Harvey Weinstein long time Democrat donor acused of sexual harassment and assault

[winsor 186]

billvon

>Being terrified when seeing a Black Widow ready to bite you, or the business end of a firearm
>pointed at you, or being outed as an Atheist among a mass Hajjis, or having engine problems in
> the Wrong Part of Town late at night, or or having the fan quit working when flying over
> mountains, or seeing approaching headlights wandering late on New Year's Eve is not irrational.

Losing an engine over the mountains is an imminent risk to your life.
Being "outed" to Muslims is not.

>Being cool with a LEO's holstered firearm, tolerating a coal plant with a limited life expectancy
>or ignoring a Big Mac that someone else is eating (I don't touch them) is not irrational either.

But all far more rational than fearing that a random Muslim will go postal and kill you. Even if you are really, really afraid of that.

You are far more likely to be killed by a white male Christian in the US than by a Muslim. So if you fear death at the hands of Muslims but not at the hands of white male Christians, you have an irrational phobia, one unsupported by any rational underpinnings.

(That does not, of course, mean that your fear isn't real - just that it's not based on fact.)

I take it you have not spend a significant amount of time in seriously Muslim locales (I have). This excludes heavily educated and/or tourist friendly venues.

The people from Muslim backgrounds with whom I work tend to have Ph.D.s or M.D.s, or are skilled technicians otherwise. They do not concern me at all.

OTOH, in the hinterlands of, say, Pakistan or Yemen, you would be ill advised to be accused of apostasy or heresy, even in jest. Wearing a Kippah around Marseilles could void your life insurance policy as well.

I wish I was wrong.

[ryoder 1,391]

kallend

Like the boy who cried "wolf" when there wasn't one, the Daily Mail has, over the years, lost any claim to credibility.

Is it still read by the wives of the people who run the country?

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[billvon 2,406]

>I take it you have not spend a significant amount of time in seriously Muslim locales (I have). This
>excludes heavily educated and/or tourist friendly venues.

The seriously Muslim places I've spent a lot of time in were in Niamey, Hamdallaye and Sandire. Which are all in the until-recently-unheard-of country called Niger.

In the city you wouldn't be killed if people found out you weren't Muslim. You were at a much greater risk of being killed for being white. English was ignored although most people understood it; the official language of the country (French) was also ignored if you were white, which meant I was out of languages to use. About the only way to get anything done was to take along someone who spoke one of the local tribal languages like Zarma. The person I usually took along was Mary (girlfriend at the time) who spoke Zarma - and who would be ignored because she was a woman. Was fun trying to get anything at all done in the city, even when you were trying to give them money, and even when it was for things that would help out the local population (like well casings.)

In the small towns (like Hamdallaye) they were happy to practice benign neglect when it came to me. They'd listen to Mary because she spoke the language.

In the villages (like Sandire) they had never met a white or Christian man before. The adults in the village were afraid of me - because I outweighed everyone by 40 pounds, and they had all heard about how violent Americans were. As we were walking away from two men, Mary overheard one say "well, just don't make him mad, because if he hit you he'd probably kill you." The other said "well, you might not die but you'd definitely fall down."

The kids were a different story. They hadn't learned enough yet to be afraid of me, and had a million questions. What was America like? What was skydiving like? (They had learned about skydiving from the local school, where they had a TV that could tune to an educational satellite channel.) What was being a Christian like? Did that mean I had to convert them because they were Muslim? (They had heard that.) How did I get hair on my arms? Do all Americans have that? They spoke better French than I did, and could carry on a basic conversation in English.

After a few weeks the men in the village started to accept me, and the women would occasionally look me in the face, then grin as if they had done something scandalous. They talked about their fears. Their big one was not Christians, but Tuaregs. They lived in relative peace with the nearby tribe (the Hausa) but the Fulan - and especially the Tuaregs - would occasionally come through in big roving bands. The Fulan usually avoided violence and just traded (sometimes with a bit of coercion) but the Tuareg would just take what they wanted. Thus everyone hid what they owned. Mary's prize possession was a 250cc Honda bike, and she hid it carefully in its own hut. There were occasional flare-ups where people would get killed. Whites were targeted especially because they usually had more money on them, and had things like motorcycles hidden in their huts.

Religion was entirely secondary to whether you had any valuables.

Now, I could take that experience and conclude something like you did - that being terrified of blacks was completely rational, because they were going to kill me. Fortunately I managed to avoid such a prejudice.

[wmw999 2,130]

The Jewish court in America is well established enough to have its own Wikipedia wntt. Religion is religion, and people who hold one to be important probably want to consult it. Christians ask their ministers, right?

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[piisfish 135]

billvon

>In what sense?

If you feel irrational terror for something unlikely to cause injury or death (blacks, Muslims, balloons, clowns, midgets) while ignoring, or accepting, things much more likely to cause your death (small aircraft, coal power plants, firearms, drunk drivers, Big Macs) then that's pretty much the definition of phobia.

>being scared shitless of them is rational.

Not if you retain your shit in the presence of guns, coal power plants or Big Macs. That's pretty much the textbook definition of irrational fear. (Note that "but I am REALLY REALLY afraid of X" does not make the fear any more rational.)

How did we get from Harvey Weinstein to BigMacophobia ?

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Phil1111 913]

piisfish

***>In what sense?

If you feel irrational terror for something unlikely to cause injury or death (blacks, Muslims, balloons, clowns, midgets) while ignoring, or accepting, things much more likely to cause your death (small aircraft, coal power plants, firearms, drunk drivers, Big Macs) then that's pretty much the definition of phobia.

>being scared shitless of them is rational.

Not if you retain your shit in the presence of guns, coal power plants or Big Macs. That's pretty much the textbook definition of irrational fear. (Note that "but I am REALLY REALLY afraid of X" does not make the fear any more rational.)

How did we get from Harvey Weinstein to BigMacophobia ?

The Swiss and the Germans like to use fact, logic and organization in their thinking process. No insult intended.

Because of the rise of populist ideology in the US. Simplification is necessary to penetrate brain numbness. Very...very...simple analogies...excuse me, simple examples, ideas, in a different form, used to illustrate a point of argument, or view.

Currently there is an ad on TV to reeducate some US adults. As to the difference between a banana and an apple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ei_sZyvHxs

For yourself; therestiseasybecauseyou'reSwiss!

SAD.

[billvon 2,406]

>How did we get from Harvey Weinstein to BigMacophobia ?

Both are exactly the same as Hitler, as any quick perusal of Speaker's Corner will demonstrate.

[RonD1120 58]

wmw999

Religion is religion, and people who hold one to be important probably want to consult it. Christians ask their ministers, right?

Wendy P.

It has been my experience that Christians tend to be independent and generally do not seek counsel from their ministers or pastors. Those that do, from discussions with the aforementioned, are unsatisfied women and those who consider themselves religious.

The message of the Bible is to accept Christ then learn to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That becomes a unique individual path. Christians accept this understanding and fellowship with one another to emphasize, enhance and explore aspects of their life path. Wherever two or more are gathered together I am with you, declared Jesus.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[winsor 186]

billvon

>I take it you have not spend a significant amount of time in seriously Muslim locales (I have). This
>excludes heavily educated and/or tourist friendly venues.

The seriously Muslim places I've spent a lot of time in were in Niamey, Hamdallaye and Sandire. Which are all in the until-recently-unheard-of country called Niger.



Now, I could take that experience and conclude something like you did - that being terrified of blacks was completely rational, because they were going to kill me. Fortunately I managed to avoid such a prejudice.

I'm sure we can match anecdotes of wonderful hospitality by people that espouse malignant ideologies, and that is great.

Having said that, I have been places where people treated me well but paid close attention to whether I ate a piece of bacon or not, and have been places where being put to death for being an apostate or atheist did not raise an eyebrow. I have watched the tone change instantly when one group or another identified one of 'THEM' in their midst.

Tom Cruise movies are fun to watch, but that does not change the fact that Scientology is beyond fucked up. The brilliance of John Moses Browning is unrelated to the fact that Mormon ideology could not be more patently bogus. The tenets of Catholicism that are blithely accepted by the flock are perfectly horrific at their core, and have all too often led to ghastly consequences; an organization whose defining symbol is a means of execution - of Jews in particular - is not very appealing.

Being afraid of blacks in general is unwarranted. Driving through Harlem in the wee hours in an expensive car full of well dressed people and Christmas presents , with clutches of young men at every street corner drinking from brown paper bags, is another story. In that case, stopping for red lights is not an option.

Steve Irwin made a career of dealing with very lethal creatures without much fuss. Timothy Treadwell also had a great track record for quite a while.

I have spent rather a lot of time in Brown Bear country, and venues with a proliferation of otherwise lethal creatures, all without incident. I would not, however, advise against taking appropriate precautions regarding the fauna of concern - none of which involves being 'terrified.'


BSBD,

Winsor

[jakee 1,257]

RonD1120

*** Religion is religion, and people who hold one to be important probably want to consult it. Christians ask their ministers, right?

Wendy P.

It has been my experience that Christians tend to be independent and generally do not seek counsel from their ministers or pastors. Those that do, from discussions with the aforementioned, are unsatisfied women and those who consider themselves religious.

I seek reality checks from people whom I respect and value their wisdom. An example would be my fellow counselor's when I was employed. Another would be the pastor or elders in my church.

Wow, Ron, I didn’t realise you considered yourself an unsatisfied woman

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Phil1111 913]

jakee

****** Religion is religion, and people who hold one to be important probably want to consult it. Christians ask their ministers, right?

Wendy P.

It has been my experience that Christians tend to be independent and generally do not seek counsel from their ministers or pastors. Those that do, from discussions with the aforementioned, are unsatisfied women and those who consider themselves religious.

I seek reality checks from people whom I respect and value their wisdom. An example would be my fellow counselor's when I was employed. Another would be the pastor or elders in my church.

Wow, Ron, I didn’t realise you considered yourself an unsatisfied woman

I also thought that was rather insightful. I was raised in a Catholic family but now am atheist. Family members worked for priests in the church and I lived next door to a minister for years.

By far the greatest amount of time is counseling church members on marriage, raising children, work, psychological counseling, etc.Any problem that a person can have professionally or personally. Some believe a minister preaches on Sunday and puts their feet up and relaxes for the rest of the week.

"Unsatisfied women" well, I'm a not gonna touch that one but it may be insightful about Ron, the location of that congregation and its issues.

Winsor makes reference about Scientology and I completely agree. Its not a religion. Its a self enrichment scam for leaders and insiders. A cult.

What Winsor fails to understand about religion is that in general they do fulfill needs and provide guidance for many people. He fails to understand that there is a need to belong for people.A desire to have guidance for interpersonal relationships and understand a meaning in life. It provides explanations for life, death, social order, purpose, justice, redemption, afterlife possibilities, a commonality of social group, etc.

Many religious groups provide enormous contributions in charitable work. Both locally and the world.

[billvon 2,406]

Quote

Tom Cruise movies are fun to watch, but that does not change the fact that Scientology is beyond fucked up. The brilliance of John Moses Browning is unrelated to the fact that Mormon ideology could not be more patently bogus. The tenets of Catholicism that are blithely accepted by the flock are perfectly horrific at their core, and have all too often led to ghastly consequences; an organization whose defining symbol is a means of execution - of Jews in particular - is not very appealing.

Being afraid of blacks in general is unwarranted. Driving through Harlem in the wee hours in an expensive car full of well dressed people and Christmas presents , with clutches of young men at every street corner drinking from brown paper bags, is another story.

Well stated. You've separated the issue (which is good vs evil people) from the noise (which is their religion, skin color or scam they've fallen for.)

As is so often stated for another popular topic here in SC, religion doesn't kill people. People kill people.

[nolhtairt 0]

billvon

Quote

Tom Cruise movies are fun to watch, but that does not change the fact that Scientology is beyond fucked up. The brilliance of John Moses Browning is unrelated to the fact that Mormon ideology could not be more patently bogus. The tenets of Catholicism that are blithely accepted by the flock are perfectly horrific at their core, and have all too often led to ghastly consequences; an organization whose defining symbol is a means of execution - of Jews in particular - is not very appealing.

Being afraid of blacks in general is unwarranted. Driving through Harlem in the wee hours in an expensive car full of well dressed people and Christmas presents , with clutches of young men at every street corner drinking from brown paper bags, is another story.

