Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
It makes you guilty of assault. Probably unprosecutable, but not less guilty.
People don't have the right to grope others w/o permission. Not even their friends.
|
"Horseplay" is a commonly recognized reason for consent even when it's not explicit. People joke around. Not everyone so uptight, and I don't think a reasonable woman would feel threatened by such a grope in such a context.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
Women are certainly not given a free pass if they go around grabbing random men's balls. (And as much as many men might say, "woo hoo! Bring it on!" keep in mind that the men who are prone to groping women, are often decades older and a hundred pounds heavier than the women they grope--allowing women the same permission would mean unattractive, sleazy-looking middle-aged women having the right to grope college boys.)
|
Indeed, I have given women a "free pass" when they've grabbed my balls. I think you will find very few cases where a man has successfully prosecuted a woman for grabbing his balls without his permission. It's quite convenient of you to dismiss any attempt at fairness as a priori self-serving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
It does take more than one grope to make a person sexist. The question is, why did he think public groping would be funny or acceptable? *That* is what makes him sexist--that he thought it would be okay, and *of course* nobody would be seriously bothered by it.
|
The same thing that allows one to make "black jokes" or "white jokes" without automatically making someone a racist. Oh, but I suppose you don't believe that's possible in your PC-compliant universe, either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
I love Ellison's writing, and I like him as a person. But I'm aware that plenty of people find him horribly abrasive and rude for a great number of reasons, most of which are perfectly valid. (Me, I enjoy intelligent, clever men with huge egos; I could happily spend hours listening to him rant. And feeding him lines to keep ranting with.)
|
I don't dispute you on those points; I have the same faults, though not as extensive as Harlan's. He does not suffer fools. However, I think the constant charge of sexism against him is simply not supported. Hell, I wouldn't even claim Bill Clinton is sexist, although he certainly is a womanizer.