ACCUSATION MEETS INCOMPETENCE: Elizabeth Bruenig's true belief!

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020

Elizabeth Bruenig knows:
Somewhere in some Senate hallway, did Joe Biden commit a sexual assault in 1993?

We have no way of knowing. Beyond that lies a very important, very key basic point:

Almost surely, there will never be a way for any of us to know.

Almost surely, there will never be an investigation which demonstrates the truth of Tara Reade's accusation. Almost surely, there will never be an investigation which demonstrates that her claim is false.

Almost surely, no one will ever "know"—will ever be able to demonstrate—the truth of falsity of this accusation. That said, the human mind is ill-equipped to come to terms with this basic point.

We human beings will never know, except for our clairvoyants. And so, we state this additional point:

Elizabeth Bruenig does know!

Bruenig is a young, true-believing columnist for the New York Times. Rather plainly, she knows the truth about this otherwise difficult matter.

Elizabeth Bruenig knows! We can tell that Brueng knows because of the way she started her recent column. She started her column like this:
BRUENIG (5/3/20): If you’re lucky when you report your sexual assault, you’ll become known as a person who was sexually assaulted. If you’re unlucky, you’ll become known as a person who lied about being sexually assaulted.

It could still go either way for Tara Reade.
Elizabeth Bruenig knows! In that passage, it's clear that Reade is being described as "a person who was sexually assaulted." She's being described as someone who has "reported [her] sexual assault."

According to Bruenig, there are two different groups of sexual assault victims/survivors. According to Bruenig, it could "go either way for Tara Reade"—but she fits into one of those camps.

For those of us who struggle with uncertainty, we should always remember to thank the gods for sending us the Elizabeth Bruenigs. Also, for newspapers like the New York Times, who hire the Bruenigs at early ages, then publish their work.

(Mercifully, Bruenig's column didn't run in print editions. That said, it attracted plenty of notice. It had generated almost 5300 comments when the Times cut comments off.)

We who struggle with uncertainty should be thankful for the clairvoyants, who know! Elizabeth Bruenig is such a person—until you reach paragraph 5:
BRUENIG: I have my own impressions regarding Ms. Reade’s allegations, but no one—save Ms. Reade and Mr. Biden—knows with certainty whether her claims are true. What I can assert with firm conviction is that Democrats ought to start considering a backup plan for 2020.
Say what? No one knows "with certainty" whether Reade's claims are true? Tara Reade's high-profile claim could be a (viciously) false accusation? Bruenig only has an "impression" concerning what's true in this case?

We're handed this disclaimer, in passing, in a subordinate clause, inside a rather brief paragraph 5. But all through the rest of Bruenig's 13-paragraph column, we are led to believe that Bruenig does know what is true.

You see, Bruenig doesn't just know. She also truly believes.

For members of our flailing species, true belief in tribal verities was once a survival skill. Today, it's a curse on our journalism and on our rapidly crumbling national culture. That said, it's found all through our warring tribes, even among our true-believing tribes over here on the cultural "left."

Bruenig truly believes. In paragraph 4, she gives readers a heavily slanted account of some of the evidence cited by "those who believe [Tara Reade]." In fairness, she starts her paragraph 6 with a comically odd endorsement:

"Ms. Reade’s account is not nearly as incredible as some have argued."

If this weren't such a serious matter, that endorsement would merely be humorous. But true belief is a deadly virus, and it exists all through our tribes, wherever the human mind lurks. In the following passage, Bruenig gives us a familiar picture of the way it now works Over Here:
BRUENIG: Ms. Reade’s account is not nearly as incredible as some have argued. In the course of my reporting, I have worked closely with many survivors of sexual assault. It isn’t unusual, in my experience, for survivors to exhibit behavior that seems unstable or erratic to others. They may initially disclose to investigators or journalists only a fragment of what happened, and then reveal more over time—some even falsely recant, either because they sense the police don’t believe them, or because they fear the consequences of pressing their claims. And victims often maintain relationships with their attackers or harbor mixed feelings about them.

