Assange: "Sweden Is The Saudi Arabia Of Feminism"

[SemiCharmedQuark]

"Sweden is the Saudi Arabia of feminism," Julian Assange has said in a recent interview. "I fell into a hornets' nest of revolutionary feminism." And there's something the Guardian left out of its report on the accusations against him.

The knee-jerk defense of Assange against sexual assault charges has often hinged on painting Sweden as a haven for feminists gone amok, and now we see Assange himself eagerly seizing on that narrative.

He's also perfectly willing to argue that because they were interested in having sex with him, they had consented to everything. Assange told The Sunday Times Of London that Ms. A let him stay in her apartment for days and hosted a party for him, and Ms. W came to lunch wearing (and this is a newspaper paraphrase) a "revealing pink cashmere sweater, flirted with him, and took him home."

According to the paper — presumably drawing on unpublished portions of the police report — when she woke up to find him penetrating her, she asked him if he was "wearing anything." He allegedly replied, "I am wearing you."

(The Guardian, which first published portions of the police report, left this out; the reporter who did so originally brokered the deal with Wikileaks and has been described as a friend of Assange's, and his own editor said he had "left out a lot of graphic and damaging material in the allegations because he thought it would be too cruel to publish them.")

...

But for now, Assange has yet to be quoted actually engaging the crux of the women's complaints against him, which is that while they wanted to have sex with him, they expressly did not want to have unprotected sex with him. Why is it so hard for him to understand that the women may have wanted to engage in some sexual activity with him, but on their terms? That one may have wanted to flirt in a "revealing" sweater but not have unprotected sex? That what he attributes to jealousy that they weren't the only women he'd slept with on that trip was actually the realization that they were at greater risk than they'd even thought?

Read more: http://jezebel.com/5718817/assange-sweden-is-the-saudi-arabia-of-feminism#ixzz19MbyRlW2

[nemo137]

1. It's entirely possible that Wikileaks is a good thing and Assange is not a good person.

It's even possible that the criminal charges against him are the result of US pressure and that they're also true. We live in a messy world. I look forward to seeing where Wikileaks and it's descendants will go post-Assange.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

3. That is exactly right.

Which is why it disturbs me how many people tried to brush aside the charges as "sex by surprise" in order to defend WIKILEAKS.

[DeadEyeDyck]

26. I agree. WikiLeaks is NOT Assange and Assange is

NOT WikiLeaks!! Their is much more to WikiLeaks than this ego-maniac mysoginist.

[Maru Kitteh]

66. My thoughts precisely. n/t

[elehhhhna]

89. Yep. The egotistical face guy. Not the brain. The face.

[Hello_Kitty]

4. That's what I'm saying.

[Statistical]

7. I think you nailed it. n/t

[sendero]

11. Exactly...

.. if all of our heroes have to be perfect we will never have a hero at all.

I have a question that would help me understand this situation. How long after the alledged offenses took place were they reported to police? If it was more than a couple of days, the charges have no credibility with me.

[TorchTheWitch]

38. why?

What difference does it makes when they were reported? Tons of rape cases never get reported at all including my own. Denial, shame and fear play a HUGE roll in how a rape victim is effected. Why is this not common knowledge?

No wonder so many rapes are never reported with so many people judging the victims and determining whether or not they behaved "properly" while having no understanding of how a rape victim is likely to be effected and behave. Sickening.

[Withywindle]

44. Weren't you all up in it defending Michael Vick on another thread?

I think you were, and the question I ask is this: why can't Vick be BOTH a gifted football player AND a known animal abuser who shouldn't be trusted with anything not football-related? They are not mutually exclusive, and why do you think people shouldn't make their own decisions about which carries the greater weight?

Why can't Julian Assange be BOTH a heroic whistleblower AND a rapist? Those aren't mutually exclusive either.

No one is asking for heroes to be perfect. All we're asking is some understanding that "heroes" might have done some not-so-heroic things, and the victims of that behavior do not deserve to be silenced.

[PoliticAverse]

19. Indeed n/t.

[MH1]

20. Exactly.

Of course it is also possible that there are more persons involved with Wikileaks who are not good people or who are in any case operating from less than pure motives. Or perhaps Assange is the only a**hole in the bunch.

[yodermon]

22. Bingo. Also, the cat's out of the bag for the whole wikileaks model

openleaks
brusselsleaks
balkanleaks
indoleaks
TradeLeaks

so julian can crash & burn, someone else will move forward.

