Fox's Andrea Tantaros Takes Victim-Blaming To A New Level

[meegbear]

Fox News' Andrea Tantaros, who has been an unwavering supporter of Herman Cain, is now blaming victims of sexual harassment for meeting male supervisors outside of the office, thus encouraging unwanted advances. In a recent New York Daily News op-ed, Tantaros blasted one of Cain's accusers for "hav dinner and drinks with a married man" and asked: "At what point do women need to take some responsibility?"

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On November 1, Tantaros joked about the allegations, reportedly saying on Fox News:

"(I)f you believe Herman Cain, the story that he told Greta (Van Susteren) last night, it was such a small deal, it wasn't anything that was sexual harassment at all. So he's right on that. I mean Bob (Beckel) threw a candy corn down my dress yesterday, and I didn't sue."

A week later, she called the accusations "baseless" and attacked one of the accusers for what she called the woman's "rap sheet." Tantaros said: "You have a woman, who, if you look at her rap sheet, 14 years later she all of a sudden cares about the country? Double bankruptcy, legal troubles -- yes -- and an illegitimate child. You know what that says to me? Two words: scam artist."

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But all this is nothing compared to what Tantaros wrote in her Daily News op-ed on Wednesday.

In the op-ed, titled, "Ladies, time to man up: Cain accusers Sharon Bialek and Karen Kraushaar send the wrong message to women," Tantaros advised: "We don't need to play the victim." She blasted women like Sharon Bialek who dare come forward and report abuse, and in a disgusting bit of blame-the-victim, she said women often bear responsibility for what happens. She wrote:

Let me be clear: I'm not saying that Cain isn't guilty of sexual misconduct that took place when he was the head of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s. But this scandal should have every woman asking: At what point do women need to take some responsibility?

One accuser, Sharon Bialek, said Cain allegedly groped her after she came to him for job advice 14 years ago. At a press conference with famed attorney Gloria Allred, who has made a career out of victimized women, Bialek claims she met Cain for dinner and drinks for career counseling. Then she allegedly rode with him in a car, where he tried to put his hand up her skirt, then moved her head toward his groin.

If it's true, it's horrible. And while the timing of her decision to go public does raise questions about her motivation, the real question is: Why have dinner and drinks with a married man in the first place? Why not meet him in his office if your purpose is strictly professional?

It's also puzzling why Bialek later said that when she saw Cain at a recent Tea Party event, she approached him to give him a hug and see if he remembered her.

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In her op-ed, Tantaros also told women to "be smarter" and "tougher":

For decades, feminists have told women they can dress any way they want, go anywhere, behave however they choose -- and yet if they get themselves into a less-than-desirable position as a result, it's not their fault. That's pure contradiction, and while there is no excuse for sexual assault, women need to be smarter -- and tougher, too.

She later said women need to be "a little more Beyonce" and "a little less Lifetime":

Whatever happened to hitting delete (on unwanted emails)? Or ignoring the catcalls? Or simply telling a guy to get lost? Plainly put: If a man lays his hands on me uninvited, one of us is going to the hospital. And it isn't me. Think a little more Beyonce, a little less Lifetime.

Legitimate violence against women is not to be taken lightly. There are serious cases and silly cases -- and then there are head cases who overreact for money or media attention or no good reason. I am familiar with all three, as I suspect many other woman are. Recognizing the difference earns women what we should really strive for: respect.

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http://mediamatters.org/blog/201111110002?frontpage

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Will she feel the same way

. . . after she encounters O'Reilly in the hallway?

[FarLeftFist]

2. Whatever happened to going to business meetings with women and not sexually assaulting them?

Oh Andrea, you are transparent and shallow.

[Taverner]

7. Whatever happened to talking about business and food at business meetings?

[Ship of Fools]

3. "...one of us is going to the hospital..."

Lady, if you can be that lucky. You are an embarrassment to women everywhere.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

4. Sometimes it's a difficult question

Men are usually expected to make the first move and in many, many cases they misinterpret the signals and make an undesired pass.

But in this case, where Cain reached under a woman's dress in a car and tried to force her head into his lap, it seems to be an unambiguous case of assault. Cain hasn't defended himself by offering an alternative account of the situation. Cain didn't even try to kiss the woman, touvh her hand, or seduce her to see if she was receptive but immediately treated her like a whore. This is not the case of a mere "unwanted advance" as I interpret those terms.

[Gormy Cuss]

6. There's no difficulty when it's a business relationship.

If the reason for the meeting is business-related, it's literally hands off.

[Gormy Cuss]

5. The women talking heads on FOX are the ones who really make me angry.

It's so blatantly obvious that their role in the FOX team is to show that women belong beholding to men and bleached blonde.