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President George HW Bush (the older Bush) has been accused of sexual assault by two women. Frankly based on this picture in which you can fairly clearly see Bush's hand peering out from below the waist of the woman on his right (your left). I think the more interesting thing is how Fox News reported it (please read the article, especially the title, now). They reported that Bush has been accused of 'sexual assault' which i believe is implying that the author either doesn't believe the accusations, or, perhaps more harmfully, believes that the accusations do not constitute sexual assault.
Do you think that the way President Bush acted was inappropriate? Do you think the way Fox News presented the accusation shows bias or contempt for the accusers? Finally, this is the third President in the last five presidents to be accused of sexual assault (joining Clinton and Trump), what do you think we can do to prevent this kind of behavior from politicians and other men in power?
16 comments:
Based on the picture, I seriously doubt that what he did was intentional and I personally don’t think that he was sexually assaulting her. I look at this more as click bait. Fox news always show bias so there’s that. It’s odd that so many presidents are being accused of sexual assault. Maybe they just want to have their 10 seconds of fame because they are associated with an authority figure or make money off them in court. The only thing we can do is expose rape culture to the public so people understand that it’s not okay. I don’t really look at the power image as something big. If you’re a minor or big money maker, it shouldn’t matter. Sexual assault isn’t okay anywhere. I can see why people could look at this and see it as sexual assault, but the image isn’t clear enough for me.
If he truly was sexually assaulting any of the two women who accused him, then yes his actions were extremely inappropriate, but just based on this picture alone, I find it really hard to tell if there was any sexual assault in that instance. In terms of other presidents also being accused of sexual assault, it is very possible that since they are in such a high power and influence, they can feel as if they are above the law. That they are too powerful to actually be charged with this type of crime. It is important for them to be aware of the potential damage that can be caused if they are found guilty of sexual assault. They could lose their job and their reputation will be tarnished forever. Sexual assault anywhere is not okay, and even if it is minor it could have devastating consequences.
Mr. Bush is old and he's in a wheelchair, and the media needs to cut him some slack. He probably didn't even know what he was doing. It seems with the recent uptick in sexual assault allegations, it may be that at least a few of these claims are made up or exaggerated in order to gain fame or money.
I think that this is being blown way out of proportion. He's an extremely old man, and it is likely that he has some form of dementia, as even Jordana Grolnick, one of the people who have accused Bush of sexual assault, mentioned that he is "perhaps somewhat senile in a wheelchair." Because Bush himself is not aware of what is happening, I think that the responsibility to keep him in check should be with his caretakers and those who interact with him. Dr. Elizabeth Galik has stated that "many researchers agree that inappropriate sexual behaviors occur in about 15% of elderly people with dementia... [and is] more common in men and patients with severe dementia." As it is known that those suffering from dementia often act in sexually inappropriate ways, I don't think that Bush can be blamed for what happened.
I have to disagree with your point about the article being biased in saying that Bush was 'accused' of sexual assault. That is normal protocol for all journalists because the journalists are simply not part of the judicial branch and therefore have no function other than to report alleged crimes. As we read in the article "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" by Chuck Klosterman, "Even if you see a guy shoot someone–in fact, even if the guy shoots you in the face, and you watch the bullet come out of the chamber of the .38 he’s holding–the event needs to be described as an ‘alleged’ crime..." (200). I am sure you could find some articles, not on Fox News that use similar language about Bush being accused of sexual assault, but unless it is ruled in a court of law, he is not a felon.
Nick I wasn't referring to the use of the word "accused", these are accusations. I was more pointing to the fact that Fox reported it as "'sexual assault'" which to me implies that the author of that article does not believe that touching a woman from behind like Bush is accused of doing is sexual assault. The DoJ defines sexual assault as "any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape." The action Bush is accused of doing in my mind falls under "fondling". And I understand that we should cut Bush some slack, he is 93 and the wheelchair makes it hard for him to reach much above the waist, however I do not think that these women are making up this story for attention and I believe that Bush's actions, if they were correctly reported, were not justified. It is also worth noting that a statement from one of his aids acknowledged that he did touch the women but that he did not mean it to be malicious. Regardless of intent, if Bush did inappropriately touch these women, it was just that - inappropriate.
I think that Fox News referring to this as "sexual assault" is more likely due to his age and poor mental function, rather than Fox News supporting sexual assault. Unlike some, Fox probably sees this as nothing but a mistake made by a confused man. While this would be classified as sexual assault by the DoJ, I doubt that this will lead to prosecution, as it is an insignificant story that is only receiving attention due to Bush being a famous person.
