Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats

The paper chose not to reassign a male reporter, or add another colleague as requested, and instead chose to report on what they see as an improper campaign request. In turn, the campaign could have assigned an intern to hang out with them all day as well, if they wanted the coverage.
Presumably the female reporter was assigned because she was the best fit for the story. Adding another colleague increases costs for the paper - & who gets the byline? The campaign assigning an intern also takes them away from other duties.

Also while my position wouldn't change if the genders were reversed I suspect that a) the paper would be more willing to accede to the politicians request & b) it would be more damaging to the politicians career.
 
Steinman, how about instead of saying vagueish stuff like "both sides won't listen to the others side" or "what if genders were reversed" just say "it's reasonable for the politician to do what he did." If that's what you think, just say it. If you don't, then don't bother playing devils advocate. The devil doesn't need one.
 
But there so many possible allegations of impropriety.
Lots of politicians have affairs, and lots of politicians are accused of having affairs. I don't know that it occurs to them with more or less frequency than the general public. But for people who are in the public eye avoiding situations that could be misinterpreted seems like a reasonable move. Look at how much flack Biden has received for things done publicly far less than an affair.

All the other things you've mentioned may well be occurring, who knows, but they don't seem to catch the public eye as much as affairs. So get the newspapers to start reporting on those issues if you want to see politicians making rules about how they act in order to prevent exposure.

I think the campaign should have provided the requested chaperone, and shouldn't have even brought it up - just never allowed alone time. So they've made it into an issue, and it will appeal to some, and not appeal to others, and will be used as a wedge by a few to further divide the electorate on a relatively minor thing.

What are the issues? What is his platform and promises?

Not a mention. It's now all about an issue people can use feelings to force people apart. Don't they see how much identity politics is hurting everyone? Yet that's all there is these days. Who cares about the economy and education, let's discuss a reporter's need to be alone with the politician.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
What are the issues?
Sexism, and the ongoing erosion of the separation of church and state are very important issues.

All the other things you've mentioned may well be occurring, who knows, but they don't seem to catch the public eye as much as affairs. So get the newspapers to start reporting on those issues if you want to see politicians making rules about how they act in order to prevent exposure.
I don't know about you, but I see paper covering greed and corruption a whole bunch. That doesn't seem to ever make politicians back campaign finance reform as a Christian value they won't back down on.
 
Man, the Whitehouse Social Media "summit" going on right now is literally a who's who of useless, awful scum. You could literally improve humanity like 83% by just dropping a meteor there right now.

Look at this embarrassing shit.

 
Eh, as a professional writer it's not exactly the best version of the word, but it's acceptable as a variant spelling.
 
Not a mention. It's now all about an issue people can use feelings to force people apart. Don't they see how much identity politics is hurting everyone? Yet that's all there is these days. Who cares about the economy and education, let's discuss a reporter's need to be alone with the politician.
It's one example of a wider systemic problem where women are disadvantaged in many aspects of society including in business and education.
 

Dave

Staff member
My thought on the matter: The dude is treating this like the Scout thing - never be alone with a kid. It's for everyone's safety. In this case, though, just make sure that one of your many staffers is always present. Problem solved.

Unless that staffer is a woman. Then it's mayhem. MAYHEM!
 
My parents are quoting Fox News at me and telling me it's sad how brain washed I am, please send help.

They are apparently convinced that college brain washed me, even though I was a registered Democrat from the day I turned 18 before I even went to college. Why do Fox News people love spouting off about how college is an evil liberal machine, instead of thinking that maybe being exposed to more of a world view outside of their bubble might actually be beneficial to critical thinking? (I'm not saying being a liberal means you have critical thinking, I mean going to places that expose you to more points of view can change your outlook on the world regardless of political affiliation.)
 
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GasBandit

Staff member
Why do Fox News people love spouting off about how college is an evil liberal machine
According to "Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care?" by Neil Gross, self-described liberals outnumber self-described conservatives in academic faculty by just over 10 to 1 (50% vs 4%), and some 5% of professors just can't keep their politics in their pants and end up attempting to indoctrinate their students.

Ironically, he also claims that the reason this is, is because we assume it is. It becomes self-fulfilling - because of academia's reputation of being hostile to conservatism, liberals flock there and conservatives avoid it.
 
My thought on the matter: The dude is treating this like the Scout thing - never be alone with a kid. It's for everyone's safety. In this case, though, just make sure that one of your many staffers is always present. Problem solved.

Unless that staffer is a woman. Then it's mayhem. MAYHEM!
The BSA changed the youth protection training again this spring, so I had to take it again - for the third time in the last two years (once you take it it's supposed to last for two years...). You're not even allowed to email or text a youth without including some other leader or their parent in the email/text. I'm not saying this to complain, simply to point out that there's a two deep leadership requirement for EVERY interaction with youth.

