About Anita Hill

[madaboutharry]

41. I am can to say something that is unpopular.

I think that Anita Hill is being unreasonable. The Anita Hill hearings were an affront to all that is just. No argument there. However, I am someone who believes that certain situations need to be viewed through the lens of the time in which they occurred. Certainly there is never an excuse for unlawful behavior or the behavior that Thomas was accused of, but when it is a "cultural" issue, like responding to a claim of harassment, then I think there are cases in which we need to withhold judgment. This is especially true when an individual, as Joe Biden has done, has gone on to demonstrate that they have learned from their mistakes.

I think Joe Biden could have done a great deal more during the Anita Hill hearing. He should have shut down his republican colleagues' planned character assassination. At the same time it needs to be recognized that the world was a very different place 30 years ago. I don't think it is fair to hold anyone to standards that did not exist at the time.

Would it be a relief if he would swallow his pride and say that he fucked up? Yes, it would. Still, I understand Joe Biden's stubbornness on this issue. He has gone as far in his apology as he thinks is fair. I truly think that cluelessness along with living in the "man" bubble contributed to the mess it turned out to be. But I believe him when he says he believed her complaint and never meant her any malice in the way he conducted the hearing.

I am just putting this out there. Joe Biden is not my top choice, but I think he needs to be evaluated by the whole of his life, not one terribly conducted hearing which he says he regrets.