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mythology

(9,527 posts)
22. Um, "sure my boss took advantage of me" kind of indicates even then she had misgivings about
Sun Sep 23, 2018, 11:03 PM
Sep 2018

her consent, but also more recently (2018) she wrote this, specifically referencing the quote you cited:

Now, at 44, I’m beginning (just beginning) to consider the implications of the power differentials that were so vast between a president and a White House intern. I’m beginning to entertain the notion that in such a circumstance the idea of consent might well be rendered moot. (Although power imbalances—and the ability to abuse them—do exist even when the sex has been consensual.)

But it’s also complicated. Very, very complicated. The dictionary definition of “consent”? “To give permission for something to happen.” And yet what did the “something” mean in this instance, given the power dynamics, his position, and my age? Was the “something” just about crossing a line of sexual (and later emotional) intimacy? (An intimacy I wanted—with a 22-year-old’s limited understanding of the consequences.) He was my boss. He was the most powerful man on the planet. He was 27 years my senior, with enough life experience to know better. He was, at the time, at the pinnacle of his career, while I was in my first job out of college. (Note to the trolls, both Democratic and Republican: none of the above excuses me for my responsibility for what happened. I meet Regret every day.)


https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/02/monica-lewinsky-in-the-age-of-metoo

There are very good reasons most companies ban sexual relations between people in direct line of authority. It's very complicated and dangerous because consent is tricky when one partner holds all the power. Sure there may not be a direct statement of "sleep with me or you're fired", but the subtext is there. It's why hospitals are requiring doctors to take communication training to help a patient actually be able to give informed consent.

It's why we don't allow inmates, even death row inmates, to donate organs because consent is so tricky and it can have the potential for improper behavior.

Is Bill Clinton a predator? I would say yes, just as I would say about any boss who has sex with their employee. Is Bill Clinton a criminal for that? No and obviously so.

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