I would be among the first to cry shame if I became aware of someone in authority abusing that power to make another human being perform any kind of sexual act. But I’m getting tired of the accusations of “impropriety” in the press and on social media.
It’s all part of a culture of shaming. Especially on social media, people are shamed for being fat or showing too much or… just about anything that someone finds offensive.
It seems to me that this judgmental trend is reflected in the daily revelations of sexual peccadilloes committed by politicians, celebrities and other prominent folks.
Some are genuinely horrifying, but some seem to be mere prudishness. Is America returning to the days of the Scarlet Letter?
And the venom associated with some of the accusations is way over the top. When a politician commits suicide because of it, I wonder if it’s getting out of hand.
There’s a chilling effect on the workplace, too.
Soon, we will all be afraid to mention that someone’s new hairdo looks nice, or to compliment a coworker for losing a few pounds.
And Heaven forbid that a guy would dare to “flirt” with that pretty new employee in Accounting.
America is in danger of becoming a nation of finger-wagging prudes.
I happen to like it when some lady “gives me the eye” or flashes me a suggestive smile. Of course, it isn’t going to go any farther. But it gives my spirits a lift.
Yes, I know, shame on me at my age!
But come on folks, loosen up!
Playful banter between the sexes makes life more bearable. It would be a shame to see it go away.
To make the current witch hunt even scarier, there seems to be no way to defend yourself. What happened to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty?
People are being convicted in the court of public opinion without the benefit of a trial. And that’s un-American.
Some of the accusations go way, way back, too. Shouldn’t there be some kind of statute of limitations? We all hope to learn from our mistakes and become better with time, don’t we?
We are all human. And humans are subject to wayward impulses. I don’t care who you are, I bet you do not have a record of perfect behavior.
And if we hope for forgiveness, we should be prepared to forgive.
