I was especially chilled by the gymnast who’d been gaslit into thinking of the molesting as therapy, and who consequently misled another gymnast into thinking it was just therapy. All these people convincing themselves it wasn’t what is was, that it was okay.
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Related:
I’m especially surprised by the lack of real-world support from coaching staff and lack of coverage in the media Simone Biles is getting lately, after the incredible feats she’s managed this year.
I don’t even care enough about gymmastics to watch it, and I feel so bad that more people are not rooting for her.
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Gymnastics is not a pro sports franchise.
What I find fascinating is that it has its own, mostly-unpublicised, alternative media: the gymternet. Parents, coaches, fans, and gymnasts make and post their own reports on YouTube and elsewhere.
It reminds me a little of Ravelry, the knit & crochet social media network few outsiders have heard of – yet it has millions of members worldwide.
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She is amazing for leading this all up. So strong. But we already knew that.
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It’s getting a lot of coverage in Michigan, as if systemic sexual abuse of women is somehow a local problem.
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It’s been about a week and a half since the piece on my PhD granting department was published. The department’s grad students are preparing a rebuttal, and have asked for my guidance.
One thing that is sticking out immediately is a need for an abuse survivor’s bill of rights with respect to journalists. Some students, who had been abused, were interviewed for hours with no content making it into the piece. I understand stories evolve. But to drag someone through that for naught? Doesn’t sit right.
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God damn it…
Is it really so hard not to harass people? Really?
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I think they think they’re flirting, and that everyone else is “uptight”. Or just that they’re being “naughty”. I expect they were the sorts of children who pushed kids, then ran away laughing
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Just coming to post that.
THIS IS WHY WOMEN DON’T STAY IN STEM. THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT TOO FUCKING HARD, NOT THE ACTUAL STEM STUFF!
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I’ll add that it’s not the only field where women have to put up with this shit either. And I’ll note that that might be part of why this kind of stuff is often allowed to continue, to protect the old boys club. If women don’t feel comfortable, they’re less likely to stick around…
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I hope it’s not true and fear that it very much is…
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The politics of women’s rights is always going to fuel the battles for other rights, including and especially economic rights. So there will always be powerful, rich, “conservative” men who will want to roll it ALL back. They will fund any opposition to progress in social rights as well as funding opposition to economic rights.
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I have to say I’m not too surprised by this revolation.
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Agreed. Harassment is s feature, not a bug.
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He’s issued a statement:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/neil-degrasse-tyson/on-being-accused/10156870826326613/
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Gah. On the one hand, it sounds like a reasonable explanation for how a woman might see a man behaving in an innocent (but not-self-aware) manner and interpret it as something intended to be sexual. On the other hand, a good number of the stories coming out, about people who have been exposed as actual predators beyond all doubt, have them taking advantage of that kind of ambiguous situation and claiming innocence when called out.
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I noticed something missing from his statement about the tattoo: he said “I don’t recall, but that sounds like something I would do.”
What’s missing? The part where he asked permission or simply asked her if it was there and let her decide whether to simply say “yes” or to show him.
Even his own statement says nothing about consent. There are other things he’s done over the years that speak to an attitude of entitlement and of not caring about the other party he’s talking about or soliciting their opinion.
I am inclined to believe the women, here. Maybe he didn’t realise, but he also didn’t ask.
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That’s the social awkwardness part that scares so many men. Something innocent but socially awkward being interpreted as hostile sexual advances.
But then there’s this:
By definition, he advanced without caring about consent. That’s the difference. Awkward or not, he was showing that he didn’t care much for boundaries.
I also wonder if entire generations of men were brought up to believe that consent doesn’t matter. I know it was something my generation never discussed at all. If anything, we were taught that consent didn’t matter.
I’m not saying NdGT is not responsible for his own actions, because he is. But his behavior is symptomatic of a greater societal problem, meaning that we collectively will have to speak out against it to correct generations upon generations of misinformation.
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At the very least, it shows a lack of concern about the boundaries of another person, even if nothing sexual was intended.
Yep…
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