Saturday, May 21, 2011

About the IMF rapist, Strauss-Kahn

Can't remember who pointed to this the other day: The French Disease:
The image of Dominique Strauss-Kahn – who was three days ago a leading Presidential contender in France – doing the perp walk in Manhattan is the sort of thing that would set on edge the teeth of almost any of his compatriots, and they are none too happy that he is being held without bail on Rikers island. No public figure in France has in recent times been subject to anything like this. Justice there is reserved for the little people.
...
[Former French Justice Minister] Élisabeth Guigou, said she found the photos of Mr. Strauss-Kahn in cuffs indicative of “a brutality, a violence, of an incredible cruelty, and I’m happy that we don’t have the same judiciary system.”
...
Max Gallo, a prominent historian and commentator, agreed that the two systems were different. “It’s the first time in the history of France that a top-level figure is treated like a common criminal whose guilt is already established,” he said. “But it also manifests an egalitarianism in the American justice system that surprises us in France.”

He said, “People are asking, ‘Was it really necessary to do that?’”

'That' is this clown being treated just like any other accused who presents a flight risk; not only are the French aristocracy upset all to hell that he's being charged at all, but for him not to be given the special treatment a fine, rich, disgusting little socialist deserves? Why, that's terrible. Let me explain this, Mr. Gallo: yes, it was. Oh, and he's not being treated like guilt is already established: as I pointed out above, he's being treated like an accused rapist who is considered a flight risk. Part of the reason for that is you clowns sheltering a child rapist named Polanski for years.

One of the things that pisses me off about this: in the article I linked to the other day it mentioned that this jerk is known as a great 'seducer':
Then there is the French gender double standard — and the cult of what the French call the seducteur, the charmer, the operator. "It's not just that the word of a woman doesn't necessarily have the same weight as that of a man in many situations," says Rokhaya Diallo, president of Les Indivisibles, an association that promotes diversity in France. "It's that there's still this enduring attitude that seduction, conquests, affairs and flings by men is somehow O.K., even sort of admirable, while women who complain of sexual aggression are either making it up, or just having buyer's regret.
Seduction involves words, maybe drinks, conversation, moves, seducing the target; this bastard is, from the MANY other accounts, a violent attacker, a rapist; not nearly the same thing. The guy blows his message with the next bit:
Clear sexual violence is taken seriously and punished, but this wider tolerance of male conquest turns the other aspects of aggression gray in the minds of many people. Flat effing bullshit: this guy wound up in chains at his arraignment BECAUSE his attacks were never punished; they were excused, glossed over.

There are two other parts of the French Disease story, 2 here, 3 here.

One of the things I wonder about: what was his wife getting to make her put up with this crap? Whether she just liked the perks, or she's another socialist more concerned with getting his sorry ass into the Presidency than she is about repeated sexual assaults, I don't know; I guess it's been worth it to her up till now. Wonder if it still is?

5 comments:

Keith said...

There've been political fireworks in Britain with the minister for cops (Ken Clarke) saying that "There is rape and there is rape" on radio.

other politicians are calling for his sacking.

I gather that some are saying he meant the difference between statutary rape of say a 16 year old boy and his 15 year old girlfriend getting caught at it, and violent or forced sex.

Was it opra or woopie who said of Polanski

"There is rape and rape rape"?

Ken Clarke is a statist Tory, rather than a leftist apologist for left-socialist rapist Polanski

I guess clarke's words are "differrent" for that reason

Mattexian said...

Maybe if the damned socialists stayed over there, they wouldn't have to worry about being treated like the common perp when they do wrong over here.

markm said...

Keith: The "not rape-rape" comment was from Whoopie Goldberg. It's factually inaccurate, but that's mainly the DA's fault, not Whoopie's. According to the victim's account - and I know of no reason to doubt it - Polanski's actions were forcible rape, but a lazy DA chose to charge only statutory rape. Therefore, anyone taking a superficial look at the case will think the only crime was that the girl was too young.

Second, American laws concerning teenage sex are insanely Puritanical. Many states have 18 as the age of consent, which flies in the face of both scientific knowledge and common experience. Even 16 is rather high. Finally, while I support laws against mature adults having sex with kids who lack the experience and mental development to resist manipulation, to call that "rape" is to devalue the horror of actual rape.

OTOH, she was 13 years old!!! It's not legal for a middle-aged man to have sex with a 13 year old anywhere in Europe that I know of. I really can't see anyone justifying it, if they thought about it. The problem is, too many of them thought no further than, "Statutory 'rape', crazy American Puritans." That the victim was not only too young by California's insane laws, but also far too young by their own laws, that Polanski wasn't facing all that much jail time for manipulating a near-child into sex, let alone for what he actually did rather than what he was charged with, all that flew right over their heads. Because they know American laws about sex are just plain nuts...

markm said...

I haven't seen European commentary suggesting that such an important man should not be subject to the laws. (Some of them must be shocked that, unlike what our domestic traitors tell them about us, we aren't too corrupt to arrest a VIP, but they're not saying it's wrong.) There's some suspicion as to whether the charges will hold up, partly because of their opinion of American laws when sex is involved, but more from lunatic conspiracy theorists[1].

What I have seen are objections to the perp walk and other pre-trial publicity arranged by the cops and/or prosecution. Allegedly, the French don't do that to any suspect, high or low.

And they're right. It doesn't matter whether it's a high official or scumbag from the gutters, the perp walk in front of news cameras and anything more than a simple announcement that the suspect has been arrested and will be charged is punishment *before* trial, intended to get publicity for the PD and DA at best, and to pollute the juror pool at worst. It's wrong, and it's *unamerican*. Unlike countries without a 1st Amendment, we can't impose a news blackout, but we can and should keep the official news releases as low key as possible, and officials certainly shouldn't be acting to create or amplify a media feeding frenzy until the suspect is convicted.


[1]...lunatic conspiracy theorists: Sure this is convenient for Sarkozy, but come on now, how could his agents arrange for a West Indian hotel maid to frame DSK?

I did find it surprising that there's a hotel maid DSK would chase (assuming he doesn't go for the middle-aged over 200 pound type), but the hotels I stay in don't have $3,000 rooms. 8-O

Firehand said...

Don't know about media commentary, there's been a lot from the French- intelligentsia? upper class? political class- basically amazed that some lousy maid could make a charge against 'one of us' and it be taken seriously. Reading about what was apparently well-known attacks he's made in the past that were hushed up for political/class reasons is disgusting. And kind of horrifying.


I agree that when the prosecution uses such to damage someone, they should be whacked- hard- for it.