Monica Lewinsky: The price of shame

[Wella]

I vividly remember the way this young woman was vilified. The only public defending voice I remember hearing was Bill Handel on KFI radio, a local LA station. (The Lewinskys were from Beverly Hills.) During this time, according to the talk below, Lewinsky's mother was sitting by her bedside every night and wouldn't let her shower with the door closed for fear her daughter would commit suicide.

This is a powerful talk. She's nervous, but she is the exact person to speak out about this issue.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

1. It's shameful what Bill n Hill did to that young woman. Glad Monica's recovered from the abusive tactics the sexist Clintons unleashed on her.

[Vincardog]

2. I have no sympathy for poor little Monica. She had a plan when she went to DC. She worked the plan.

Now her time in the spotlight is passed and she is struggling to more attention.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. +1...

most likely she has come back into the spotlight because the pukes want to use her against Hillary and are willing to pay her. I am not a big fan of Hillary's, but this is typical sleazy republican bullshit.

[Wella]

9. You have no idea what was in the woman's mind or heart

And the kind of lie you are spreading here is exactly what she is talking about.

[chervilant]

13. I encourage you to listen again.

Ms. Lewinsky is not asking for sympathy. She is adjuring us to be compassionate, and I think she is sincere in her adjuration.

Besides, as she observed about half way through her TED talk, who among us hasn't done/said something during our early twenties that we deeply regret?

[Geronimoe]

3. So sad America is so messed up

Really all she did was have sex, which is perfectly normal for everyone. It is not as if she hooded a prisoner, tortured people, force fed them, or bombed their wedding or funeral, or invaded another country on fake of ginned up intel.

Bill on the other hand was a sexual predator, who would have been fired if he pulled the same sh*t as manager of a McDonald's.

Interesting that George Zimmerman got more support then Monica.

[mother earth]

4. It is incredibly hard to take such a public negative & turn it into a positive, but aren't we all

works in progress. I so applaud her rise from the ashes, and wish her well.

Any triumph of the spirit is a lesson to us all.

[msongs]

5. gee Ms Lewinsky, personal choices have consequences. same goes for Bill C nt

[1monster]

6. Seems to me that everyone who has replied to this video so far has missed the point.

I t hink she said EVERYONE deserves empathy and compassion.

[Mr.Bill]

8. That's why I'm still waiting

for Monica to apologize to Hillary.

[AndreaCG]

11. The last time Monica came out of the woodwork

She was bashing Hillary for being mean to her back in the 90s. Like Hillary should have hugged and thanked her for her behavior. Not excusing Bill but Monica is nuts to think Hillary was wrong. And the timing of this is so suspicious.

[Wella]

10. They are behaving like the internet trolls

which, oddly enough, is what Ms Lewinsky is talking about.

[suzanner]

12. I agree. Her call is for civility/intelligence in our culture.

What she is talking about is bigger than her unfortunate experience and I believe her. The shame slinging was, at the time, the right wing for the most part. Just as it is 10 years later with their slinging at the current president for political purposes. Half the people most boisterous then were doing far worse themselves. It's just too unfortunate. I think she will need to call out the specific people who most relished the ordeal they put her through. IMO, the public will go with the civility of the media, if it ever surfaces again. She and Bill were the underdogs in the situation. I thought (at the time) he did everything he could to protect her reputation but the RW media and congress was relentless for blood, and far from civil or discrete.

[CTyankee]

14. I lay a lot of the blame for this scandal on Bill Clinton.

I wrestle with the astonishing fact that someone so smart as Bill was could make such a MONUMENTALLY stupid mistake. And I don't want to hear how the rest of the world, particularly in Europe, was so amazed that we Americans were so prudish about leaders having flings. It was no excuse, given that prudishness ---it's just the way it was and still is. And I don't care that repukes were doing the same damn thing and they were being hypocritical. It doesn't matter...

[suzanner]

15. Agreed.. No one's excusing Bill for poor judgment.

It was a terrible thing to do to a very (apparently) naive young woman. Maybe there should be more practical information given to young people when they start college or earlier (girls and guys alike).

[CTyankee]

16. I think there will always be potential groupies out there...

personally, I think Monica was so naive that she probably thought it would be thrilling to be involved with the most powerful man on the earth. He surely knew that was a real possibility. Sheesh, what a mess.

[jalan48]

17. Her timing is perfect. Hillary's in the spotlight so Monica should get lots of press.