[Taverner]

58. Let there be leaks!

[EFerrari]

23. Assange has been battered for weeks now in the press

who report snippets of his conversations in order to make him look like a dick. Now, he may be a dick but we've seen this tactic over and over again used against everyone from Howard Dean to Obama to Hugo Chavez. This crap is nothing to base an assessment on.

It's more significant that it is being done, imo.

[HEyHEY]

42. Do you REALLY think everything is that planned?

That it is so impossible for Assange to be an actual dick? You realize newspapers LOVE him, right? He gives them material that sells papers and get viewers to tune in.

[EFerrari]

63. In my post, I say he may well be a dick.

It's what they do and some of it may well be planned. Remember the Fox memo to create doubt on climate change.

Assange = bad. He's Saddam's WmD. They loved that, too, and they sneered at Saddam for weeks, remember?

[CanSocDem]

51. Indeed...

..and it's also significant that the whistleblowers reported malfesance is some kind of sexual misconduct. What better to enflame the repressed masses???


.

[bemildred]

59. I don't think most people even get the analogy he is making.

They think it's just name calling like violators of Godwin's law. But what he is saying is that Sweden is a sexually repressive state, but in a feminist way, instead of a paternalist way.

Which is an interesting statement, but not likely to lead to a quiet life.

[EFerrari]

64. It is interesting and yes, I hope he has an umbrella. lol

[Douglas Carpenter]

30. it is certainly true - that good people do bad things and bad people do good things

- as life experience itself frequently demonstrates.

I have certainly known people who have made contributions that have indeed made the world a better place - but on the personal level they are practically sociopaths. I have just as often come across people whose basic character is decent and moral - yet they have within themselves occasional moments of incredible moral lapses and astounding blind spots, particularly in matters of sexuality or personal finances. Perhaps Mr. Assange fits into one or the other of these types of characters. And I suppose it is well within the range of possibility that Mr. Assange was set up or is being unjustly maligned. Since I wasn't there, I simply don't know.

[krabigirl]

47. WHy does it even matter really? How many people are truly "good people" in the public eye.

whatever that even means.

[SidDithers]

53. Good post...nt

Sid

[Taverner]

56. +1000000000000000

[blondeatlast]

72. Exactly; and it's good to see some critical think exhibited on DU. Thank you. nt

[Raksha]

79. Right! Since when was being a schmuck a criminal offense?

Let alone grounds for extradition? I mean, really...how many guys would be walking around free if this "standard" were enforced across the board? That's been my attitude towards the Assange witch hunt all along.

[Hello_Kitty]

2. So anyone with whom Julian Assange consents to sex

Is allowed to jam a giant dildo up his ass at any point afterward. I mean, once you express a willingness to be sexual with someone you are granting permission for whatever they want to do, right Julian?

[Name removed]

9. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HEyHEY]

25. That's what my Fiancee tells me, and boy is my ass tired!

[Hello_Kitty]

34. ROFL!

:rofl:

[cali]

5. yowzer. what an idiotic comment.

Assange doesn't know when to keep his trap shut.

[TorchTheWitch]

39. I can't for the life of me understand why his attorneys haven't muzzled him

He puts his foot in his mouth over and over again. This is the only case I've ever seen or even heard of where the defense counsel allows their client to say anything at all other than "no comment", and I can't imagine what in the hell they're doing. The first rule of defense is make the client shut the fuck up and be their mouthpiece to avoid exactly this foot in mouth syndrome. Either they're totally incompetant (and I just can't believe that since this is first year law school material) or they can't control their client. I'll not be at all surprised if they palm him off to other attorneys. Actually, I'm more surprised they haven't done it already. What are they doing? Just collecting fees while they let him play his own defense game and even go so far as to talk to the press on his own??? Madness. And horribly unethical.

[bemildred]

61. I don't have the feeling that Mr Assange "takes direction well". nt

[Maru Kitteh]

67. Few egomaniacs do. n/t

[bemildred]

92. I guess I must be an egomaniac too, I don't take direction well either. nt

[Maru Kitteh]

120. Thank you for the classic illustration of the hasty generalization fallacy.

[bemildred]

133. Come, come, I was just trying to elucidate why he has not been muzzled yet.

You are the one that suggested it must be because he is an egomaniac. Now you want to back away from it.

