Is It Time To Go After Every Guy Who Has Given An Unwanted Open Mouth Kiss?

[SoCalMusicLover]

I'm guessing we're going to have to throw a large percentage of our favorite actors, music artists, celebrities, to the wolves on this one.

And we might as well go after women too. Only fair, right? Surely there are handsome male actors who have been kissed without invitation by one of their co-stars.

I'm basing this on the fact the kiss was in rehearsal, and part of an act, rather than him approaching her and planting one.

Fact is, they're counting on people looking at Al the same way they're looking at Cosby, Weinstein, Spacey, Moore or C.K. When there is Very little similarity if any. I'm not saying what Al did was not wrong. But it's not even on the same level, and to say HE should be shamed over this, is just sad.

[Kirk Lover]

1. Not only that but we'll have to go after a large part of the general population. n/t.

[eShirl]

15. Yep: assaulters. n/t

[fierywoman]

2. To my fellow aging hippies: Since when does one ask for permission

to "French" kiss? She specifically said "he didn't ask my permission." (?!?!?)
And at this point, the kiss in question is he said-she said.
The photo has at least one witness.

[Gravitycollapse]

5. Are you joking? Why don't you ask permission before kissing an acquaintance?

She wasn't his partner, they weren't in a situation where kissing would be expected or acceptable unless they both consented.

I mean, holy crap. If this is the state of popular knowledge on consent, no wonder so many men think they can do whatever they want.

[fierywoman]

10. I asked this question in a sarcastic way because I truly doubt her story.

The fact that she said he didn't ask permission to "French" kiss her makes me doubt there was any real kissing going on. Let's put it this way: in your experience, at any time in your life, when you were kissing someone, at some point did one of you stop and ask, "Shall we use the tongue now?" Of course not. That's what makes me doubt her story.
However: the idea of Trump jamming his tongue down someone's throat? That I believe, and anyway he's admitted as much.

[eShirl]

14. It was rehearsing a written scene, not just two people who decided to make out.

In general, a stage kiss doesn't involve tongue.

[DeminPennswoods]

16. They were rehearsing a skit

that included a kiss.

[dawg day]

8. Uh, do you kiss non-romantic partners like that?

Would you go up to a co-worker and force a French kiss on her (or him)? I doubt it.

As for the photo having a witness-- yeah. The only person in the room who didn't know it was being taken was the woman who was being made sport of. You don't see that as a problem?

You can't really mean that it's okay to force someone to kiss you... or to take salacious photos without the person's consent. If either happened to you, I bet you'd be upset.

[fierywoman]

12. According to the photographer, she was faking sleeping and it was a joke about her "needing

to be revived", which the three of them set up.
And for the record: anyone who thought they were going to force a kiss of any kind on me got a very strong and loud slap across the face. Now I'm an old lady, so it was a long time ago.

[lostnfound]

17. "Slap across face" now equals "assault but you could plead self-defense...

Confusing world for us people who grew up in a certain time.
Raised by parents whose generation lived by rules that said boys could push just a little bit until they got slapped at which time they'd better apologize immediately.

Not that the staged photo even looks like that's what's happening. Looks to me like a good natured joke whose entire intended audience may well have been the good natured "victim".

[BannonsLiver]

3. She says there was a kiss. She also said Obama was born in Africa.

Leeanne says a lot of things.

[oasis]

9. I recall Paula Jones stating that she was neither Democrat or

Republican . She says her only motivation for revealing Bill Clinton's involvement with her was because their "encounter" was mentioned in an article in the "American Spectator".

"American Spectator"? Who the hell reads ultra right publications but ultra conservatives? We know this for sure, Republicans/conservatives hardly ever tell the truth when it comes to scoring political points.

[Mz Pip]

4. Seems like a lot of these things

could have been dealt with at the time with a well placed knee or even just a loud, “Just stop it.”

[meadowlander]

7. Victim blaming is not helpful.

It is not the victim's job to stop the sexual harassment. It is the harrasser's job to treat people with respect in the first place.

[lostnfound]

18. Neither is being stupid and naive about obvious propaganda / distraction

Bet she's getting some,thing out of this. How about you?

[meadowlander]

6. Any unwanted contact should be a source of embarrassment. The issue is what is proportional.

I'm hoping that DU can at least get on board with the following:

a. intentional physical contact with another person should always be consensual;
b. where that consent isn't verbal there can sometimes be crossed wires which can lead to situations where one person perceives the contact as harassment or assault;
c. there are obvious degrees of sexual harassment or assault (i.e. French kissing someone who only gave consent for a rehearsal kiss versus groping a teenager).

Where wires have been crossed, people should apologise. Al Franken has apologised. He should have. The woman in question accepted his apology. If there is no concern that this behaviour affects his ability to do his job or makes his colleagues uncomfortable, then it should be left to his constituents to determine if they still want him to represent them.

Where people persist with obviously unwanted contact, have a longstanding pattern of behaviour where they continue with types of contact they know are unwanted or chase underaged people they should face proportionally significant consequences.

[KitSileya]

11. Yes, it is time to go after every guy who has given an unwanted open mouth kiss.

Because that is assault.

[eShirl]

13. Yes.