Noam Chomsky

[HelenaWaiting]

Another Epstein crony makes a grovelling apology, or rather, his wife makes one for him. Am I being too harsh to think that his comment about "the hysteria that has developed about abuse of women" is pretty much unforgivable?

Hysteria was a pretty horrible choice of word for the crime he was being dismissive about. Especially for a language expert.

It feels a deliberate choice to me.

Im not suprised Gail Dines was shocked and upset. I mean, we know intellectually it can be all men0 but still when you find out it is indeed ALL MEN including prominent leftwing thinkers who are lionised as some sort of moral touchstone

Really disillusioned by Chomsky. I didn’t realise that I had any illusions left, until I read about him.

The underlying sentiment I get from misogynist men (or should I just say "men"?) be they clever left wing types, emotionally repressed right wingers, sociopathic tycoons or US inspired gender loons, is "When it comes to it, I'll do exactly what I want, because I can".

They have no idea how similarly they come across.

Exactly. Most of us think it's not all men, because we all know men who are perfectly nice and decent, and it's not unreasonable to assume that prominent men in public life, particularly those known for left-wing views, are able to achieve at least a baseline of not hating women and girls. It's really not a lot to ask for, is it?

Also, let's all remember one thing about all these people who claim not to have realised how awful Epstein was: he had already been to prison in 2009 for sex offences. Anyone who was in touch with him after that has no excuse.

The statement came from his wife as after his stroke he can no longer speak or type.

Yes, this. You've expressed it better than I could.

I have a feeling that one of the reasons why Epstein's conviction for sex offences against minors, i.e. girls under 18, was brushed under the carpet was because the victims were young girls/women.

There seems to be a kind of 'normalising' around sexual abuse against girls.
A man having sex with a 16 year old boy is a paedophile; a man having sex with a 16 year old girl 'likes them young' and got lucky.

The fact that some of Epstein's victims were much younger than that was conveniently glossed over by his associates.

Girls are said to 'mature earlier' and are considered fair game by that kind of predator. The sexual abuse of girls and boys of a similar age is seen differently.

If Epstein had been imprisoned for abusing boys in 2009, would he have lived such a depraved, open and charmed life?

@MarieDeGournay just as an aside many years ago I spent some time working in a police control room. It was noticeable, and female police officers agreed with me on this, if a boy/male teen was sexually abused the reaction from the men investigating was so different to their reaction if a girl/female teen was abused. It was almost as if females being abused was not so bad because, well girls have penetrative sex. I know this is only anecdotal but it's made me think ever since, ' do men really not understand the trauma of sexual assault'. I wonder if Epstein would have got away with it for so long if his victims had been boys?

This. A bit gutted tbh.

Yep.

Of course women talking about the abuse they suffer is 'hysteria'.

Chomsky is big on linguistics and power, isn't he?

Yes I have seen that sentiment too.

I don't think there has to be a hierarchy of victim.

But men never acknowledge, for example, the difficulty of being a heterosexual woman so therefore bound to be attracted to the sex of human that assaulted you. Of having to seperate out the experience of rape in your mind from the experience of consensual sex.

It's weird they think that violating a body part which is also used for consensual pleasure somehow makes the experience less traumatic.

For sure.

Creep

Thank you for this.
I noticed it here in Ireland, where the scandal of priests sexually abusing children is almost always presented as the abuse of boys.

Male survivors [who also deserve all the support and care they need] are all over the media, much is made of how difficult it is for men to talk about childhood sexual abuse [like it's easy for us women survivors?], and that abuse in childhood has ruined their lives, but the fact that girls were abused too is glossed over.

'Evil Priests Abused Boys'
is a more socially manageable headline than
'Evil Fathers/brothers/neighbours/uncles/priests/grandfathers/any man, really Abused Girls'

Deepak Chopra, the self styled spiritual guru has also appeared in the files, saying something like, God is a social construct but cute girls are real. A lot of pp are gonna be very disappointed in him.

Conman reveals himself.

there was a time when I read a lot of his books (I should probably have been putting more baccy in it to be fair)

no - it is an utterly shocking word to use about anyone.
And i don't need to be tone-policed, thanks.

He is, and appears always was, an utter cunt.

is it bad of me to think: good. I hope he is really suffering from having a brain as active as ever and he can't express himself. So sorry. get in the bin, mate.

The bros almost invariably side with the bros - 1st law of patriarchy. He's just another bog standard "women are hysterical" bloke, they have been in charge since the dawn of time, they don't change.

“Hysteria.” 🙄 What, no opportunity to wedge in a “Karen” too?

The pair of them (Chomsky and the wife) come across as intellectual snobs who thought themselves oh so deserving of adulation and some free handouts from a rich guy. NC clearly looked past the sexual offences to see how he could benefit.

Zero sympathy.

Kevin Bridges was - as per usual - perfectly observing of the fact that women in Glasgow have, for decades, and with provocation, threatened to kick men's cunts in. Its a gender neutral pronoun at this point.

We reclaimed that word and how we want to use it years ago, do keep up.