About Caitlin Flanagan's defense of Aziz Ansari and rebuke of #MeToo

[Theodarzna]

I'm sure you’ve heard by now that Aziz Ansari is the latest celebrity to be accused of ‘respecting women’ a little TOO hard. Cue the backlash and rather surprising counter-backlash. Turns out Aziz may have finally been a bridge too far, but the complaints don’t centre on the paper thin accusations - it's all about that race of Aziz Ansari.

To quote Caitlin Flanagan of The Atlantic:

“I thought it would take a little longer for the hit squad of privileged young white women to open fire on brown-skinned men. I had assumed that on the basis of intersectionality and all that, they’d stay laser-focused on college-educated white men for another few months.”

So, the backlash against #MeToo may come from many angles but what may be most interesting is that the Witch-Hunt is going off script and not targeting the acceptable enemy. Her point, if distilled down is that the rape accusations should not target valuable allies, and in particular allies who are higher on the Progressive Stack. While #MeToo has had more than a few critics such as Christina Hoff Sommers and Lionel Shriver which are not terribly surprising, and the Feminist author Margaret Atwood, maybe the real backlash will actually come from #MeToo's ardent advocates who realize suddenly that anonymous accusations made online being instantly believed means Left-Wing activists can be targeted, or worse, Leftish men with more skin pigment.

So, Has #MeToo run out of steam with perhaps its ardent supporters wanting to put the breaks on it?

[shaunika123]

I seriously doubt aziz ansari is physically capable of raping anyone.

he's like 150 cm tall and weighs 40 kg.

plus the woman accusing him said BS like "You ignored clear non-verbal cues"

like... really? if something's bothering you, say something.

language was invented for a reason, it's because non verbal cues arent always clear.

[Theodarzna]

Most people who read her account don't think he sexually assaulted her in any way, except for extreme Feminists.

I did think it was funny that they decided to turn on a big supporter of their movement, and a young brown Muslim guy though... That was interesting. Hopefully it shows people that intersectionality doesn't have any alllies and will always eat itself eventually.

Yeah, you'd think the defence would be obvious, that this was a spurious charge. But I think for Flannigan she can't point that out because fundamentally she wants #MeToo's Listen and Believe ethos to survive and has no problem with spurious accusations. Her issue in the end is with who the accusations are against.

I see Flannigan as torn, as often happens in Intersectionality, between the competing values of the Progressive Stack and her exact beliefs about Listen and Believe.

[Mistame]

That article seems to be spot on in this case. The story itself is stupid. How do you go from willingly receiving oral sex to being "offended" at the proposition of intercourse?

[Mormolyce]

As far as I can tell, he's being accused of pressuring her for sex, not "rape".

[Independent voter]

Was listening to NPR about this

1, She comes with him to his house
2. They're making out
3. He keeps putting her hand on his wiener
4. He gives her oral
5. She gives him oral but stops half way through
6. He has blue balls
7. She says stop
8. They stop
9. He tries to talk her into continuing
10. She wants to go home
11. He talks to her some more then calls her an Uber

12. She says he didn't respond to her non-verbal communication

Why didn't she just get up and leave?

[jackofwind]

As far as I can tell, he's being accused of pressuring her for sex, not "rape".

Problem is, some women (like my sister and her friends for example), believe that a man buying a woman a drink and not doing anything else is tantamount to outright pressuring that woman for sex because "implications". Even if the man doesn't say a word and the bartender passes the drink along to the woman.

Pressuring someone for sex is a very gray area for women.

[I Push Buttons]

He's being accused of "sexual misconduct" like every other male celebrity has been, who have been actually accused of everything ranging from harassment to actual sexual assault.

So no, saying that's what he is being accused of is disingenuous.

She accused him of sexual assault, that's a crime.

From the original article:

Grace says her friends helped her grapple with the aftermath of her night with Ansari. “It took a really long time for me to validate this as sexual assault,” she told us. “I was debating if this was an awkward sexual experience or sexual assault. And that’s why I confronted so many of my friends and listened to what they had to say, because I wanted validation that it was actually bad.”

[Kraenen]

Whatever he did legally, it was pretty fucking creepy on an interpersonal level.

[Crissi]

Sounds more like regret than anything else from the details I've read from multiple sources

[Molis]

This is why #metoo can go fuck off.

There are actual cases of people being assaulted and harmed.

Halway through oral she says ok lets stop. He stops. Tries to continue but doesnt. Sends her home.

[Amerrol]

Problem is, some women (like my sister and her friends for example), believe that a man buying a woman a drink and not doing anything else is tantamount to outright pressuring that woman for sex because "implications". Even if the man doesn't say a word and the bartender passes the drink along to the woman.

Pressuring someone for sex is a very gray area for women.

Then your sister and her friends are retarded and any opinion they have should be immediately discredited.

[jackofwind]

Then your sister and her friends are retarded and any opinion they have should be immediately discredited.

I don't disagree with you, but unfortunately there are many more like her out there.

[Tabrotar]

She accused him of sexual assault, that's a crime.

From the original article:

Sorry but for me that reads like: "I´m to dumb to decide something for myself so i go to my female friends who don´t like men and tell them what i experienced and they then told me exactly what i have to say..."

So same old story of regret of an sexual experience who then later is "rape"

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

Kinda hope this person gets fined or jail time. An awkward sexual experience is not rape or assault.

[Sky High]

I love the concession from feminists saying “well, yeah it wasn’t rape, BUT WHAT HE DID IS INDICATIVE OF RAPE CULTURE!” These people are fucking crazy, full stop.

[Crissi]

Oh, apparently said "victim" went and insulted the reporter's looks and age in a tweet.

I think the reporter hit what actually happened head on and the little girl doesnt wanna be caught out for her shit.

[ipaq]

That article seems to be spot on in this case. The story itself is stupid. How do you go from willingly receiving oral sex to being "offended" at the proposition of intercourse?

You can be offended about it, its her right.

Just not to destroyed someone in the public eye for a bad date. What about him since she was a bad date too.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Oh, apparently said "victim" went and insulted the reporter's looks and age in a tweet.

I think the reporter hit what actually happened head on and the little girl doesnt wanna be caught out for her shit.

I don't like being harsh but this woman seems like a bitch and can't accept the fuck up she made.

[hynx]

Kinda hope this person gets fined or jail time. An awkward sexual experience is not rape or assault.

slander and defamation at this point for legal recourse. there is probably a reason why that website won't share who the accuser is, because the story unfolded and the original website realized they shit the bed big time. and are now trying to protect those who fucked up.