# \#METOO backlash **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2018, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766 "2018-01-29T23:25:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/21 "2018-01-30T04:44:11Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I find little patience for men feeling, ‘every innocent interaction is now fraught with peril!’ You cannot be serious! > > This conversation _begins_ with the hard, straight up FACT, that women’s lives ARE continuous guantlets of ‘innocent interactions’ being actually fraught, with ACTUAL freaking peril. > > Not, they could lose their job, or good standing ‘peril’, but you could lose your life peril! I presume you are aware of the fact that[men are three times more likely to be murdered](https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/expanded/expandhomicidemain) than women. Overall, men are [slightly more likely](https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv14.pdf) to be the victim of a violent crime. The narrative that women are forced to lead their entire lives in continual fear of violence while men do not, is not true. Like everyone, I wish for a society where all people, women and men, can go where they want to do what they want and not be afraid at any time of crime or violence. And I believe that sexual harassment is a serious problem. But hugely exaggerated claims of women being constantly in peril for their lives accomplish nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/22 "2018-01-30T04:55:12Z")
That Texas lobbyist is a precious little bunny rabbit. If someone accuses you of wrongdoing when you are innocent you stick to your denial and the truth will win out. You don’t stop hanging around women (coworkers and friends) because you fear they will lie to the public about you harassing them. Ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/23 "2018-01-30T05:05:56Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > That Texas lobbyist is a precious little bunny rabbit. If someone accuses you of wrongdoing when you are innocent you stick to your denial and the truth will win out. You don’t stop hanging around women (coworkers and friends) because you fear they will lie to the public about you harassing them. Ridiculous. Which is complete bullshit. Even if the truth eventually comes out your life can be ruined. Ask the McMartin defendants. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/24 "2018-01-30T05:06:05Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > That Texas lobbyist is a precious little bunny rabbit. If someone accuses you of wrongdoing when you are innocent you stick to your denial and the truth will win out. You don’t stop hanging around women (coworkers and friends) because you fear they will lie to the public about you harassing them. Ridiculous. Yes, because nobody’s life has ever been ruined by being falsely accused. I don’t worry about it because there is nothing to be gained from falsely accusing me. However, if I had a more high profile occupation, I might feel differently. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/25 "2018-01-30T05:16:50Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Which is complete bullshit. Even if the truth eventually comes out your life can be ruined. Ask the McMartin defendants. Fine, you are free to do what you like. I know what I’m doing. And why couldn’t that woman in the story just take a different plane? Oh, yeah, because then there wouldn’t be a story. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/26 "2018-01-30T05:52:41Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > If someone accuses you of wrongdoing when you are innocent you stick to your denial and the truth will win out. Are you being sarcastic? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/27 "2018-01-30T06:00:39Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Ask the McMartin defendants. I just read about that case now. A tragedy for sure. (America, stop electing your district attorneys! It makes them do their jobs badly!) However, I think the women who remain silent about abuse vastly outweighs the McMartin cases, in terms of pure numbers (obviously) and in terms (sometimes) of horror). ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/28 "2018-01-30T06:07:49Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Yes, because nobody’s life has ever been ruined by being falsely accused. …did the person who was discriminated against by the lobbyist for nothing more than being a woman falsely accuse somebody? ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/29 "2018-01-30T06:08:41Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The point of the article is that people are on guard now. And it is a mess for sure. You mean men are on guard now. Women are normally on guard all the time. I’m not thrilled about it but I guess we’ve achieved a parity. #MeToo is a social media creation. In real life, I worked until recently in an industry dominated by men, in a company run by Christians. They set the bar high for themselves and the people who work for them. There, you didn’t have to worry about how flirting, coarse language, innuendo or physical contact was going to affect someone else, because there wasn’t going to be any of it in the workplace. This was made very plain at the start. Amazingly, I don’t think anyone was confused or upset by this policy. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/30 "2018-01-30T06:12:13Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I recently found myself in a situation where a male peer (a peer but more senior in tenure) introduced an idea to a panel that was very, very much my idea (I’m a lady). He was lauded for the idea. Not heaps of praise but “ah yes that’s a very good idea, we’ll implement it.” I didn’t say a thing in front of the panel but afterwards I pulled him aside and said “what you did could be seen as a very sexist thing and I don’t want to start off on this foot in our time together, so please be cognizant of this in the future.” Wow. I’m stunned that you think this was a good idea. “What you did could be seen as a very sexist thing” is not that far from “Nice house you got there, shame if anything happened to it”. Situations like this is exactly why the guy in the OP left behind his female subordinate. It’s all to easy for innocuous things to be construed as sexist and given the environment I don’t have confidence that an accusation like yours would be dismissed. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/31 "2018-01-30T06:13:20Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Are you being sarcastic? No, I genuinely believe that if something is investigated usually the truth comes out. Or the accusations die down if nothing is found. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/32 "2018-01-30T06:19:20Z")
And what is a lobster even doing on a plane. The whole situation is preposterous! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/33 "2018-01-30T06:53:33Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Wow. I’m stunned that you think this was a good idea. “What you did could be seen as a very sexist thing” is not that far from “Nice house you got there, shame if anything happened to it”. Situations like this is exactly why the guy in the OP left behind his female subordinate. It’s all to easy for innocuous things to be construed as sexist and given the environment I don’t have confidence that an accusation like yours would be dismissed. That is just ridiculous. Yeah, we can go back to the days when women should just take their lumps and be quiet about it – no, I think we cannot. And that is a good thing. If two people are working together on a project, having a cloud of resentment hanging over them is going to boil up eventually and cause problems. **ZipperJJ** did the right thing to clear the air. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/34 "2018-01-30T07:01:23Z")
> [@treis](#): > > It’s all to easy for innocuous things to be construed as sexist and given the environment I don’t have confidence that an accusation like yours would be dismissed. …its even easier for sexist things to be construed as innocuous. So what are you gonna do? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/35 "2018-01-30T07:11:45Z")
What do they say about war and best laid plans? They don’t survive contact because the enemy gets a vote. Well if turns out the #metoo and #yesallmen crowd are discovering that the enemy gets a vote here as well. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/36 "2018-01-30T07:19:02Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Well if turns out the #metoo and #yesallmen crowd are discovering that the enemy gets a vote here as well. …who exactly is the “enemy” here? For starters #metoo and #yesallmen are not the same thing: it would be best that you not conflate the two. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/37 "2018-01-30T07:32:16Z")
**Isamu** : What, no reply? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/38 "2018-01-30T07:33:17Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …who exactly is the “enemy” here? Anyone who denies or minimizes the plight of others, or thinks that individuals can be dismissed because of group characteristics. (Well, they’re the enemy of _everyone_, ultimately, even if they may ally themselves with some specific group.) ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/39 "2018-01-30T07:39:39Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > **Isamu** : What, no reply? So I AM invisible!! I knew it!! #31 ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766/40 "2018-01-30T07:42:00Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Anyone who denies or minimizes the plight of others, or thinks that individuals can be dismissed because of group characteristics. …is that who you think AK84 was talking about? I’m not as sure as you. I’ll wait for their response thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metoo-backlash/807766.md?page=3)