Meredith Watson's representatives: Our client will not talk to journalists

[Yosemito]

It's her right and I respect it, although the move is a bit risky given that some people may wonder why she doesn't want to be asked a question here and there.
“Watson’s representatives declined to provide further documentation and said their client would not be talking to journalists.”
https://www.apnews.com/2df045d46fe049d6882f2b7a3adccf71

[LexVegas]

1. I respect a rape victims right to privacy. nt

[wasupaloopa]

2. How about a accused person's right to presumption

if innocence?

[ret5hd]

4. That assumption happens in a court of law.

[wasupaloopa]

6. No it happens in our society in our moral code

Just not at DU.

[Yosemito]

13. Give me a link to the moral code

I would like to review that section.

[Demsrule86]

7. So what we are supposed to believe is that if any woman accuses any man of rape, she must be

believed in all cases? And the man must be punished in some way by a job loss, damaged reputation etc...due process only happens in a court of law and fairness need not be a consideration if a man is accused of rape . I hereby resign from the me too movement. That is just plain wrong.

[brush]

15. Agreed. What is wrong with these people and their rush to judgment?

Especially after what happened to Al Franken.

And I'm sorry, the second accuser's story is getting weider by the day.

[Demsrule86]

21. What is weird about it...I had not heard much ...worked on taxes all day...hoping for a refund

to offset slow short term disability for hubs ( he had an operation) I think he entire thing is a GOP hit job and warrants an investigation.

[UniteFightBack]

19. And you don't have to press charges, have your story vetted or be asked any questions.

Just what kind of shit is that?

[Demsrule86]

20. I agree and I am a woman...one of the ladies is refusing to talk to journalis...protecting her

privacy. That is bullshit.

[LisaL]

25. No, you don't.

But then we expect the accused to resign/be fired based on accusation alone.

[LisaL]

29. Yep, exactly.

Accusations now equal proof. Upon which man must be punished by being fired/forced to resign, and so on. That seems highly problematic to me.

[LexVegas]

10. Like Harvey Weinstein?

[Yosemito]

12. Like the fraternity in the Rolling Stone story

They sued and won big money.

[Demsrule86]

5. I find this suspicious. What about the accused's rights? I guess women never lie and must be believe

always...as woman I don't believe that.

[Demsrule86]

8. So she accuses a person of rape, but will say nothing else because she has right to privacy...do you

really think that is right?

[Yosemito]

9. an accuser's right to privacy

I fixed it but I do agree with you.

[Ms. Toad]

3. Good for her.

Especially after what happened to Dr. Blasey Ford - survivors need to be able to disclose AND to set clear boundaries about how much - and with whom - they will engage in future trauma-inducing reliving of the event.

[Yosemito]

11. I don't follow

Did Kavanaugh get confirmed because journalists asked Ford questions?
He was confirmed because Susan Collins and her gang pandered to the extremist base.

[Ms. Toad]

14. I didn't even mention Kavanaugh - and it's all about the rapist?

Tyson and Watson felt a obligation to disclose their experiences with Fairfax. I support their decisions. I also support their decisions to draw strict boundaries around future engagement on this matter. Both have now said they are done engaging with the public. I support that as well. As surviors, it is critical that they be empowerd to set limits that will protect their emotinoal well-being.

Dr. Blasey Ford had her life ripped to shreds. She was forced to move multiple times, hire security details, and was coerced into testifying. Ultimately, I beleive she took back a signifiant amount of control over that interaction - but from anything I've seen it significantly retraumatized her. I am glad she ultimately agreed to testify - but I would also have supported her (and it would not have changed my opinion of who was telling the truth) had she said - enough. I've made my statement - make of it what you will. I'm done.

Watson seems to be doing that - and if it is the balance she needs to strike for her own emotional health, more power to her.

[Yosemito]

17. You implied we learned some kind of lesson

Due to Ford talking to journalists.
What did journalists that site speak to do to her?

[Ms. Toad]

18. I implied nothing of the kind.

I was talking about the experience of survivors. Any survivor watching Dr. Blasey Ford saw the narrative slip from her control to control by others (including, but not limited to, journalists and congress), and saw her life severly disrupted by her story taking on a life of its own. I am supporting the right (and emotinoal need) of survivors to set their own limits - whatever they may be - on to whom, when, and to what extent they talk about their rape experience - and for those limits to be respected without judgment about whether they should or should not be doing more, or differntly, etc.

[Demsrule86]

22. And? I would wager a good actress could put on quite a show...not saying it happened but the

idea that we always believe the woman ...and anything she says goes ...it is wrong.

[Ms. Toad]

24. The presumption from the beginning of time has been that the woman asked for it

and the man is telling the truth. Rape survivors have been slut-shamed, blamed, ordered to prove that a pencil could be inserted into a moving pop bottle (or the modern DU version customized to Fairfax: it is impossible to force a woman to perform oral sex), called liars, ostrasized for destroying mens' lives, etc.

It is high time the presumption flipped - and the man required to affirmatively prove consent when there is a he-said/she-said situation.

[LisaL]

26. How do you affirmatively prove consent?

Must men videotape all their encounters? I am sure there are laws against that.

[Ms. Toad]

31. As I said - the presumption forever has been that men have consent

unless women are beaten, bruised, have witnesses, etc. It is high time for the presumption to flip. And it's up to men to prove they had consent - just as it always been up to women, by the bruises on our flesh, to prove we put up a physical fight. And far too often, when there aren't bruises, the man's assesrtion as to the woman's state of mind overcomes her own assertion of her state of mind. Since he's not inside her head, that is not the presumption that should arise. She is the only one who can accurately attest to her own state of mind.

A good place to start would be to actually expressly ask for consent. Since far too many men believe no means yes, or a little resistance is an invitation to overcome it, just the simple expectation that men will actually obtain consent before engaging in sexual activity will almost certainly decrease claims like this. In addition, if men develop a habit of always asking, and never proceeding without express consent, that habit evidence would be admissible to establish that he always acted in conformity with that habit - including on the occasion in question.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

30. +1. N/t

[Kurt V.]

27. +1

[kcr]

16. Well, why not? Mission accomplished n/t

[Demsrule86]

23. Sure, she said it so it much be true and all...why a

man has no rights at all if a woman accuses him of rape. she is always right and always telling the truth...sarcasm. Members of both sexes lie. We need investigations to determine what happened and after 15 years It is probably too late to discern the truth.