The thing I find the saddest is that all those shitty, tone deaf, poor excuses for an apologies we’ve grown accustomed to is actually the best thing that occurs to them at the time. As in, “wait, wha..., Wait. Ok, focus, let’s try and be sensitive. Ok, say you’re gay / going away / have given up power. That’s what…

Sean. Fucking. Penn

So, everywhere?

I think what he implies is that he took consent to be full and legitimate, when the women might have in fact felt pressured or coerced. He addresses *that* gap that he was not sensitive enough to sense at the time.

I agree with you that this is probably the best apology from a public figure (of those I’ve read). He hits all the marks, addresses the women by name, admits guilt and acknowledges the hidden victims of his actions.

All very true. Agreed

Maybe that’s why he’s so forgiving towards Taylor? Because he secretly loves her for making him news?

You probably wouldn’t have gone into that field in the first place. Yes, people like to feel like they can outsmart everyone else, and do very terrible things because of that. It sucks

That’s very true, and sort of releasing. Thank you

So true. So many people who have been blessed with not facing these issues are unwilling to believe they can happen.

If you’re an average person though, by that point you’ve given them too much information to use against you. It’s so easy, too. You tell your “friend” you’re anxious, the report reads “mentally unstable”. You tell her you met a guy and slept with him, the report reads “promiscuous”, etc.

She was doing her “job”. Don’t let the woman / human being inside you be an obstacle to that.

Well... I guess, but I’m right there with you.

Pshh... That’s for losers. I am the dominant male, and I shall cover you.

No worries, crisis averted

For crying out loud, I’m not accusing you of anything. I was just making a point that besides one’s belief system, there’s a general lack of respect in people (hence the waitstaff example, which wasn’t directed at you).

We all read what we want to read... Or what we need to read when we’re enraged.

This is just my personal experience, but I’ve found that of all the men I’ve known professionally, the hardest ones to get around were those who blossomed into adulthood in the 90's. There’s some of that Wolf of Wall Street wannabe-ism in them that makes them feel chosen for glory and has made the reality crack so…

He’s right and he’s wrong. Accepting a settlement and signing an NDA after being raped must feel like swallowing poison, and it is her choice to pursue fairness in the way she sees fit, but it leaves the matter out of Justice’s (larger sense of the word) hands.

While I respect and understand your feelings regarding the age difference (particularly when you find the older party dislikeable), I feel that we’re too quick to judge in these cases. I’m 35, and I have dated several men who were significantly older (up to 24 years older). I have also dated close to my age, and…