[treestar]

74. If he followed that sage advice, he wouldn't get a tenth of the attention

And that's what Julian wants most.

[blondeatlast]

75. True that. Since "conspiracy theories" and Assange seem to go hand-in-hand,

is it wrong of me to suspect it's a set-up to a malpractice charge?

Nothing surprises me with this guy anymore.

[TorchTheWitch]

107. no attorney could be that stupid

Because lately I've been wondering if they weren't in serious danger of malpractice, and NO attorney wants THAT. They would HAVE to know the perdicament they put themselves in doing this, and I wonder if they've been letting it string out this long because they want to keep their high profile big fees client above all else. Still, anyone could see how foolish and dangerous letting it go on THIS long is. They're harming themselves and their client, and neither one makes any sense for either the attorneys or Assange. It's just nuts.

[blondeatlast]

132. I dunno; I think some attorneys could be. I'm a paralegal

and I've heard stories from colleagues.

I've GOT to be wrong, though--I hope to hell I am, anyway.

[Arkana]

6. Mr. Assange, there's a such thing as "message control".

No matter how noble a purpose Wikileaks has, it is inextricably linked to your name and your actions. So when you say shit like this, guess what happens to public opinion of Wikileaks?

I'm not saying it's right or fair--I'm just saying that's how it is.

[Statistical]

8. I don't think Mr. Assange really gives a flying crap.

Everything about it seems to indicate wikileaks was a means to an end (publicity, fame, income, lavish lifestyle, popularity) not necessarily a means to itself (creating more open and transparent governments).

That isn't to say wikileaks isn't valid, it just means Assange isn't a idealist.

[JI7]

13. you think it's really about wikileaks for Assange ?

[krabigirl]

46. wow..so your opinion of wikileaks hinges on this guy? ro

I mean, Steve Jobs is a jerk..a complete jerk to women in the past as well. But people buy Apple stuff by the crapload. I couldn't care less if the guy is an ass.

[OregonBlue]

55. The point is that everyone was claiming that the charges against him were obviously fake.

After reading his comments, I'm much more inclined to believe the women. Appears the guy has a giant ego and that he is entitled to sex with whomever he wants whenever he pleases and how can they so no to his huge ego.

[FreakinDJ]

10. As in the Duke Lacrosse case this doesn't pass the smell test

However, his Swedish lawyer has been shown evidence of their text messages which indicate that they were concerned to obtain money by going to a tabloid newspaper and were motivated by other matters including a desire for revenge."

Just as with the "Duke Lacrosse / Magnum Case" I'd prefer to wait until ALL the facts are in before passing judgment. If I only had a nickle for every Feminist moving in Lock Step, condemning the Duke players before even 1/10 of the actual facts were known

[Violet_Crumble]

12. Is there a link to the interview where he made that comment?

I'd like to read the interview itself....

[blogslut]

15. You'll have to either pay a subscription or

find someone with a subscription that's willing to copy/paste it for you. The interview is behind a pay wall:

The article is titled: "Accuser snapped me in the nude." by Marie Colvin.

www.thesundaytimes.co.uk

[Violet_Crumble]

16. Okay, thanks.

Seems to me that Mr Assange would quite understandably be incredibly pissed off at the way he's been treated by Sweden and saying things that are venting his anger. I'm not going to hold it against him, especially as those who are so self-righteously coming down hard on him for the comment are generally silent when it comes to comments that go beyond stupid into sheer dangerous, like all those ones from Americans calling for his murder...

[denjo]

134. This is the original post

Its interesting that the discussed quote stands for itself and lacks off context even in the given article by Marie Colvin.

"Assange regards himself as a victim of radicalism. “Sweden is the Saudi Arabia of feminism,” he said. “I fell into a hornets’ nest of revolutionary feminism.”"


If you want to read the full text contact me via xmxyxmxoxnxoxtxyxpex at xgxmxaxilxcxoxm (delete all x).

[harvey007]

14. Beware of malware on that website

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gawker_Media

[Violet_Crumble]

18. Thanks for the heads up n/t

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BlueIris]

21. Um...wait, first it was a conspiracy to oppress you, now it's a "hornest's nest of feminism."

Get on with it, Mr. Assange. If you're going to go, go all the way, and don't complain about having to deal with the consequences of your actions like a normal person. Scapegoating feminists instead of the establishment will not win you any sympathy points.

