We seem to be confused these days more than ever about sex, sexuality, sexual abuse, indiscretions and improprieties. It’s the perfect psychological environment for political weaponry.
Al Franken made a dumb, sophomoric move, usually remedied by a slap in the face or a kick you know where, but he is no predator.
(Predator: a person or group that ruthlessly exploits others).
Funny, sad really, how looks can either deceive or be dead on. Al has been a cuddly, beloved comedian all his life, now a democratic U.S. Senator from Minnesota. We loved him on SNL, his Stuart Smalley bits were hilarious. We love him as a senator. He just looks funny. Trustworthy. Yes, but capable of indiscretions and making a dumb move, and taking an even dumber photograph ...ten years ago.
But the Republicans, through the media, and through his accuser after ten years, are trying to establish him as a sexual assault criminal. Sounds fishy to me.
Judge Roy Moore of today’s Alabama, on he other hand, not to be mistaken for Judge Roy Bean, “The law west of the Pecos” in the late 1800s, may be legitimately considered a predator if he in fact did target children when he was a grown man. That is perverted, creepy, just plain wrong ...and illegal. And to me, and I know this is unfair, he looks the part.
Ivanka Trump, daughter to one of the great womanizers of all time, our president, Donald J. Trump, has even come out and said that “There’s a place in hell for people who prey on children.”
Womanizer, bad. Predator, much worse, not even in the same ball park.
Let’s review ...
If the story is accurate, God created Man, Adam, then he took a rib from Adam and made Woman, Eve. And women have been breaking men’s hearts ever since. Nonetheless, we men were here first, if maybe only by minutes, but who’s to say, a minute back then could have been centuries.
Man obviously needed a partner, and a mate, to procreate because maybe God saw his mistake in Adam and he knew he needed to improve on the species. A species that would produce other Adams and Eves, and also capable of producing awesome hybrids incorporating the best qualities of each gender.
“Corporations are people, my friend.”
So, being here first, for God only knows for how long, we men had our work cut out for us. Just think of it, sitting alone at night looking at the stars in the shivering cold. There was no fire back then, or even clothing. Those were afterthoughts. Yes, Woman ...makes a whole lot of sense.
Thank you, God.
The fact that men were here first, which I realize is really no point or argument, just like the “fact” that women aren’t equal is a non sequitur, is meaningless regarding the psychosis that has developed over the centuries between the the genders. Our collective and individual rights to life, liberty and happiness, and respect, are equal all the way down the line. The “Me Tarzan, You Jane” attitude went out the window with prohibition, in fact, being here first would mean that women were God’s subsequent gift to us and they should be treated as such.
Women are are lovers, our partners, our teachers, our mothers, our healers, they bear our collective children ...I think they may be the improved species and gender that God intended.
Why would anyone think any differently either here in America or anywhere else in the world?
Forget the fact that, as the story goes, Eve got hung up with Satan in the Garden of Eden over an apple and tempted Adam to break the only rule God had imposed. So forget the glass ceiling, you can see through glass, and it obviously breaks. And while you’re at it forget all the real and imagined barriers that divide us. We are one people. Well, two, man and woman. But we’ll get to that later, I’ve got something that will make you laugh ...
So, where along the line of evolution did things go haywire? Where in our genetic code did the crossovers happen and over how long a period of time did it take for the genders to blend into one another? And where, for God’s sake, did the genders become toxic and attack and abuse their counterparts, and, especially, attack and abuse both same and different gender children?!
Stealing a kiss can be within the lines, commonly remedied, as I said, by a slap in the face and not “coming forth” to the media ten years later. Sexually attacking a woman, a child, or a man, however, is reprehensible. In our confused, politically correct society today we need to recognize the difference. We need to understand that you can not always recognize a book by its cover, but, conversely, that you also can recognize a book by its cover. We need to be alert, pay attention, and be able to recognize the signs. Just like we need to be vigilant in the same way to prevent the mass shooting.
Everything points to mental health.
But it is obvious that men are the problem. Whatever natural, primitive instincts men have to hunt, make fire, be attracted by a woman, etc., somehow got out of control and is causing a lot of problems.
You hear occasionally of a woman, a high school teacher or someone like that, having sex with a young male student. It makes the news then goes away until it happens again. The story is usually a sad one, hard to speak about, and somehow all parties live through it. But rape, sexual abuse, child abuse, and other perversions, as abhorrent as they are, have become political weapons in our society taking everything to a whole new level of reality and the need for awareness.
Speaking of sexual awareness, politics and comedians, and just to lighten the mood a little, here’s a video from actor, comedian and country western artist Rodney Carrington:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgAF86hEXmI
I got a laugh out of this, it’s funny, and amidst all the sex oriented uproar and drama, I hope you do too.
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
