or The Dandification of (Male) Assaulters
Used to be that those, like me, tracking portraits of evil people (their faces) collected almost always men. Pasty-faced, often with failed beards like sparse armpit hair, defiant eyes (never shame) and other traits of the change-your-seat-on-the-subway class.
Murderers, mass murderers, ISIS luminaries.
But suddenly we’re seeing sexual assaulters and they’re in lecture halls. Bastions of intellect. Barbered, cashmere-coated, respectable men. A professor Emeritus, a distinguished scholar, noted researcher. OK, entertainment, politics, sleaze we expect. But not the men we look up to, role models, pride of their communities caught with a handful of breast or bottom. Not our brilliant scientists with a hand up someone else’s skirt. It’s not seemly. Or a woman-shaming doctoral mentor blocking the employment path for one who minds the professor asking other students to imagine her naked. That’s why we all wear clothes. Is that too complicated for you, professor?
These guys we’ve counted on as our protectors all our lives, and perverts are strewn invisibly among them. How do we know who? How can we know when? What the fuck is this, polite society?
Right now with all sorts of imaginative perversions popping into view (receiving staff naked?) it feels like it’s raining pervs. Umbrellas not enough — so many, such a wide field. And these are the men showing lesser men how it’s done.
Wimmin, what are we to think? Is any man safe or do they all feel sure of public absolution? Roy Moore? You kidding me? The pipsqueak who didn’t know how to stop squeaking. Thought his senate race was designed by God so Roy could ride in and save religion’s maiden honor.
But I digress.
We’ve heard about widespread white-collar crime but it never occurred to me to imagine my fellow citizens as probable crooks. However men, the other half of humanity, seem to feel sexually entitled. Maybe not rape — think of the penalties! the shame! — but left-handed loosey-gooseyness. Have a little male tension? Work it off on a woman.
Hey that’s always behind the arras, give us a break!
No, no more breaks. Either you’re an evolved ape or you’re not. Humans are the ones who ‘transcended’ apes. Choose your identity, and choose it carefully because us wimmin have had enough. No more coverups. No more not-seeing what you see.
Dandified and respectable or in a torn T-shirt — you’re old-fashioned predators.
You’re scaly dinosaurs.