[HEyHEY]

43. Bah! It's well known the US "establishment" are all femminists

We've been calling it "the man" all these years, from now on I'm going to refer to the establishment as "The Swedish Woman"

[HEyHEY]

24. Damn femminists and their uppity demands for protected sex.

[Better Believe It]

27. Is the editor-in-chief of Jezebel also the editor of Gawker? Real reliable liberal news sources.

"Jessica Coen, Editor, Gawker.com
25-year-old Jessica Coen caused a major buzz in the blogosphere when she stepped in last August to take over Gawker, the must-read gossip blog."

Ya. That's where I want to get my "juicy" news from. The editor of a gossip publication.

It ranks right up there with the National Enquirer on my must read list.

Wow! Here's a hot expose on that nasty Julian Assange ....



WIKILEAKS GURU RAPE BUST



http://www.nationalenquirer.com/wilileaks_julkian_assage_arrested_rape_ngland/celebrity/69777

He sure looks guilty to me! Might also be a pedophile.

[HEyHEY]

28. No, no!

Don't you know, if the publication says things WE agree with it's legit. What are you, new here?!

[SemiCharmedQuark]

36. She didn't do the interview, she is reposting the information.

Of course, you know that.

[Better Believe It]

50. The editor simply reposted this "reliable" garbage from where?

[tammywammy]

62. "The Sunday Times Of London" it says it right in the article. n/t

[Better Believe It]

101. Where is the link? And who is the author? Anyone?

[tammywammy]

121. Here's the article

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/wikileaks/wikileaks-founder-baffled-by-sex-assault-claims/story-fn775xjq-1225976459286

[sabrina 1]

29. He is absolutely right. Sweden fell prey to some real

extremists. Eg, the women's lawyer believes that 'all men are guilty of abuse, just because they are men' and he supports what in Sweden, these extremists call a 'Man Tax'.

Iow, if you are a man, you are guilty by default. If you think I'm making this up, I am not.

Assange is right and the problem existed before he ever got there, but yes, he did fall into a trap, especially once that extremist lawyer took over and got the Prosecutors to reinstate the case.

Another belief he has is that women do not know if they have been raped or not. Even if a woman says she has not been raped, he claims 'the state will make that decision'.

Both of the women in this case stated early on that there 'was no rape, no violence and no fear of violence' but clearly their attorney believes that women are too stupid to understand these things.

People should check out Sweden's attitudes towards men, it's pretty scary. I wouldn't be very anxious to visit that country if I were a man.

Otoh, if I were a woman who wanted to 'get' a man, it's a great place to visit.

[Arkana]

31. Someone in Sweden watched a little too much Lifetime.

[CJvR]

54. We have...

...control of our Feminazis, they barely managed to get to the level of a rounding error in the last election - unlike our actual nazis who got 20 seats.

[seabeyond]

32. just keeps on proving what an ass he is. nt

[Number23]

37. Yep.

[Brickbat]

33. God, what a pile of steaming crap.

I find this a good response:

If you’re even a casual consumer of the news, you’re no doubt aware of the plight of men in Sweden. If you’re a man in Sweden, your rights are not your own. You must have a female guardian — no matter how old you are. You can’t leave your neighborhood — indeed, your own house — without your guardian’s permission. She has the right to veto your marriage; indeed, you’ve probably heard of the 42-year-old Swedish doctor who’s suing his mother to allow him to marry. You are not to have contact with women you are not related to without family supervision. Indeed, you’re not even allowed to drive.

Do you like sports? You can’t play ‘em. Interested in politics? You can’t participate in ‘em. Want education? You can get it — but it’s heavy on your responsibility as a man to serve women. And if you’re assaulted by a woman, you’d best not report it — a man who was kidnapped and assaulted by seven Swedish women was famously sentenced to six months in prison and a whipping for being in the presence of women he was unrelated to — and when Men’s Rights Activists complained, the sentence was doubled.

Yes, being a man in Sweden is horrible; it’s pretty much being consigned to subhuman status, mere property of your female relatives. It’s a horrible country for men’s rights, and nobody would think of drawing a comparison between that nation’s laws and more egalitarian laws elsewhere.

