Why do sexually violent men still pursue powerful public roles?

[Slightyamusedandsilly]

What gives men who engage in criminal sexual activity (rape, assault, sexual violence, grooming etc etc) the confidence to seek high or powerful social positions. Politicians, movie producers, TV celebs/presenters etc.

I was just reading about California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who now has five women accusing him of rape and violent sexual assault.

I mean, if you engage in this sort of activity, wouldn't you realise that eventually, it would be made public? Which would then ruin your career (not to mention result in criminal charges and hopefully jail). It just seems like madness to me to engage in that sort of violence and then put yourself in the media front line, where all of your crimes will at some point be broadcast to the world.

Hubris coupled with the notion that they are untouchable because of their power and the inner circles within which they operate.

What is the proportion of violent assaults that even lead to an arrest? Given how low it is, no wonder anyone takes the chance.

It isn’t usually made public.

very few rapes/sexual assaults are ever reported and very few of the reported ones are ever prosecuted.

Because they get them? And some keep them even when it's public?

I wish it were different. Maybe it's changing.

I think they don't think they've done anything wrong. I think they likely genuinely believe they are 'good guys' and have been unlucky and targeted.

I think they have an entitlement to women's bodies and entitlement to a high ranking public role.

I think a very high proportion of 'normal' men are rapists. I think rape and sexual assault are still not unusual within heterosexual relationships.

Why? It’s the same path to power and dominance that pushes both.

A better question would be how, and why they are not screened out. Although the short answer to that is sexism.

Honestly any other mammalian species that hated its other half this much would have re died out by now. Women are too good for men.

Arrogance and a desire for control.
It is basically the same personality whether you look at it in politics or sex.
Sadly both very common male characteristics.

Power and control.

They do it because they can.

Even if it comes out it doesn’t generally ruin their career. It’s far more likely to destroy the reputation of the woman accusing them than theirs.

And even if they are one of the very small number of men actually convicted of anything that also doesn’t mean their career is over. Look at Mike Tyson. He was actually convicted and went to prison and I’d bet you now, 20 years later many people will know him as ex boxer and for his film roles, rather than as a rapist. More would say “he bit someone’s ear” before they recalled him being a convicted rapist.

Although not sexual, but the current case with Stuart Hogg is an example of how it hasn’t changed. His career is/has been protected despite the fact he is a repugnant human who has harassed and abused his ex wife literally for years.

Psychopathy/sociopathy also play a large role. The Corporate psychopath will both focus on achieving a successful/powerful career and also see nothing wrong with sexual assault/rape/attacking a woman.

I sincerely wish that being accused and or convicted of sexual assault would preclude being elected to public office or any position of power. However, it is quite clear that this is simply not the case Donald Trump being a perfect example.

I don’t think it is just the individual men who are the issue. It’s systemic. Women (and girls) are seen as collateral damage that don’t really count and wider society relays that message constantly. If a man in power is found to have raped a woman then it can be discounted, minimised or blamed on the victim. Look at Donald Trump! We all know what he is.

I was watching a podcast by some guys and this was after someone was found not guilty of a SA or rape. They were speaking from the perspective that some of these claims against famous or powerful men are false.

One of the guys was saying that these men have to understand that they can't have random, casual sex with women. He also brought up the point that there is a reason that it is only now they have all these opportunities (after fame) and it isn't because women love casual sex. It's because there is some level of transaction expected for sex.

So he was saying that a price of fame is that you can't do what an average Joe might be able to do, and that is have a ONS with a willing woman from a nightclub with the reasonable assumption that she isn't expecting anything but sex. He went on to say that women pay many prices for fame, so this is just a downside of that rather than "female privilege" of any kind, which I thought gave him even more credit.