“It’s not at all uncommon for someone to still have positive feelings about aspects of the person who assaulted them, or to admire or respect them,”
Scott Berkowitz, the founder and president of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) told me. “With people who work for politicians, there’s usually a strong measure of loyalty or respect in that relationship. So it’s not indicative that someone wasn’t telling the truth.”
As far as we know, everything Bruenig says in that passage is true, at least as a general matter:

It's true! Survivors may change their accounts in various ways. Some may falsely recant.

Beyond that, we'll assume that the statements by Berkowitz are also true. We'll assume that some victims may continue to "have positive feelings about aspects of the person who assaulted them, or to admire or respect them."

Possibly due to her true belief, Bruenig isn't forthcoming enough to explain why she's making these points. The points are being made because Reade has made quite a few statements over the years in which she praises Biden for his work on behalf of women's interests and rights.

This doesn't mean that her claim of assault is false. It simply means that Bruenig was a bit parsimonious in her account of the (many) behaviors which have led some people to doubt Reade's accusation—to linger in the land of uncertainty instead of passing over into the Eden of true belief.

Bruenig truly believes. You can see it in the passage we've just quoted, in which she traces the tribal logic according to which anything an accuser says will be taken as further proof of the depth of her trauma.

That's the logic of true belief. You can also see that logic in the passage which follows:
BRUENIG (continuing directly): Sexual assault is a crime unlike any other, and its hideous uniqueness is often manifest in the ways its victims cope. Cavalier dismissal of Ms. Reade’s story therefore runs the risk of advancing misconceptions about sexual assault and its aftermath.
True believers—adepts of the tribe—will consider the tribe and its tribal members only. In this passage, Bruenig considers the harm that could result from "cavalier dismissal" of Reade's accusation.

Stating the obvious, "cavalier" dismissal of any claim is a bad way to go. That said, Bruenig doesn't consider the harm which could result from cavalier dismissal of Joseph Biden's denial.

What kind of harm could result from that? As a matter of basic wiring, the true believer won't consider or wonder or write about any such problem as that.

Before she's done, Bruenig has touched quite a few of the bases. She suggests that Democrats, or at least some Democrats, are subjecting Reade's accusation "to a level of scrutiny not widely applied to accusers in similar circumstances," with Christine Blasey Ford being named.

That may or may not be true; to a large extent, it all depends on what the meaning of "similar" is. That said, there is no doubt that some major Democrats have embarrassed themselves concerning this topic in the recent past.

That said, Bruenig's citation pushes us toward the dangerous point where we decide that, if we've behaved stupidly in the past, we have to be equally stupid now. Soon, she's telling us this:
BRUENIG: Liberal thinkers and organizations have begun to realize this, and many have responded accordingly. Feminist author Jessica Valenti has emphasized the import of believing women “even when it’s politically inconvenient,” and Rebecca Traister has observed that the credibility of Ms. Reade’s allegations puts any female politician who might agree to join a Biden ticket in a poisonous bind.
Is it important to believe women “even when it’s politically inconvenient?" Presumably yes, it is—or at least, it may be.

But is it a good idea to believe a woman when you don't have any way of knowing if her claims are true? True believers will bypass such nagging points, while offering an unspecified claim about the accuser's "credibility."

True belief will be found wherever the human brain lives. It will often be put into print by the New York Times.

Elizabeth Bruenig is well regarded for many valid reasons. In this case, an intelligent newspaper would never have published this column.

The column should have been rejected as soon as an editor read its first two paragraphs. In those paragraphs, Bruenig turns an accuser into a victim. That's the behavior of a clairvoyant or a magician, not of a competent journalist.

The human mind is poorly equipped to deal with matters like this. The human mind is strongly inclined to settle matters of uncertainty by leaping to premature conclusions, especially those which adhere to tribal verities and norms.