Of course, by “Sweden” I mean “Saudi Arabia.” By “men” I mean “women.” By “women” I mean “men.” And by “nobody” I mean “Julian Assange.”

http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2010/12/27/the-man-is-the-woman-of-swedish-wahhabism/

[HEyHEY]

41. Yeah that is good. n/t

[yodermon]

60. WOW that's good. Needs to be an OP. n/t

[blondeatlast]

76. That's brilliant--but it'll burst a lot of brain cells. nt

[Zax2me]

35. And so the petals begin to fall

He was applauded too hastily for who he is, what he did and is going to do.
Now the reaction is going to swing too far the other way.
Not unlike like the reaction to Obama.

Emotions run fast and hard, yea, stick it to the other side - everyone certain of this or that with the click of a mouse button.

No one sees with any concern for pace or time anymore.

[bluestate10]

85. Assange worshipers will defend him to the bloody end.

Where have you been? Obviously not reading DU. Assange is nearing god status on this site. Criticizing Assange brings a sundry of woe and attacks on character and motive.

[Withywindle]

40. What a steaming pile.

Oh, Assange, I feel SO sympathetic for your PERFECTLY NATURAL desire to stick your uncovered dick into a sleeping woman who only consented to sex using a condom when she was awake enough to consent. :sarcasm: OH, and if Sweden says this is wrong by their laws, that OBVIOUSLY makes them just like Saudi Arabia (where women aren't allowed to DRIVE. Does Sweden forbid men from driving? Yeah, didn't think so.)


I feel this is related to the Michael Vick thing, actually. It's possible to believe that Vick is both a sociopathic torturer AND an amazingly good football player. It's possible to believe that Roman Polanski is a child-raping scumbag AND that 'The Pianist' was a great film. It's possible to believe that Assange is a hero on the journalism front, AND ALSO a rapist.

It's amazing what people are capable of, both good and bad. Can we not diminish the pain of the victims of even "good" people's actions, please?

[WildEyedLiberal]

93. + 1 billion

Well stated.

[krabigirl]

45. this article has nothing to do with wikileaks. who cares? ro

and honestly, even if he did say that, so what?

[jeanpalmer]

48. Plus he could be correct

The current prosecutor in his case is charged with finding novel ways to prosecute people. That right there is a giant red flag. It seems to be inconsistent with the objectivity one would expect of a prosecutor. I'm guessing that is what Assange is referring to. How many people on this thread would like to have their fate in the hands of such a prosecutor?

The other thing is, as far as I know we've only heard one side of the story. It's amazing how many people are quick to condemn him without hearing him out.

[blondeatlast]

78. "so what?" He decided to make himself a public figure, with all the bennies and

downfalls that befall public figures.

I got over icon worship around 13 years old.

[Dash87]

49. This guy just really seems like a bad person

His message is good, but I don't think he is. I can seperate the two.

If he committed rape, he deserves to go to jail. He sounds like he might be a misogynist.

[SidDithers]

52. Damn those femnists, for standing up to their assaulters...nt

Sid

[EFerrari]

65. There are feminists on both sides of this debate. n/t

[seabeyond]

73. i think it is more about harping about feminists for his situation. always the feminists

those big ole, bad, mean feminists picking on men.

old tripe that is used over and over by men

[EFerrari]

80. I think you have missed his point entirely.

He was talking about a national policy, not about individuals "picking on men".

[seabeyond]

81. no... he wasnt. he was doing the feminist whine. if it was about national policy, he would have

talked about national policy.... not the mean ole feminist picking on man.

pulling the feminist whine says a hell of a lot about the ass.

[EFerrari]

84. You seem to personalize everything. I really don't find that useful.

No, he wasn't taking about any particular women, he was talking about policy. Have a nice day.

[seabeyond]

88. no, he wasnt talking about anyone particular woman, but women as a whole. you are right. nt

[Violet_Crumble]

96. That's NOT what the poster yr replying to said...

EFerrari said he was talking about policy. Since when does the word 'policy' get morphed into reading as 'women as a whole'?

[seabeyond]

97. well how about him bitchin about feminist... all woman who dare? what?

he may be bitchin about policy, but it is on the back of whine against feminists.... and women.

[Violet_Crumble]

100. He's not bitching about feminists at all.

He's talking about policy. EFerrari specifically said that in her post, yet you changed it from policy to all women. I'm both a feminist and a woman and I have a problem with that Swedish case, and to say he's 'whining' about feminists is ignoring that many feminists have some major concerns with the Swedish system...

