IMF head Strauss-Khan charged with sexual assault, attempted rape and imprisonment of hotel maid in New York

[darleneoconnor]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13402845

Can these sroties ever be reported without a discussion of whether the woman is lying or provoked the man?

It's like Julian Assange all over again.

There was a french man being interviewed about it on News 24 and you could sense a different attitude between him and the British newsreader, Nicholas Owen. The french man was emphasising how bad a crime it was, whereas the newsreader seemed to be fishing for some 'rape myths'.

We'll see how this one pans out.

Jesus - I live in France and have yet to speak to a single person who thinks this is a 'set-up'.

Apparantly before this incident the Sarkozy-ites had more than enough dirt to damage any serious presidential aspirations.

I am shocked beyond belief at the complacency that has gone on prior to this though, and how a man with his history has managed to get to such a position of respect and power.

All we really know is that an allegation has been made, and an arrest has ensued. Unless there is a fundamental lack of trust in the US judicial system, then what we can expect is that there will be a proper investigation and, if sufficient evidence exists, a trial. The allegations have been taken seriously thus far, irrespective of the position of the alleged attacker. It would be premature and wrong to speculate on likely guilt as we don't have all the evidence.

I think this case is a sharp display of how rape is about power. The backstory is extraordinary. He gets on whichever plane he wants through a "long-standing agreement" with Air France. He has $3k a night hotel suites. He pays no tax on his salary. Is it any wonder this man appears to think he can fuck whomever he wants as well?

Well, here we all are again.

French politics may well be a very dirty business, but why is a far-reaching international smear conspiracy MORE or even AS plausible an explanation for what lies behind this story than the suggestion that a woman was attacked and sexually assaulted by a man in a position of power over her? The former is not what most of us regard as an everyday occurrence. The latter unfortunately is.

How on earth do conspirators find these women willing to make false assault claims for money and undergo horrendous drubbings in the press, ruined lives, drawn-out trials etc in the process? Is there a website directory for them (International Feminist Conspiracy Actors.org)? And how do they pay the women off without anyone subsequently noticing?
If it's a conspiracy, has the NYPD Special Victims Unit been got at as well? Or is the maid Mata Hari good enough to fool a team of specialist and experienced detectives? Perhaps the US government is helping out, though it is unlikely they give a monkey's toss whether Strauss-Kahn succeeds Sarkozy (little prospect French foreign and NATO policy would change unduly if he did).

So many questions.

By the way, I am not assuming it's a true bill, I just despair at how the 'conspiracy' line gets trotted out AGAIN because a prominent man has been accused of a sexual assault.

meditrina- He has been charged not just arrested so there must be some evidence against him.

I saw on TWS (I know, I know ) this morning that Janice Ellis said that he had been ''accused of having affairs before''. As if this is an affair!!!

There has been a complete lack of reporting of the fact that the maid (why are they not calling her a housekeeper?) immediately told her boss who then phoned the police. (It wasn't her). Also that he fled the scence, so quickly that he left his mobile. If that made OJ look guilty then why not D S-K?

Larry, it's quite comforting really how you pop up on these threads to try and convince us of our wrongness, and that you are again vindicated

Your brand of sexism is at least signposted quite satisfactorily and can be seen a mile off

to answer how do people like this end up in places of power in the world, , i think thats exactly it: this is not a sex thing, clearly as has been stated, its a power thing, and people who run rough shod over others, generally run rough shod over others, be it underlings, opponents, or chambermaids. its the same, scenario, and its about power.

people like this get in power because they take. Socrates said, those who would run for political office would never deserve it and those that would deserve it would never run.

schwartzaneger comes to mind (but the spell checker doesnt)

The egos of many prominent men accused of rape and/or sexual assault seem to be so inflated that they cannot accept that they could fall foul of sex-crime laws due to their own conduct alone. They have to see themselves, and be seen by their supporters, as worthy of being the target of a huge political conspiracy designed solely to prevent them from exercising their self-styled entitlement to "run/save the world". They are probably much less indispensable in that "saviour" role than they like to think.

Interesting to see this in the Guardian:

'Strauss-Kahn's allies said he was a well-known seducer but the allegations of attempted rape seemed far-fetched and unlikely.'

'Seducer', eh? Isn't this really a term for someone who persuades someone to have sex when they didn't originally want to? Perhaps not a massive step from this to outright sexual assault.

Good on the NY police for reacting so swiftly (though of course we can't jump to conclusions, innocent until proved guilty, etc). This should send a signal to all powerful sexual predators who think women are there to be used for their pleasure.

I think the context is determining the reporting at the moment. Any controversy involving a high-profile figure is meat and drink to the conspiracy theorists.

For those who understand french this interview is so revealing: zonetopsecret.kazeo.com/Scandale/DSK-Accuse-de-viol,a263762.html

Good point re: seducer, MooncupGoddess

Like Casanova - i read some of that book once and was aghast, he was (mainly) a rapist, including of children. "World's Greatest Lover" says who?

What's the gist, camaleon?

It is the interview in which Tristane Banon described how DSK tried to rape her in a TV programme in 2007. His name bleeped out, and there is a full table of men nodding their heads and acknowledging that 'everybody knows' about his behavior. It is sad to see too that she explains that she was dressing conservatively, thus not in a 'provoking' way I guess

Hi camaleon,

My French is rather ropey - any chance you could mention a couple of the key points?

Some of the sadder posts on the Relationships board give insights into the 'grey' areas between sexual persuasion, coercion and outright violence.... and the ease with which some perpetrators can move along the spectrum of sexually abusive behaviour.

Sorry, cross-post! But eeek. I am appalled.

(Good thing she wasn't wearing a low-cut top, eh? The sight of a nice pair of mammary glands is often too much for a red-blooded male to bear.)

Have already tried... It is so shocking to see this 'every body' knows... And how she also explains at the end that she did not press charges because she did not want to be remembered as the 'woman' who had problems with a politician. The interview, the way she also normalizes the terrible situation is so telling about how these guys manage to keep escaping any punishment

Eldritch 11.03 - Yes, the list of feminist conspiracy rape criers exists. It is now open to new applicants. Would you like me to put your name down? It's good m[oney, especially considering that's what we do every Saturday night anyway.

There was a book last year that talked about Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his attitude toward women: "However, the author claims the IMF affair [his affair with an IMF employee a few years ago] may only be the tip of the iceberg, quoting French actress Danielle Evenou as saying: "Who hasn't been cornered by Dominique Strauss-Kahn?" She tells of another female Socialist MP who claims she makes sure she is never alone in a room with him."

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7701145/Dominique-Strauss-Khan-in-sex-book-claims.html

You'd think that a Great Man would be careful to act in a way worthy of his magnificence. But no.

If he'd taken that Air France flight home, he was planning to meet Angela Merkel on Sunday. Maybe she had a narrow escape.

Quote from TeiTetua's link:

'Like all great political animals, he has trouble controlling himself.'

Fascinating metaphorical language (the BBC story also describes DSK as a 'big beast', not a term ever used of female politicians). The implication is that the leader of the pride naturally takes any lioness he likes the look of.

It is of course a totally ridiculous argument, especially given that being a master politician requires an extraordinary level of self-control in the political arena.

Ooh, yes please aliceliddell, I'm saving up for a Situaton Room from which to acheive World Domination and the extra cash would come in handy.

I won't work in Sharia law countries, though, as I don't fancy being stoned for adultery.

Maybe the risk is part of the thrill?

Or perhaps they are just so used to getting what they want sexually with no repercussions that they assume it will always be like that.