When I was a teenager, I thought Virgil Texas was very funny. I asked him to proofread an essay I submitted to a website, and emailed it to him. The essay was about turning 16. We talked a little bit, and I thought he was very cool because he was funny and he lived in NY.— Jennifer Seberg (@JenniferSeberg) June 9, 2021
Howie Hawkins had a great take on sexual misconduct accusations during the primary:
Credible allegations of sexual assault should always be investigated with due process, no matter how rich or powerful the accused is. This shouldn't be a partisan issue - it's a question of basic justice.
The problem there is hair-splitting over what is and is not a “credible” allegation. Some rando new twitter account making accusations doesn’t meet that threshold for a lot of people, and for many others that’s as good as a confession because they already don’t like the accused. It’s easy and effective to use a power differential to dismiss the credibility of allegations, which is why “always believe victims” is a thing in the first place.
Howie Hawkins had a great take on sexual misconduct accusations during the primary:
This always struck me as far better than an emphasis on believing the accusation, because accusations can be weaponized (see Alex Morse) and it's well documented that eyewitness testimony is not 100% reliable.
The problem there is hair-splitting over what is and is not a “credible” allegation. Some rando new twitter account making accusations doesn’t meet that threshold for a lot of people, and for many others that’s as good as a confession because they already don’t like the accused. It’s easy and effective to use a power differential to dismiss the credibility of allegations, which is why “always believe victims” is a thing in the first place.