[seabeyond]

112. Sweden...Saudi Arabia of feminism,""hornets' nest of revolutionary feminism."

eferrari can say he didnt say it all she wants. you can tell me he doesnt mean feminist all you want. the man has made clear his opinion. and it is all the feminists fault for his perdictament. i am damn tired of men whining about all the woes being feminists....

he is an ass

[Violet_Crumble]

116. That is NOT talking about feminism or all women at all...

It's what you want it to say because you obviously hate Assange a fair bit, given the way you talk about him and men in general. It's clear that he's talking about policy and not all women or feminists in general. Seriously, I'm damn tired of feminism being hijacked in order to attack Assange...

I don't care whether you think he's an 'ass' or not. He may well be a complete wanker, but I know a lot of wankers on personal levels but who I admire for the work I do. If, based on facts, I were to decide he fell into the complete wanker category, I'd still admire what he's done with Wikileaks...

[Maru Kitteh]

123. Who do you imagine he believes the source of "revolutionary feminism"

if not women? If you can make any plausible case to the contrary please do so. Your assertions are falling flat on their faces because you've refused to support them.

[Violet_Crumble]

128. Who? I don't know what his or her name is...

But it's definately not all women as the other poster claimed. That should be crystal clear to anyone with basic reading skills. I'm not making any assertion, btw. I merely pointed out quite correctly that the poster had incorrectly claimed a poster she'd replied to had said something she hadn't.

[seabeyond]

124. it isnt me saying anything. it is the man saying this. and yes.... it is the male whine about

feminist being the doom of their existence. the evil of all evil. the cause of all the social injustices and the end of the world as they have always known it. you may want to pretend that really... really, he is not whining about women. but he is whining about all women as a whole by using the bullshit "eve" excuse of femininst.

believe. dont believe it. i dont give it a shit. but the mans words speak for themselves. i have heard too many men make comments like this. too many men. it isnt something new.

[Violet_Crumble]

129. Bullshit. He didn't say what you claim he said at all...

He said one thing. You said he said another. The sentences have different words in them. That should be a massive clue that yr misunderstanding what he said. Though I do like how with each post, you add even more to what you claim he's saying. I'll add a bit that says he bites the heads off tiny kittens and uses them as tennis balls. It's fun adding things to yr sentence :)

No, I don't think he's whining about all women. That's because he's reacting to a specific incident and while you seem to think if someone's a man, he must shut the fuck up and not be angry about how he's treated, I think it's very understandable he is angry.

That's really good that you don't give a shit if I agree with you or not. Because I don't. I'm glad you know where we stand on this now :)

[seabeyond]

130. i am talking about assange.

every one of my post is talking about assange. if you think we are having a conversation about a fellow poster, i am not. i am not starting from the beginning to a post 7 times ago.....

[MilesColtrane]

57. At least, since signing that $1.3 million dollar book deal, he'll be able to afford..,

the extra-strength condoms now.

[whatchamacallit]

68. Seems to me all the "feminist" outrage is cover

for people who want to covertly attack Assange for what he's doing with wikileaks. He hasn't even been formally charged, but the lynching is in full gear.

[Violet_Crumble]

86. That's very much how it's coming across...

It's a bit of a mud-flinging thing to try to divert attention away from some of the juicy stuff amongst those leaked cables....

[cherokeeprogressive]

69. Didn't he also say, and I paraphrase... "I didn't WANT to write this book, but I HAVE to"

Yeah Julian, you HAD to, but NOT to pay legal bills. Hell there are enough people here at DU who would willingly pay your legal bills AND let you marry a couple of their daughters. You're writing this book to keep your name in the spotlight.

Ever notice how he's always mugging for the cameras? I saw him walking through a door the other day and he stopped, turned to face the cameras, and posed like he was Miss Fucking Universe. Then he turned and walked through without saying a single word.

[treestar]

70. If you don't like a country's laws, then stay the hell out of that country!

:nopity:

[fascisthunter]

71. lol

fail

[DefenseLawyer]

77. It never fails.

Everyone stakes out his or her position on an "issue" and instantly decides which "side" they come down on in every case. Facts be damned. If I'm a "feminist" I can't possibly admit that on some occasions there have been false accusations of rape, and if I do, then obviously I condone rape and hate women. If I'm anti-drugs, I can't admit that some people benefit from marijuana. If I "support the police" it means I have to rationalize Rodney King or Abner Louima and if I don't then it must mean I hate cops. How about we just let the facts come out and make a decision on a case by case basis without letting our "positions" decide for us? It's a lot to ask, I know.

