburn]

58. What used to chap my ass...and still does if still being done...

...the term "illegitimate" on birth certificates. WTF???? :mad:

[Le Taz Hot]

59. It's an old story.

Tragic, but predictable.

[TorchTheWitch]

60. happening right here at DU, too

like it always does when it comes to women and sexual crimes.

[seabeyond]

61. yup. nt

[AmBlue]

66. WHY was Cain not BARBEQUED in the debates last night??

That is all.... I'm so steamed that all we hear on the news is Perry's flub.

I swear Herman Cain is just ONE BIG EFFING DISTRACTION from the devastating and REAL issues that we are all facing. The more we all talk about him, the more we march to their tune. Meanwhile Rome burns....

[Odin2005]

75. Because RWers accept the "she asked for it" BS.

:puke:

[kestrel91316]

67. As far as I know this is what ALL women who dare to accuse a man of

sexual harrassment, sexual assault, or rape have to go through. Of course it's ILLEGAL to do it in court now, I think. But it's a standard, and utterly despicable, defense tactic.

It's why most of this sh-t goes unreported, too.

[xxqqqzme]

71. Any woman

who has been sexually harassed in the workplace understands this immediately. I don't know one woman who has not been so treated at some point in her career - NOT ONE.

[jwirr]

73. That is the way it was done in the "good old days" when women

knew their place. :sarcasm:

[savalez]

74. Well said.

:mad:

[Odin2005]

76. Misogyny sucks.

:grr: