Accusing the accuser 101
Over at KnoxViews there is a discussion about Knoxville School Board member Robert Bratton who has been accused of sexual harassment. Local media coverage of this can be seen at WATE, WBIR, and in the Knoxville News Sentinel.
The charges are serious but what I wondered about is how long it would take for people to accuse the accuser. It didn’t take very long. In less than twelve hours people have questioned the credibility of this woman in order to defend their favorite politician. I don’t see anything in the two letters this women wrote complaining about the instances of sexual harassment that raise doubt as to her credibility.
What is it with denial and favorite sons? This seems Clintonesque. Wouldn’t the smart thing be to wait until more facts are known? It seems very early for conspiracy theories. And people wonder why it is so difficult to come forward when sexual harassment occurs.
June 27th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Woohoo! I won!
Conspiracy theory, crying wolf, and crying “sexual harassment” are all too easy. Reporting actual sexual harassment and rape is more difficult. The two situations should be reversed.
My comment was not supposed to be about conspiracy theory (although it came across that way) nor accusing the assusor (which I don’t think it did). It was supposed to be about not immediately assuming someone’s career had to go in the toilet because someone else makes an accusation. Prove the wrong doing. Then apply appropriate punishment. If the wrong doing damages the position the person holds, remove them; but if the person performs their duties admirably and can continue to do so without concern of repeated wrong doing, leave them in their position.
June 27th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
djuggler,
First, I have read your blog and your posts on KnoxViews for a long time. Today’s post is out of character for you. I felt you were writing from emotion and not from reason. I waited for about two hours before I put up my post. I had hoped you would revise your original post.
Here is the problem. When you write, “We can find dirt on anyone. If all it takes to move our political agendas forward is finding someone to cry “sexual harassment” then getting people out of office will be a breeze”, you are accusing the accuser.
I don’t see your post today as complete. I just think you wrote something while you were upset and it came out wrong. I think you are a fine person who just wrote from the heart rather than from the head. Do you think you should update your post to more accurately portray what you were trying to say?
June 27th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
djuggler spends his day in a dusky, old basement and the lead paint, radon and other chemicals seem to cause him to occasionally blurt out unformed thoughts. I suspect he is afraid to try and dig his way out of this hole, since his wife has teased him about this gaffe all day.
June 27th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Heh, since everyone says I live in my Mom’s basement I will be using the radon and lead based paint defense for my next boneheaded post.
June 27th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Doesn’t rehab wipe away all sins?
June 27th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
As Cathy, you and others pointed out, I did not communicate my thoughts well. Today was not a day that I should have been responding to anything 🙂
I’m not sure if it would be correct to edit the original comment as it would break the continuum of the thread. I’ll have to give it some thought. I am under undue pressure right now and am not sure I would help the post to alter it at the moment. But perhaps tomorrow.
Thanks for the insights and thanks for reading the blog!
June 28th, 2007 at 2:56 am
It seems to me that accusing the accuser is always the tactic of choice in defending sexual harassment/assault or rape cases; not just in the ones involving prominent politicians.
June 29th, 2007 at 5:00 am
Crystal Mangum. Mike Nifong. Accusing the accuser was the right thing to do.
June 29th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Crystal Mangum. Mike Nifong. Accusing the accuser was the right thing to do.
Very different case. Read the two letters from the woman who was harassed. The letters are very credible. According to BBeanster at KnoxViews there is also cooberating video tape evidence that supports her charges. There is a potential for this to be an expensive lesson for the school board and the taxpayers.
However, the Nifong event was a travesty of justice. Nifong should do time for what he did suppressing the DNA evidence.