I always think about what happens when people get reintegrated into our community. We need to call out abuse, give victims a platform to speak and believe them, investigate allegations, have fair proceedings, due punishment… yes to all that.
But what happens afterward? How does one show they’ve learned, are contrite, and won’t offend again? Victims are within their right to not forgive or forget. I just wonder that if Franken wants a seat, what will that road back look like?
Let's face it, once someone has done something egregious enough to keep the headlines going, there will always be those who won't give an inch and will never forgive, no matter what.
If Franken is serious about another run for the Senate, he'll be testing the waters to see how Minnesota voters feel about it. They're the ones who count. He'll get a lot of pushback, especially from GOP operatives, but he has a good record as a senator who got things done 'for the people', and, other than this, he was and is scandal-free.
I wonder what learning from mistakes looks like as well, especially if the mistakes are particularly terrible. What about some kind of restorative justice where everyone wins? I imagine Franken could be up for that.
I think he would too. As a comedian, he was just probably just a bit less gross than his colleagues, but to be honest, I liked him as a senator and was very disappointed in him. He took it on the chin when called out and I think he’d be up for it too.
I didn't want Franken to resign either (especially after I heard Tweeden was a Republican activist and was in on the "joke" picture) but, at the time, I felt a little gross about my willingness to let him stay in power. Now I feel better about my beliefs from back then as it's become clear that too many people acted in haste and he should've been given an opportunity to defend himself.
This whole situation is very complicated. I was furious that Kirsten Gillibrand basically had her presidential aspirations torpedoed because she was the one leading the charge against Franken. And I was iffy about us letting Joe Biden off the hook for his uncomfortable touching. Sure, he probably didn't realize the effect he was having but it was still part of his male privilege and feeling free to touch women however he wished. I've been touched by older men who probably didn't mean any harm and it still felt yucky.
Yet we do need a path for people to walk in order to learn from mistakes, atone, and do better. If they're willing to do the work, we need to allow them to have full participation in society. As a psychologist, it's almost a requirement for me to believe that (lol)! We're too quick to write people off when they've done harm. This is especially true for those who've served their time in prison. That's why I support restorative justice programs. We need better paths all the way around.
If Franken wants another try at the Senate and the people of Minnesota are willing, I'm fine with it. Honestly, even if he was guilty of groping all those women (and some of their stories were very iffy), he's still hurt a lot fewer people than my two senatorial horrors (Cornyn & Cruz).
Sorry I almost missed this! I'm bothered most by how unwilling some people are to forgive those things that are relatively harmless but will overlook some truly egregious actions, often based on nothing more than political expediency. It's dishonest, to say the least.
But in Franken's case, the timing was everything. The Me-Too Movement opened our eyes to the damage done by sexual abuse and women were feeling freer to tell their stories. It was a good thing overall, but, as with most new movements, that new-found awareness not only showed us how insidious and 'normal' some forms of abuse took--like inappropriate touching and violating our space--but it made us look at everything that might look suspicious. He got caught up in it, and it made him open his eyes to his own stupidity, but it was too late.
In so many ways he proved he was a good man, and he still is. But it is up to the people of Minnesota and since they have two strong Democratic female senators, he's going to have to wait until one of them decides to retire. I can't see him ever trying to primary them.
I always think about what happens when people get reintegrated into our community. We need to call out abuse, give victims a platform to speak and believe them, investigate allegations, have fair proceedings, due punishment… yes to all that.
But what happens afterward? How does one show they’ve learned, are contrite, and won’t offend again? Victims are within their right to not forgive or forget. I just wonder that if Franken wants a seat, what will that road back look like?
Let's face it, once someone has done something egregious enough to keep the headlines going, there will always be those who won't give an inch and will never forgive, no matter what.
If Franken is serious about another run for the Senate, he'll be testing the waters to see how Minnesota voters feel about it. They're the ones who count. He'll get a lot of pushback, especially from GOP operatives, but he has a good record as a senator who got things done 'for the people', and, other than this, he was and is scandal-free.
I wonder what learning from mistakes looks like as well, especially if the mistakes are particularly terrible. What about some kind of restorative justice where everyone wins? I imagine Franken could be up for that.
I think he would too. As a comedian, he was just probably just a bit less gross than his colleagues, but to be honest, I liked him as a senator and was very disappointed in him. He took it on the chin when called out and I think he’d be up for it too.
I didn't want Franken to resign either (especially after I heard Tweeden was a Republican activist and was in on the "joke" picture) but, at the time, I felt a little gross about my willingness to let him stay in power. Now I feel better about my beliefs from back then as it's become clear that too many people acted in haste and he should've been given an opportunity to defend himself.
This whole situation is very complicated. I was furious that Kirsten Gillibrand basically had her presidential aspirations torpedoed because she was the one leading the charge against Franken. And I was iffy about us letting Joe Biden off the hook for his uncomfortable touching. Sure, he probably didn't realize the effect he was having but it was still part of his male privilege and feeling free to touch women however he wished. I've been touched by older men who probably didn't mean any harm and it still felt yucky.
Yet we do need a path for people to walk in order to learn from mistakes, atone, and do better. If they're willing to do the work, we need to allow them to have full participation in society. As a psychologist, it's almost a requirement for me to believe that (lol)! We're too quick to write people off when they've done harm. This is especially true for those who've served their time in prison. That's why I support restorative justice programs. We need better paths all the way around.
If Franken wants another try at the Senate and the people of Minnesota are willing, I'm fine with it. Honestly, even if he was guilty of groping all those women (and some of their stories were very iffy), he's still hurt a lot fewer people than my two senatorial horrors (Cornyn & Cruz).
Sorry I almost missed this! I'm bothered most by how unwilling some people are to forgive those things that are relatively harmless but will overlook some truly egregious actions, often based on nothing more than political expediency. It's dishonest, to say the least.
But in Franken's case, the timing was everything. The Me-Too Movement opened our eyes to the damage done by sexual abuse and women were feeling freer to tell their stories. It was a good thing overall, but, as with most new movements, that new-found awareness not only showed us how insidious and 'normal' some forms of abuse took--like inappropriate touching and violating our space--but it made us look at everything that might look suspicious. He got caught up in it, and it made him open his eyes to his own stupidity, but it was too late.
In so many ways he proved he was a good man, and he still is. But it is up to the people of Minnesota and since they have two strong Democratic female senators, he's going to have to wait until one of them decides to retire. I can't see him ever trying to primary them.