This was once a survival skill. Today, it's a virus, a toxin.

Tomorrow: What the heck was Emily Bazelon actually talking about?

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  2. "Is it important to believe women “even when it’s politically inconvenient?" Presumably yes, it is—or at least, it may be."

    Lol. It's such a great pleasure watching you zombies to squirm, twisting yourself into a pretzel, dear Bob.

    Go on, dear, please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "But go on, dear; please do go on — I'm just dying to hear you.”

      Why does Mao so often adapt the antiquated phraseology of long forgotten novels and histories? Did his creators pour volumes upon volumes of European literature into his AI? With recent turns of phrase -- lol, zombies, dembots -- salted in by a living editor before posting? It's hard to believe a living being could be so formulaic and predictable. Oh wait, that's what "Mao" accuses us of being? I get it, he's a satire of tribal thought patterns. Brilliant!

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    2. Moa,
      Tell me about it.
      Watching the ENTIRE free market, small government, pull yourself up by your bootstraps Right-wing ideology, being proven to be 100% bullshit is awesome, because it was entirely predictable.

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    3. That was proven bullshit 35 years ago. The problem is Democrats run with the same ideology and cater to the same corporations. It's a one party system of corporate control. Trump, Clinton are basically the same thing although Trump has surely done better on foreign policy than she would have but that said, Trump really dropped the ball on the virus in January and February.

      Delete
    4. Russian troll farms are busy today.

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  4. “Elizabeth Bruenig's true belief!”

    That’s Somerby’s headline, despite quoting Bruenig saying “no one—save Ms. Reade and Mr. Biden—knows with certainty whether her claims are true.”

    Obviously, Bruenig is making a different point, a political one:

    “But it is also possible that this won’t just go away, and that it will demoralize voters and place Mr. Biden at a disadvantage against Mr. Trump in the general election, despite the fact that Mr. Trump has a damning list of accusers alleging sexual offenses.”

    Whether or not the allegations are true, the mere fact that they have been made may sway a portion of voters away from Biden that he can’t afford to lose. Bruenig recommends Democrats think about a Plan B, one that doesn’t include Biden. That is what you need to debate in her column.

    And Somerby isn’t making a solid argument against Bruenig anyway. He contends that we can never know the truth. But that holds open the possibility that the allegations could be true, and that is precisely the potential thinking of a number of voters that Bruenig is worried about.

    A thorough investigation is the only answer at this point.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "We who struggle with uncertainty..."

    Somerby makes a big deal over the fact that there are many situations where we have incomplete information and don't know with certainty. He says we default to true belief, because we are hard-wired to do that, as humans. He apparently considers this a bad thing, since he is chiding us about it and urging us to think differently.

    Evolutionary pressures force us to act, despite uncertainty. We have algorithms for making decisions in the face of uncertainty. To the extent that these promote survival, I consider them a good thing, a benefit to our species.

    What we cannot do is wait for certainty. We cannot maintain an indefinite state of not knowing because that is immobilizing and precludes action of any kind. So we try to minimize danger and reduce threat and maximize possibilities of success in our lives. We look at what other people do and learn from their experience. We repeat what is rewarded and avoid what is punished by experience.

    So, in Biden's case, we don't only look at Biden's situation and Reade's statements but we also look at other information and we make an informed guess, not a random one. We may follow tribal views or try to stay consistent with what other people think and do, but we also take into account a great deal of information, such as how often we have been accosted in the way Reade describes, how often men in power behave well or improperly (e.g., past experiences) and what the consequences are of ignoring Reade compared to treating her as if her statement were true. All of this matters too. We aren't talking about the reasoning that would occur in a jury were Biden to be tried, but rather the reasoning that will keep ourselves safe in the future and avoid harm to ourselves and our families.