But - more to the point of this issue - you're also directed that it's YOUR JOB not the youth's job.

That the politician has that requirement - for whatever reason - is fine, but since it's a personal requirement and not one required by the office he's contending for then I'd suggest it's his job to make sure he's able to keep his personal promise to his wife. If he can't do it - provide an intern or whatever - then giving the paper the opportunity to meet his requirement or cancel the interview is probably better than simply canceling it.

Many people will prioritize the relationship with his wife more highly than his responsibility to accommodate the reporter, so I don't see the reporter winning much in the public eye by refusing to meet his requirement and instead reporting on the sexism.

I wonder if anyone is doing any polling on this in that state.
 
Ironically, he also claims that the reason this is, is because we assume it is. It becomes self-fulfilling - because of academia's reputation of being hostile to conservatism, liberals flock there and conservatives avoid it.
This just backs up my point that I did not have their mindset long before I went to college.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
My thought on the matter: The dude is treating this like the Scout thing - never be alone with a kid. It's for everyone's safety.
The difference here is that there's a difference between children and adults. Assuming that women alone with men is a problem when men alone with men isn't, and men alone with the internet isn't, and politicians alone with money isn't, and people alone with alcohol isn't, and.... and then equating that to adults alone with children, takes away agency from women. Children are assumed, usually quite correctly, to be unable to make choices and take action when it comes to many different situations, especially sexual ones. Adult women have agency, they are capable of consent, and generally are assumed to be able to make a decision about how to interact with someone.

If this really were about avoiding impropriety, then why aren't we worried about politicians being alone with an intern and them committing tax fraud together?
 
According to "Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care?" by Neil Gross, self-described liberals outnumber self-described conservatives in academic faculty by just over 10 to 1 (50% vs 4%), and some 5% of professors just can't keep their politics in their pants and end up attempting to indoctrinate their students.

Ironically, he also claims that the reason this is, is because we assume it is. It becomes self-fulfilling - because of academia's reputation of being hostile to conservatism, liberals flock there and conservatives avoid it.
There's also the fact that it's kind of hard to get tenure if your fellows find out you are conservative, leading many to just hide it until they ether get tenure or it becomes apparent they won't. Tenure rides almost entirely on if your fellows want you around... and most liberal folks just don't want to put up with conservative coworkers, if they have a choice. Mind you, that goes both ways: liberal professors aren't going to get tenure at Brigham Young ether.

Most conservative researchers go to work at conservative think tanks anyway. They lose all credibility when they do, but if you just want a paycheck...
 
Also you know, being a conservative requires being dumb or at least pretending to be dumb for your own selfish needs. College professors don't make enough for the latter.
 
How about that professors tend to be curious, interested in the world's problems, and required to build on existing knowledge to do their work? They don't have the luxury of denying evolution if they are in the life sciences. They are passionate about the species in the rainforests, reefs, and Arctic that are dying or threatened because that is what they are studying or have friends or colleagues that are. They want to write new works that reflect the social reality of now, not try to recreate Catcher in the Rye. They are progressive by the nature of their jobs and interests. Likewise, Business, political science, and economics departments tend to have a much more balanced political distribution. Their efforts are differently aimed and their politics reflect that.
 
I saw the situation as a man believing himself to be SO handsome/important/influential/desirableForWhateverReason that he legitimately believes women just can't HELP but throw themselves at him the instant such an opportunity might arise.
This smacks of flagrant Narcissism.

--Patrick
 
Really? But there so many possible allegations of impropriety. Why is only a heterosexual extra-marital affair the only one that's being protected against? Are all his financial records published to prevent accusations of greed? Does he have a GPS installed on his car that tattles on him to make sure that he's not speeding? How does he protect against accusations that he's an alcoholic? Does he submit to regular drug testing to prove that he's not shooting up cocaine behind closed doors? How do we know the male "reporter" he met with wasn't a drug dealer? Maybe he should have his house searched on a regular basis to make sure hasn't set up any altars to foreign gods and started making blood sacrifices to Ba'al.
I meant against any and all. It's still stupid but marginally less the reason he gave.
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The difference here is that there's a difference between children and adults. Assuming that women alone with men is a problem when men alone with men isn't, and men alone with the internet isn't, and politicians alone with money isn't, and people alone with alcohol isn't, and.... and then equating that to adults alone with children, takes away agency from women. Children are assumed, usually quite correctly, to be unable to make choices and take action when it comes to many different situations, especially sexual ones. Adult women have agency, they are capable of consent, and generally are assumed to be able to make a decision about how to interact with someone.

If this really were about avoiding impropriety, then why aren't we worried about politicians being alone with an intern and them committing tax fraud together?
I interpreted that he it isn't for the reporter's protection but his since he won't be able to refuse when she inevitably tries to seduce he will lack the agency to refuse. Still not a great quality for an elected official to have though.
 
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