Weiner to Media: Respect My Silence On This Affair

Did I not just say we were entering the "please respect my family's privacy" phase of this?

Looks like that tantrum of mine was utterly unnecessary, eh? CNN had the bomb and was about to blow it up.

Of course, no Democratic sex scandal is complete until Amanda Marcotte embarrasses herself. Like, claiming the NYT -- which actually spun for Weiner claiming that maybe he had a "staffer malfunction" --- was sexually harassing him by blaming the victim.

Her headline is that the NYT is picking on Weiner for wearing a skirt that's too short. See, like a rape victim.

The New York Times really takes the cake this morning by demonstrating that anyone, even a man, who is victimized by sexual harassment is eligible for victim-blaming. Their argument is that Weiner brought the sexual harassment onto himself (and this poor young woman, apparently) by wearing his opinion skirt too short. Also, by being a social networking slut.

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I wish I could say this is the first time that I've heard that victims of sexual harassment deserve to be abused because they dare to have a presence online and they aren't ladylike or mincing. Granted, I never thought that the person accused of slatternly use of social networking bringing sexual harassment onto zirself would be a dudely congressman from New York, but okay. It just shows that "she had it coming" is incredible versatile.

In a way, it makes sense. Much of the mainstream media, and especially much of the New York Times, views Democrats as symbolically female. Therefore Weiner can be dinged, in their minds, for unladylike behavior. But still, it's kind of strange.

And of course, the closing paragraph is about how, even though the victim has been punished by a cranky old asshole who uses sex as a weapon against people he doesn't like, the victim isn't going to learn his lesson, roll down his skirts, cross his legs, and shut the fuck up.

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Unabashed! Unashamed! Weiner is such a slut. Doesn't he know that Democrats who don't keep their opinions to themselves deserve to be buried under penis pictures?

I suppose we should be grateful, at least, that the author of this piece, Ashley Parker, didn't blame the other victim in this, the young woman who received the penis picture.

Mm-hm. That's a perfectly reasonable reaction to this story: Anthony Weiner, rape survivor.

Exactly, Ms. Marcotte. Nailed it, dude.

I Believe In Weiner: Democrats circling up the wagons to guard the rape victim.

posted by Ace at 08:56 PM

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