When Fox called it "sexual assault," they were quoting the accuser, not implying that it wasn't a sexual assault. If you continue reading the article, they continue to quote her.
This is the full paragraph from the article:
Lind wrote on Instagram Tuesday that Bush "sexually assaulted" her. She said he touched her “from behind from his wheelchair with his wife Barbara Bush by his side,” told her a “dirty joke,” and then touched her again.
I agree that, just from the photograph above, it’s difficult to say whether or not George HW Bush sexually assaulted the two women. However, the fact that two women have come forward to say that Bush sexually assaulted them inclines me to believe that they were telling the truth, even if Bush was doing so unintentionally or as a joke. Although, as Jackson mentioned in his comment, it’s possible that old age is a factor in Bush behaving inappropriately towards these two women, I don’t believe that these accusations should simply be dismissed. Regarding the Fox News article, I don’t believe that there’s enough evidence that the author thought that Bush didn’t commit sexual assault; like Jackson said, it seems like the author was just quoting one of the women.
From one photo, it's not easy to claim that George HW Bush sexually assaulted two women, however, it's not easy for women to stand up and claim that they were sexually assaulted in the first place. Many people are blaming Bush's old age and mental stability, which in my opinion still doesn't give him the right to make any woman feel uncomfortable in any state that he's in. As sexual assault is a sensitive subject, I would hope to believe that the media isn't just trying to bring attention to such an unnecessary and possibly false accusation. Adding to Alex's comment, having sexual assault as part of Bush's 10 seconds of fame, is not in any way appropriate and the media ought to have more evidence before posting something as serious as this topic.
I disagree with your point about fox news being biased in this case. The article, while lacking substance, seemed perfectly normal and only quoted the two parties involved. Maybe the author doesn't believe the allegations, but no opinion is being shown in this article.
If these allegations turn out to be true, then Bush's actions were definitely inappropriate. However, the use of the word 'accused' does not imply that Fox News is bias (in this article). 'Accused' was probably included to make sure that readers would not attack the writer for being biased against Bush himself. Like we read in the "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" reading, journalists include uncertainty in their articles even if they experienced the event themselves so as not to provoke an attack by certain readers. Therefore, I do not believe that Fox presented this article in a way that would attack the accusers.
Replying to the following comment:
[[ Nick I wasn't referring to the use of the word "accused", these are accusations. I was more pointing to the fact that Fox reported it as "'sexual assault'" which to me implies that the author of that article does not believe that touching a woman from behind like Bush is accused of doing is sexual assault. The DoJ defines sexual assault as "any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape." The action Bush is accused of doing in my mind falls under "fondling". And I understand that we should cut Bush some slack, he is 93 and the wheelchair makes it hard for him to reach much above the waist, however I do not think that these women are making up this story for attention and I believe that Bush's actions, if they were correctly reported, were not justified. It is also worth noting that a statement from one of his aides acknowledged that he did touch the women but that he did not mean it to be malicious. Regardless of intent, if Bush did inappropriately touch these women, it was just that - inappropriate. ]]
I would agree with your perspective that the author probably doesn't believe the allegations to be true, which is pretty obvious. I also agree that Bush is very old but old age should never exclude anyone from the laws or deem this action appropriate. But I do believe that what is not being considered is his mental condition, which is cited by Jackson in above comments multiple times, is something that has to be considered in conjunction to these allegations.
Also, I've heard that the actor that appears to be next to Bush's hand in the above photo also posted a similar picture on her Instagram after the encounter with Bush. She referenced a sexual joke Bush had made during the photo seemingly downplaying the circumstance. Thus, it makes me question why she didn't detail what happened on her social media post when she had the chance to tell others.
I think it is difficult to accuse Bush of "sexual assault" based off of one photo. I do disagree with the statement that his actions could have been made due to his old age and "mental condition." I think that is a poor excuse and it doesn't cover for anyones actions, especially if their actions make others feel uncomfortable. However, in this particular situation, I don't think there is enough evidence to support the accusations.
Building on Annie's comment, Bush is sitting down, so I do not think that he is assaulting the person. Angles matter. I do not think that people should condone a person's actions whether they hold a power or not, so I do think that they should be investigated.
I think Bush's actions were inappropriate. Whether or not the person writing the article believed from the picture the act where assaults, they should have reported the issue from an unbiased standpoint. I think the issue of sexual assault is very serious and it needs to be treated that way especially since the accused is a past president.
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