Good news on a dull and dirty day

[woolybanana]

Raise a glass to the NY courts and brave jurors who have given Weinstein 23 years for his disgusting behaviour. Maybe now women might be slightly safer.

[NormanH]

It was 23° and sunny here today.

[idun]

I am glad that Weinstein got his comeuppence, he deserved it, but I have little time for the women who did not clout him all those years ago and walk out. 

[woolybanana]

Norman is right; abuse of women and others is better if the sun is shining.

[suein56]

Why would you write that ?

Today here was warm and sunny so, perhaps, in your world that makes such depraved behaviour better .. ?

Although I agree with Idun in principle; because I am now officially getting on in years I am always conscious of how different views were approx 40 or so years ago.

I remember my Dad being asked to present a sash to a winning Miss Someone-or-other in the 70s .. he was not at all comfortable with his required role but, ultimately, he felt he couldn't refuse due to his position.

Some men were, occasionally at that time, forced into situations which they were not happy with but at that point in time life was very different.

Fortunately times have moved on since then.

Don't for a moment think that I am siding with the monstrous Weinstein .. sprawn of the Devil is how I think of him.

[Lehaut]

And perhaps it has sent a shiver down the spine of a certain Scots person?

[woolybanana]

With any luck!

[PaulT]

Idun wrote:

'I am glad that Weinstein got his comeuppence, he deserved it, but I have little time for the women who did not clout him all those years ago and walk out.'

But could it have been that he was such a powerful figure that if they had said anything his 'pals' (most directors are male) would have blacklisted the woman so the woman would loose their livelihood.

[idun]

This is really a can of worms PaulT.

I would say that there are very very few older women especially,  who have not had inappropriate comments or have  something tried on with them when they were young. My friends and I have discussed this at length and it was also discussed on here.

And we all had the choice of what to do when this happened.

Shy young me, knew to be quick on her feet and never be close to these disgusting older men, and when I started work, that was any male  from 25 onwards. Women/girls were, for sadly too many men, considered fair game.

And now we come to the casting couch........ I would read about it in books, in newspapers etc. Actresses knew about it and made a choice. Fair, well obviously not fair, but if one chooses to give the degueulas old bar stewards what they wanted, it was a choice. Unless drugged or plied with drink which is quite different, well, don't moan about it years later.

[PaulT]

Mmm, but I wonder what these directors said to these young impressionable girls? 'I can make you a star', 'you will go a long way in this industry', 'I could use you in my next big film' etc 'just be good to me and by the way I can make sure no other director will use you'.

Then there are the cases where the female victim feels embarrassed and whose past life will be brought up and cross examined in minute detail.

Perhaps a corner is being turned but look at the number of successful rape cases there are which is very low.

One of the problems with rape is that it is a case of no independent witnesses and how good a defence team the accused can afford!

[nomoss]

I'm reminded of my favourite Banksy work

[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/ZKY3LfMn/Max-Clifford.jpg[/img][/url]

[idun]

PaulT, yes, I am sure that that is said, and if anyone was green it was me, but, I knew what was wrong and what was right. And well, getting to one's 'dreams' at any price is a choice. We all have choices and have to live with ourselves once they are made.

I used to work in the hospitality/leisure industry, and there were a few of the women who didn't hesitate to s hag the under manager to get better shifts or promotion. He was not an 'old' man ie mid to late twenties, and the staff in general were between early twenties to mid thirties, with a couple of older women working there too.

Still he was vile in nature and took any opportunity  offered wasn't hard to see who was up for it as he had a predatory nature. Would these women now say that they were abused, pretty sure they would now, but from my point of view and the 'decent' female staff I worked with wouldn't have touched him with a barge pole, that little group, made their choices, as did the rest of us. He used to say some disgusting things to me too from time to time. I was managerial and would tell a female friend who was also a manager and they just said he was a toe rag and ignore him. Which I did.

I really do not know what happened with women in say factories, what with piece work, and the pressure they were constantly under, maybe predatory men was not such a problem. But I was an office worker and there were too many of those suited respectable looking blokes and I am sure that their families were so 'proud' of their status, but  were quite disgusting and despicable. One in particular I worked with's wife would call into the office from time to time. Looking down on us all and acting as if she and her husband were far superior to the rest of us. My thoughts about that women and her husband, I shall not say, they are not polite or suitable for this board.

[nomoss]

Men abusing women is not the only problem.

When I was a student I worked in my vacation as a long distance lorry driver for a well-known pie factory in Manchester.

The women working in the factory were as rough as they come, and, without going into details, would molest any young man who took a short cut through there to get to the offices.

I was warned, and stayed well clear, although they would shout rude comments when I went along the walkway above the production area.

One young driver had his trousers removed, but he didn't go into any further detail.

[idun]

Thanks for that insight into women working in factories, and I have to admit that I have smiled, because, frankly it was frightening as a young girl when blokes were being in appropriate.

And that there was somewhere where blokes could feel afraid, seems  like a balance has to some extent, somehow been restored. As you saw, it is not nice and no one should do such a thing.