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Warren R. Graham's Blog: 11/30/17

Postings by Warren on a variety of timely and (hopefully) interesting topics

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Some Things Are Not Political, Or At Least, Shouldn't Be

     I haven't posted in a long time on this spot, though God knows, there's been PLENTY to rant about. But there's something going on that I can't help but weigh in on.

     It shouldn't surprise me, but it truly saddens me that the almost daily accusations against (almost exclusively) men in the entertainment, news media (perhaps those fields have become largely redundant) and the political sphere, have become yet additional grist for the mill that is the schism in today's public "discourse."

     I have, as they say, "no dog in this fight."  People who are responsible for sexual harassment in the workplace should face the music, and accusations should be investigated, with the chips falling where they may.

     I am a conservative.  Everyone who knows me is aware of that.  On a political level, I must concede that I loathe Al Franken and everything about his political Weltanschauung. I have no particular opinion about him as a human being.  As for Roy Moore, I consider him a redneck yahoo, who is an embarrassment, not only to the GOP, but to all Right-leaning members of the public.  That doesn't even take into account to the manifold accusations of sexual misconduct lodged against him, which I find nearly impossible to disbelieve. I cringe nearly every day at the inexplicable nonsense that emanates from Mr. Trump's Twitter account (and often, his mouth), and, like many, question his basic stability. As for all the rest of the political elite who have been accused, but remain in office, I believe they are entitled to the benefit of a full investigation.  Notwithstanding the fallacious public oratory on this subject, they do not fall into the category of "presumed innocent until found guilty." None of these folks, to my knowledge, has been charged with a crime.  But as elected officials, charged with, among other things, maintaining the public trust, they must not only be trustworthy, but SEEN to be trustworthy.

     It is astonishing to me to see Progressives (as they now call themselves, given the stigma attached to Liberals), coming forward to support Al Franken, who is one of their champions, and who has been whispered about (God help us) as a possible Presidential candidate.  These Progressives are the same folks who hold themselves out as the most important supporters of women and their issues: equality in the workplace (both as to compensation and to upward mobility without a glass ceiling).  Parenthetically, it may come as a surprise to my Left wing friends that I stand in complete solidarity with them on that issue.  For many years, one of the credos of feminism was the utter injustice in the "blame the victim" attitude, that kept many women quiet about harassment and even sexual assault.  The argument, which is totally legitimate, is that an accusation, especially against a powerful man, would result in an inquiry into the accuser's own sexual past and the implication of promiscuity, as a suggestion that the woman was "asking for it."

     Now, suddenly, while (unsurprisingly) all too happy to beat up on Roy Moore (who, I'm quite sure, deserves it), there are suggestions that the accusations against Franken are questionable because they haven't been "made under oath," and that, accordingly, they are politically motivated.  This is an astonishing and most distressing display of hypocrisy, especially given that Franken has owned up to at least some of these misdeeds.  Indeed, his public display of contrition and avowed willingness to cooperate in the investigation has been touted as some sort of mitigation of his misdeeds.  Of course, one never knows whether contrition is the act of someone who is sorry for what he did, or sorry he got nailed.

     Again, shouldn't we all agree that these kinds of accusations should be investigated and properly addressed, rather than colored by our own assorted political agendas?  This should be true in politics, media and entertainment, though it is most important in politics, as these are the people WE vote for.  I am very pessimistic about this Country's ability to bridge the chasm in political ideology anytime soon, but I daresay that it is right and appropriate to demand that all of us agree on SOME basic set of rules.  Do we all think that "what's good for the goose is good for the gander"? Or should we all retreat to our political corners and support our political demigods, even in light of a clear violation of what we all know to be conventional societal norms.  It might be legitimate to argue about how some of the abusers in the public eye were able to continue their reprehensible behavior while it appeared to have been known to their colleagues, and why some accusers have taken 30 or more years to come forward (again, "blame the victim" and inequality of status may well be the explanation), but it is, in my judgment, indefensible to apply differing standards to those of opposing political persuasions or of public popularity.

     If, as many argue, the pendulum has swung too far, it's likely to swing back and hopefully, eventually, get to the right place. I worry sometimes, for example, that the standards which prevail for accusation of a "hostile work environment" are vague and hard to follow and that, in an abundance of concern, employers have, understandably, mandated, at least implicitly, that the workplace become a very dry, humorless and mechanical place.  It is bad enough that many or, perhaps, most of us have to get up in the morning and spend the day doing things we don't love, to earn a paycheck. It is doubly bad when we have to behave like automatons, and watch every word we say and every wisecrack we make.  I genuinely hope that, one of these days, we will, as a society, find the right middle ground.

     I earnestly beg everyone to stand down.  Let the process take its course and keep the political spin out of it.  Both accusers and accused deserve that basic courtesy and fairness.

     Thanks for reading.  I needed that!