So, on the video of nasty-ass Bush groping the German chancellor, I have a question. I showed it to my co-workers, and as I was doing my flail-y chair dance of "Ick nasty nasty ick ick ick," Chatty!co-worker said that Bush's groping wasn't a sexual thing.
I disagreed, and said that adult men who have grown up and live in Western society are damn well aware of the connotations of touching a woman like that.
He told me that was a broad, sweeping generalization, and that it was a sexist (actually, he used the term "misandrist") statement.
Question(s): (1) Do you think that Bush's grope-y gropiness was sexual in any way? (2) Do you think that, in general, adult men in Western society are aware of the connotations of touching women? (3) How was my statement sexist?
actually, he used the term "misandrist"
Whack him with a stick. (Tell him a man told you to.)
(1) Do you think that Bush's grope-y gropiness was sexual in any way?
I haven't seen the video (just a still) but people have said it was one of those deals where it's sexual but the guy pretends it's not, in order to have plausible deniability.
eta: or did I read that here? I don't remember....
(4) Does Bush commonly feel-up male heads of state?
(4) Does Bush commonly feel-up male heads of state?
You've seen the picks of him and the Saudi king (or whomever it was) right?
I hadn't heard about it yet, but looking at the pictures here OH MY GOD STOP TOUCHING HER. WTF? Why do people think this is acceptable behavior in a professional context? She's the CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY STOP GRABBING HER! (Mind you, he should grab Josephine Random on the street, either.)
I can't tell if it's sexual from the pictures, but it's certainly gender-based; he wouldn't do that to a man, but he thinks he has the right to do it to a woman.
You've seen the picks of him and the Saudi king (or whomever it was) right?
To be fair, there was oil involved and he is the leader of a nation of addicts.
(2) Handshake OK. Hug OK if friend, or woman initiates. Shoulder or foot rub OK if close friend, or woman clearly needs -- in which case, offer before commencing. Anything else beyond what is unavoidable in a crowded situation is to be avoided because it can be seen as sexual, even if it wasn't intended that way.
(1) I haven't seen the video. So I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he may not have intended anything sexual. But see above -- regardless of what he intended, it was a stupid thing to do because it could be reasonably seen as sexual.
(3) Beats me. The only thing I can think of is that co-worker thought your statement implied that it would have been ok if some other gender combo had been involved.
(4) Does Bush commonly feel-up male heads of state?
You've seen the picks of him and the Saudi king (or whomever it was) right?
I used that argument with Chatty!co-worker -- "Does Bush grope male heads of state?" -- and his reply was "We don't know that he *doesn't.*" And he was serious. I said, "Well, there's never been any news coverage of him groping male heads of state," and Chatty said "That still doesn't mean that Bush doesn't do it."
He's the ultimate relativist, and it drives me utterly utterly batshit.
Sexual or not, still really inappropriate.
(4) Does Bush commonly feel-up male heads of state?
Aside from holding hands or receiving belly kisses?
