Or maybe he's not onto something and it's totally possible to not be an asshole and try to take advantage of the situation when left alone with a person of the other sex?
I don't see how Pence's comment makes any good sense. If you do what he says, you either:
I tend to believe that women are people, and that not all people will respect you if you respect them back.
Also you have presented a classic example of the fallacy of false dilemma. There are other options, such as:
- Worry about false accusations, particularly when you are a person of high power where political stakes are high (and politics bring out the worst in people)
- Are big into risk reduction/minimization. It is undeniable that it is less risky from an allegation standpoint to follow the "Pence rule"
That said, I think the "Pence rule" isn't all good because it has room for unfairness. For example, much business is conducted over meals while traveling. Meals and other outings can be great ways to get to know your boss, subordinates, and other coworkers. If one goes out to dinner with only male coworkers, that is unfair to women in the workplace, particularly when that person is the boss. For that reason I think if one follows "the Pence rule" they need to have the same standard with people from all genders, so never go to dinner one-on-one with another man if they wouldn't do so with a woman. I'm really whipping a dead horse here, sorry.
While I agree with your assertion, with regarding equality that one should not go to meal with anyone else following the Pence rule, however there is something I think you're not taking in consideration.
Right now, socially-wise, women have the upper hand on making claims of sexual harassment. The same power does not go to men.
This imbalance makes the "Pence Rule" make more sense.
If you don't see the "good sense" then maybe the problem is in you. Politicians should probably watch what they say, but they should definitely watch what they do. In the age of a random accusation ending people's careers (this year's events made this painfully obvious to anyone even outside of the college space, the #metoo overreaction and what happened to James Damore being prime examples), it makes perfect sense to watch who you're meeting with and under what circumstances. Don't "trust women"? What about just don't trust people. Blindly trusting women, as if they're a special case of a human, that's like something from a neo-marxist book of a social justice activist. Nonsense. Defending yourself from an accusation is infinitely easier when you can prove that you in fact weren't at the place at the time.
The other side of why this makes "good sense" is the temptation angle - you can't get tempted if you don't have an opportunity. Unlike what the lefties think, Christians are people too and they get tempted just like other people, especially when drunk. Men are like recovering addicts when it comes to mating (all heterosexual or homosexual men with regular levels of libido are like that, if you say this doesn't apply to you, you are a liar). Resisting a beautiful woman/man flirting with you is like being a heroin addict trying to not shoot up a dose in front of you. Of course you can resist, but it's hard, requires a lot of self control and most people are incapable of doing it without first experiencing the drawbacks. Is there another option? Don't put yourself into that situation in the first place... if you're married, there's no reason for you to be alone with likely sexual partners when alcohol is involved. All the cries about "sexism" of what Pence said are absolute nonsense and probably stem from the left's disrespect of traditional family values and marriage (they don't see having 50 partners in a year as a problem and an "open relationship" is almost a goal for them). There were multiple cases this year (not two, but like a dozen) of self-proclaimed male feminists who supposedly "trusted women" and "trusted themselves to demonstrate appropriate behavior" who should be the beacons of proper behavior when it comes to "respecting women" who ended up being sexual harassers, rapists or even murderers in one case. Does this prove anything? No, but it illustrates that "trusting yourself" is easy to say and hard to do even if your stated goal is exactly that.
Not that it matters, but since this accusation is very likely - no, I'm not a Christian... or a Republican... or an American.
"In the age of a random accusation ending people's careers (this year's events made this painfully obvious to anyone even outside of the college space, the #metoo overreaction and what happened to James Damore being prime examples),"
Do you have any specific examples of "a random accusation ending people's careers"? As far as I know, all of the recent media activity has had confirmative evidence and Damore 1) was never accused of anything other than being none-too-bright, 2) is a significantly different case, and 3) was hardly a random accusation.
P.S. The sexism of Pence's statement probably has more to do with the part about requiring any aides that work late with him to be men. Rather limits the career of any female aide, no?
P.P.S. Don't forget that lefties don't have blood like normal humans; they have a thick, black tarry substance that smells of sulphur.
When did "neo-marxism" become a slur? Did people just stick "neo" in the front for no reason? Are there people who refer to themselves as "neo-marxists" or is it just some word that goes next to "postmodernism" and "third wave feminism" as words that make people mad but have been completely detached from their actual meaning.
"Marxism" is actually really out of style in modern left leaning academic and social justice activism circles, since it focuses on exactly one axis of oppression.
> Men are like recovering addicts when it comes to mating (all heterosexual or homosexual men with regular levels of libido are like that, if you say this doesn't apply to you, you are a liar).
For a politician it's good opsec (maybe not great, for the bother it is). Interpreting your post charitably, I questioned whether Pence had these rules as a politician or all life long.
From TA: "During his 12 years in Congress, Pence had rules to..."
- Are concerned about potential damaging baseless accusations/rumors/gossip from third parties that you don't trust?
Necessary disclaimer, because internet discussions are great:
Do not interpret this as an endorsement of Pence's policy. I am not interested in arguing about the character of Pence. I am simply pointing out that there are other valid reasons that someone could adopt such a policy.
I don't see how Pence's comment makes any good sense. If you do what he says, you either:
- Don't trust yourself (or don't care) to demonstrate appropriate behavior
- Don't trust women to respect you if you respect them back.