[seabeyond]

82. he did the male whine about the evil feminist causing all the woes of the world or

sweden anyway.

ONE thing we have not had, is any kind of balance in this whole issue with the man. the women are bitches and he is a hero being picked on. i dont know. i havent staked an opinion, but everything i have seen and heard with this man, he has fallen short of the hero worship. i am in the minority. it certainly doesnt put me in a position to judge the swedish case.

no position on that

but the comments he made and is making says a hell of a lot about him.

[Violet_Crumble]

87. Actually, he did nothing of the sort...

And I've seen plenty of 'balance' provided where anyone questioning the story is labelled a hero worshipping rape apologist, and where Assange is called all sorts of nasty things.

Making stupid comments doesn't make someone a rapist or a bad person, btw, otherwise most of the membership of DU would be both...

[seabeyond]

90. it does let a person know how stupid they are and the stupid they come from

then to further the stupid thru action all over the place is a real indication of who they are.

want to love the guy? go for it

[Violet_Crumble]

91. As I said, that'd also apply to most DUers who've also said stupid things...

Saying or doing something stupid doesn't make someone a stupid person. Very intelligent people can say and do stupid things.

Huh? I don't want to love the guy, and don't hero worship him, so why say something like that? It is possible to be highly critical of the lynch-mobs aimed at him without thinking he's a wonderful and amazing person...

[seabeyond]

94. lynch mob my tush. on du, to not be impressed with the man is way against the norm

not buying into his bullshit is opposite of most of the liberal think. words matter. what a person says matters. what a person does matter. they are indicative of who he is. he has laid out a clear indication of who he is as a person. he is not someone i can admire, or be impressed with or frankly, admire. that is me. i see the ego, the childish behavior, the smarmy comments and it leaves me cold.

that is me. that is my perception. that is what he leaves me with.

there was a seg on tyt about a woman suing her hubby for going into her email to find out she was cheating on him with her X. the ruling from tyt is he had no right to go into her email. that she should be able to sue. yet they applaud these emails that have nothing to do with anything but to embarrass others. not crimes. the responsible person, with this awesome responsibility holds what is not relevant. this man wants titilation.... i dont respect that. his character is proven out time and again. he has lost respect. if he would have more integrity, he would have more support.

[Violet_Crumble]

95. No, the reaction has been a virtual lynch mob....

I've seen it in thread after thread here at DU.

As I'm about to say very clearly for the third time now, most people, including us DUers, say and do stupid things and under a lot less stress than Assange. Do you judge everyone as harshly? I don't really care what Assange is like in reality (as opposed to the media stuff that some at DU so eagerly swallow) as what I admire is what he's done with Wikileaks....

Yr post starts off with Assange and then ends with Wikileaks. Or are you confusing them and think Assange IS Wikileaks?

[seabeyond]

98. you can say it a third, fourth and fifth time. and i will say again words and action have meaning

he says stupid fuckin shit that lets us know where he is coming from and then you come along and say, silly boy, didnt mean. how the fuck do you know he didnt mean exactly what he is saying and is an egotistical ass.

[Violet_Crumble]

105. But you don't explain why you apply such harsh judgement only to Assange...

..and not to most of us at DU who say stupid fucking shit. Because it happens all the time here.

And I didn't come along and say what you claim I said. I think yr misunderstanding what's being posted, fwiw...

I really couldn't give a shit if he meant what he said or not, nor do I think saying it makes him an 'egotistical ass'.

[seabeyond]

113. this is crazy violet. you want to give him a pass. do it. fuck him. he is an ass. he proves

once again, what an ass he is.

[Violet_Crumble]

117. No, I don't want to give him a pass, but I don't want to blindly attack the guy...

You hate his guts. I get it. I just don't get the rage and the energy exerted on something so silly, that's all.

btw, he hasn't proven anything about himself. You've come into this thread holding some very negative opinions about him (I've seen earlier threads at DU), decided to read a quote supposedly from an article you haven't read, and announced that with that snippet of a quote, he's proven he's an ass. Yet you only hold Assange to that standard, as you don't think anyone else who makes a stupid comment is an 'ass'...