    Trump is a proven danger. Biden is not. If Reade's statements are all true, what is the danger to any of us? Not much, at this point, whereas Trump is a clear danger. What would be the advantage of seeking a new candidate? It might endanger the election and keep Trump in office. THIS is the kind of thinking that promotes survival on a personal level and it has nothing to do with tribal thinking or justice for Reade or Biden, but everything to do with what might be best for our country.

    Somerby tries to reason like a logician during everyday life. Not only do our minds not work that way, but I don't believe they should. This is a very clear situation with an obvious solution. Trump cannot be allowed to win the next election -- for everyone's sake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Republicans obviously don’t care about sexual misconduct/assault or even rape charges. This was known about Trump, and it didn’t matter to them.

      Democrats have a conscience, so they worry about whether their candidate committed a sexual assault. If it’s true, it would be a bad thing, I think.

      Somerby’s argument, that we can never know the truth, is wrong in two ways: it’s actually possible to know the truth, at least sometimes, depending on investigation; and, it’s no answer to the dilemma that people of conscience face over charges like this. It also tends to casually dismiss the woman’s accusation; there are numerous cases of actual assault that are difficult to prove.

      I agree that voters have to be strategic in their vote, particularly this year. It’s still useful to investigate Reade’s claims, because, as more is discovered, her story looks less and less credible.

      Delete
    2. Corby, your thinking was the same reasoning with Justice Kavanaugh. He is a clear and present danger to the country, to women in particular, and so this figurative truth gave the necessary credence to Christine Blasey Ford’s charge.

      That figurative truth of Kavanaugh’s dangerousness, his guilt, is easy to come by. That sort of truth is as smooth as silk, always will be. It is as easily ascertained and as readily embraced as Bruenig’s truth about the guilt of men in general, though the Bruenigs of the world are not so sophisticated as the rest of us.

      Still, Bruenigs are useful when it matters (I remember Somerby saying that though we didn’t know Kavanaugh’s guilt for certain, the accusation did fit a pattern seen in this cohort) and Bruenigs can be maneuvered around when they’re in the way. The NYT has accomplished this recently.

      Bruenigs aside, everyone one else on the planet has always known the score. Thank you for articulating it so lucidly. Reade my have certainly generated something worthwhile, indeed.

      Delete
    3. Kavanaugh is a proven liar. That moots the assault accusation. People cannot be Supreme Court Justices if they habitually and repeatedly lie. The Kavanaugh hearing is another example of Republican shame.

      Delete
  6. If we assume for the sake of argument that Reade was abused, what could possibly be her motive for attacking Biden right at this moment in an important presidential campaign (after 27 years of saying nothing)?

    When you think about that, it seems clear that this is a politically motivated attack on Biden. That makes it unnecessary to consider the truth of falsity of Reade's accusation. All that matters is countering this attack to win the election. Reade deserves no quarter because she made herself a pawn in a political fight, whether her accusations are true or false.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Didn't Reade (or any woman sexually assaulted) have a moral duty to report it, so that the perpetrator cannot do the same to more women?

    In this case, if Reade had actually reported Biden to someone (she told AP she didn't mention sexual assault in whatever she filed), then this would either be old news or Biden would be out of politics and we could have nominated someone else, with a less ambiguous record, to run against Trump. We wouldn't be in this difficulty is Reade had done her duty, instead of protecting herself and her career by saying nothing.

    I think that when women come forth after many years, it doesn't matter whether their accusations are true or not. What matters is that they themselves chose a different remedy at the time (e.g., to do nothing, to preserve the status quo) and they then have forfeited the right to come forward later on, based on their perception of how disruptive their claims might be to their assailant.

    I also think men need to clean up their act and stop assaulting women. If ALL men behaved better, there wouldn't be so many of these claims, the accusations would be less believable, and women could pursue more opportunities without fear. That would be good for everyone. So, guys, it is up to you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bruenig is married to Matt Bruenig, a guy who puts the Bro in Bernie Bro. It could be that her slanted article and conclusion about "backup plan" are motivated by less than just an ordinary concern for a fair and proper outcome.

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