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Sorta like the Larry Nassar gymnastics thing. When the gymnasts were young they didn't understand that what was going on (the parents and other adults should have had a freaking clue sooner, however). But as they grew up, they started speaking out because they understood better. I applaud them for that.
I am honestly astounded that an allegedly intelligent human being believes this.
Do you even understand what Nassar did to these girls? Nassar is a pedophile and sexual predator. He used his position as as doctor to give himself access to huge pool of victims, specifically young victims who were ignorant about their own bodies. The absolutely evil part of what he did is he told his victims (and their parents) that what he was doing is a legitimate medical procedure. He was dealing with young girls as young as 6(!). He molested his victims while their mothers were in the examination room with him. He told the parents and the girls that he was doing 'upper pelvic floor strengthening' as cover for his molestation, and they believed him, because he's a doctor. He's an authority, so why question him?
When he was at Michigan State and various student-athletes reported him to others in the athletic department, they were gaslighted, they were told what he was doing was a legitimate procedure. As long as he termed his molestation as 'treatment', his victims were always wrong because they just didn't 'understand', and this allowed him to continue to operate and victimize in plain sight.
They didn't suddenly arrive at an age and decide, "Oh, wait, this is rape." Many of these girls had to have it explained to them that what he did was
NOT a medical procedure, that what he did is molestation. Why do you think it took so long for so many to come forward? Because they had to come to terms with the fact that what had happened to them on what they thought was a routine medical exam was sexual assault, and they had to redefine themselves personally as a victim of sexual assault. People have a difficult time admitting to anyone they've been duped or scammed or even tricked when it involves a small amount of money, imagine the mental hurdle of admitting you allowed someone to trick you into letting them violate you? That you're now a sexual assault victim.
Nassar would try to visit his victims late at night in hotels for more 'treatment'. And because he was a doctor and told coaches he was just trying to help them recover from meets, their complaints were ignored.
You keep trying to use your wife's victim status as cover, like this makes you an authority. Wrong. This makes your wife a survivor of rape, but it doesn't make you or her an expert on the subject. (It's also disgusting that you're using what happened to your wife as cover for your beliefs here, but that's a discussion for another time).
You (and her) seem to be among the group that believe the only
real rape is violent rape, and that's crap.
If you have to coerce someone into sex or sexual acts without their consent, that's sexual assault. Full stop. It's just sad that you're an allegedly intelligent grown adult, and you need this explained to you. Even sadder that your wife is a survivor, and she doesn't understand this, that she actively gatekeeps sexual assault.
As for Weinstein, I think you're ignoring the conditioning that goes on with young actresses. If they're told, "This is what happens in Hollywood, this is how you get parts", they may go ahead and do it because they think this is how things are supposed to happen. Such quid pro quo doesn't make this okay, or not sexual assault. Just because he didn't hold a victim down and violently rape her doesn't make him using his power to coerce women any less a form of sexual assault.
You and your wife seem to view what happened as a form of prostitution, that these women sold their bodies one time in return for fame and celebrity. I guess this viewpoint allows you to feel morally superior to these women, while also absolving Weinstein from any blame. Such victim-blaming from women is not uncommon. I would argue that the biggest opponent female sexual assault victims have is other women, it's just sad when it is another victim of sexual assault like your wife.
BTW, I'm someone who is skeptical of 95% of sexual assault claims I hear today until I hear all of the facts, so if I'm telling you you're full of sh it and wrong, you're FOS and wrong.