Well stated. You've separated the issue (which is good vs evil people) from the noise (which is their religion, skin color or scam they've fallen for.)

As is so often stated for another popular topic here in SC, religion doesn't kill people. People kill people.

This movie scene pretty much shows what Winsor was talking about, more or less...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwBoa-NbNL8

[billvon 2,406]

Latest guy to have women come forward with claims of sexual harassment: Mark Halperin, a former ABC News reporter, has been accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. He has been suspended from his current job (commentator on Morning Joe) and has posted an apology for his behavior.

Good thing he's not a Republican, or someone would have nominated him for senator (or given him his own TV show) by now.

[riggerrob 558]

Returning to the OP: why Weinstein? .... and why now?

For decades we have heard dirty jokes about "casting couches" and a bewildering array of sexual escapades in Hollywood.

Why has the media suddenly turned against Weinstein?
Were they trying to oust him and all other methods failed?
Why are they suddenly diggin up dirt on dozens of other Hollywood elites?
Do critics believe that today's shocking accusations will change a century-old culture?

[billvon 2,406]

>Why has the media suddenly turned against Weinstein?

Well, a few potential reasons.

One is that Weinstein has lost a lot of his clout, and thus actresses who might have remained silent due to fears of retribution have less fear of that now.

Another is that right wing media has been searching desperately for something to distract from the ongoing criminal investigations of the administration. This was tailor made for that purpose - a democratic donor doing evil things. So that sped the development of the story.

A third is that social media provided outlets for a lot of women to get their stories out there without having to go through traditional media. And once their stories were out there, traditional media followed.

[jakee 1,257]

riggerrob

Do critics believe that today's shocking accusations will change a century-old culture?

Yes. Not only will the coverage of these accusations and of Weinstein's fall will help to change the culture of Hollywood (and boardrooms on general), they are a symptom of that culture changing.

This is how progress happens. For a long time certain behaviour is celebrated. Then it's just accepted. Then it's not accepted anymore.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[nolhtairt 0]

Looks like the carousel of victims outing offenders continues... Jeremy Pivens and Dustin Hoffman are the latest offenders.

[DJL 232]

nolhtairt

Looks like the carousel of victims outing offenders continues... Jeremy Pivens and Dustin Hoffman are the latest offenders.

Looks like it's a good time to be a new actor in Hollywood.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[headoverheels 291]

riggerrob

Why has the media suddenly turned against Weinstein?

I think that we can thank the take-down of Roger Ailes, Bill O'Reilly, and Bill Cosby for leading the way. A trickle, then a stream, then a flood. More than 30 at this point.

[headoverheels 291]

nolhtairt

...Dustin Hoffman are the latest offenders.

Was it the "say hello to Little Big Man" comment?

[RonD1120 58]

I am amused at the negative reaction by the LGBTQ minority to Kevin Spacey's statement that he is choosing to live a gay lifestyle now. It contradicts their "born that way" ideology.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[wmw999 2,130]

Whether he's born that way or not, it is his choice whether he comes out, and how he lives. Rock Hudson was gay, and publicly lived a heterosexual lifestyle. That did not make him straight.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[MikeJD 0]

RonD1120

I am amused at the negative reaction by the LGBTQ minority to Kevin Spacey's statement that he is choosing to live a gay lifestyle now. It contradicts their "born that way" ideology.

It has been noted that the circumstances of his coming out make it look like an attempt to deflect attention away from accusations of attempted seduction of a minor - that, not surprisingly, is the main thing that's upset the LGBTQ community.

I'm almost certain that Spacey would prefer not to have outed himself, and his statement was very carefully worded to save face and to try to provide a plausible reason for the timing of his doing so. If you're trying to use this as evidence that being gay is simply a lifestyle choice, then that's absurd and highly opportunistic of you.

Incidentally, regardless of his general morality of lack of it, in a world without prejudice he would not have felt the need to hide his sexuality in the first place.

[normiss 622]

It's not about him "choosing" anything, it's the deflection of the sexual assault as an aside to his being gay and admitting it publicly.
Why does your god keep making gay people anyway?
I blame him.
Interesting how his followers hate some of his creations so much.