[seabeyond]

125. it is not blindly attacking the man when it is his words. jeeeezus. yes you do want to give him a

pass. and you demand that we all do.

really

merely something stupid he has said. we all say stupid shit.

that is lame. it fails. the best you can do is accept that not all people are going to agree with you. he is an ass

[Violet_Crumble]

127. Throwing insults around about him with no coherent explanation IS blindly attacking him...

And, no. Not wanting to join some 'feminist' lynchmob doesn't mean I want to give him a pass. Why does it have to be one extreme or the other for you?

merely something stupid he has said. we all say stupid shit.

that is lame. it fails. the best you can do is accept that not all people are going to agree with you. he is an ass

No, actually it's not lame. What do you hope to achieve by repeating again and again that he's an arse without explaining why you judge him so much more harshly than you'd judge anyone else who makes what you consider to be a dumb comment. It's clear it's because you hate him intensely for whatever reason you have, but I think it's kind of a weak reason to expect everyone else to hate him. See, part of the problem is that you seem to think that if someone doesn't hate him with the same energy you do that means they're giving him a free pass or not accepting that others think he's an arse. Believe me, I get that you think he's an arse. I don't give a shit if he is or not, but I think I've already pointed that out only a few times less than you've told me you think he's an arse...

[seabeyond]

131. i have thrown out specific insults. i have told you repeatedly why he is an ass

and your defense of him is truly amusing.

[bluestate10]

83. Classic rapist defense. " I gave it to her because she asked for it."

Defend Assange? Why?

[Taverner]

99. Jules, bro - this is not helping

Especially since Feminism is NOT your enemy. I repeat, Feminism is not your enemy.

Unless, of course, you find women less than human - which is a fucked up idea.

[Liquorice]

104. I do think feminism is Assange's enemy. He clearly hates it. nt

[Violet_Crumble]

106. How do you define feminism to come up with that?

He clearly hates what's been done to him by the Swedish authorities. As for hating feminists, I don't sense anything like that from him.

[Liquorice]

108. I base my opinion on Assange's own words. nt

[Violet_Crumble]

110. I didn't ask you why you have that opinion. I asked for yr defintion of feminism....

I've read that you thought he was a creep before this, but that doesn't explain how you could define feminism to come away from it saying he hates feminists. So I'd like to know how you define feminism in a way that excludes feminists who have major concerns with the Swedish system and what they've done to Assange...

[Liquorice]

114. It was the way HE referred to feminism that clued me in to his feelings about it. My definition of

it has nothing whatsoever to do with his quote about it.

[Violet_Crumble]

118. You can gather all that from a few short words out of context?

That's a pretty cool trick! Or it could be that it's what you want him to think and so it's handy just to attach those feelings to those few words. Personally, there's some forms of American feminism I can't stand. Ones where women seem to think it's their duty to 'protect' other women and take the role previously held by men in trying to shape our behaviour and our sense of identity. Then there's the Feminists for Life. Blech. And the feminists who demand that other women dress how they want them to dress or else. I think all of those are uglier things wrapping themselves up in the label of feminism, and I think there's other motivations for the attacks on him now by some wielding the big stick of feminism...

Anyway, do you have a link to the interview where he actually said what the OP is claiming he said?

[Taverner]

119. He THINKS he hates it

I'll bet if he were given a proper definition, he'd find its not so bad

The Limbaugh "Feminazi" meme has persisted WAYYYYY too long

[Better Believe It]

102. And the propaganda offensive and character assassination campaign against Assange continues

Even some well intentioned liberals can get caught up in it.

That happened to more than a few liberals during the 1950's "red hunt" hysteria.

[HEyHEY]

109. Yes, he was clearly forced to say "Sweden is the Saudi Arabia of femminism"

[Violet_Crumble]

111. Yet there's still no link to the actual interview where he said it...

I'd like to see it in the context it was said in rather than rely on soem blog that has put some crap malware on my computer...

[tammywammy]

122. Here's the article

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/wikileaks/wikileaks-founder-baffled-by-sex-assault-claims/story-fn775xjq-1225976459286

[Violet_Crumble]

126. That wasn't an interview. That was a quote in an article in a RW Murdoch rag n/t

[Liquorice]

103. He's a creep. I never had any doubt about that. nt

[OnyxCollie]

115. Didn't Al Gore molest a masseuse?

I read it on the Internets so it must be true.