It may depend on where you are. I know up here in Canada, the definition of sexual assault/harassment includes any relationship that is seen as “exploitative”. So, by that definition, yes, Lewinsky could not have consented because of the nature of their professional relationship. It would still be unlikely to be prosecuted, but that is the law as per the Criminal Code of Canada, as least as it reads to this layperson (and several SMEs in the area of sexual assault counselling).
…the point is he wasn’t “accused” on Thursday. He’s been the subject of lawsuits and settlements going back 30 years. What happened Thursday wasn’t that he was accused. It was that the accusations entered the public domain. They knew. The board knew. His friends and associates knew. We would have known a few months ago if NBC hadn’t killed the story. He wasn’t fired because he was a despicable arseshole. He was fired because he had become a liability.
Actually, Juanita Broaddrick did “back off her claim”, filing an affidavit that Clinton had not “made unwelcome sexual advances” to her. And then later on television she recanted the affidavit and said that he had.
I’m not choosing one story over another - I can think of compelling reasons why she might lie about being assaulted when she hadn’t been, and compelling reasons why she might lie about not being assaulted when she had been - but it is untrue that none of Clinton’s accusers have changed their stories. And it suggests a certain amount of caution is required before unquestionably accepting one version over another.
I see the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal as more of a hostile workplace situation than a sexual harassment situation. I’m not saying this to minimize it. It was sleazy and wrong and if she’d been a couple of years younger it would have been rape. But she was the instigator by all accounts. It’s my opinion that she had psychological issues that should have been obvious and should not have been exploited. On the other hand, she was legally considered a competent adult.
There will always be women who are willing and even eager to have a sexual relationship with their boss. They often get special favors and preferential treatment with regards to salaries and promotions. But even if they don’t, they will always get something of value - access. One on one time with your boss is a privilege in most cases. Getting to hang out with the President of the United States in his private office is a privilege.
This can put women who don’t fool around with the boss at a disadvantage in the workplace and if it is tolerated and allowed to flourish it can create a hostile work environment where sexual favors become expected. Plus it makes associates and coworkers uncomfortable and creates unnecessary workplace drama. Then situations are created where other employees are pushed into complicity. This seemed to be what happened with Weinstein.
It was the subject of jokes on the TV show 30 Rock. Jenna claimed “she wasn’t afraid of anyone in show business” because she “turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on at least 3 out of 5 occasions”.
She was being kind of a dick calling out male actors for not coming forward completely oblivious to the fact that the same reasons that women chose not to come forward apply to them, not to mention the added fear that the women would not back them up.
…she is not calling out men for “not coming forward.” She is calling out men who are obvious hypocrites. She is calling out men who told her one thing privately and then are acting like those conversations never ever happened. She is calling out men who have condemned Weinstein but are guilty of groping and other bad behaviour themselves. So no, I don’t think she is being “kind of a dick.” She has been at the forefront of calling out these actions for years. But no one listened to her before.
According to twitter she was suspended because she tweeted a phone number which is fair enough: but others have done the same as her (notably Trump back in 2015) and have not been suspended. Now that the number has been deleted the suspension has been lifted.
My own opinion is that Hollywood exists today, to launder money. Its a laundramat for the Mob, and if those actresses still after all this time won’t come forward, its not because of Weinstein.