tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post8660331387055240620..comments2024-03-28T15:46:48.946-04:00Comments on the daily howler: THE PAROCHIALS: "The best love story, ever!"<b>bob somerby</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963464534685954436noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-69476577988122883862017-12-18T21:15:40.004-05:002017-12-18T21:15:40.004-05:00Dating 17- to 19-year-olds is not a federal case i...Dating 17- to 19-year-olds is not a federal case if you meet them at random. And 14-year age differences between consenting adults happen all the time. But visiting places where you know there will be teenagers and hitting on them is profoundly creepy. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-66141996699601547832017-12-18T21:10:37.035-05:002017-12-18T21:10:37.035-05:00I thought about Jerry Lee Lewis and his wife, too....I thought about Jerry Lee Lewis and his wife, too. I was not sure if marrying a 14-year-old was illegal in Alabama at the time but Daily Kos Elections assures me that the age of consent was above that. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-50862357652521939362017-12-13T11:38:37.369-05:002017-12-13T11:38:37.369-05:00Except that is just the myth. Lifespan has NOT rea...Except that is just the myth. Lifespan has NOT really increased by that much. Most of that 48.3 life expectancy came from infant mortality.<br /><br />That was 29.2 in 1950 and only 6.1 more recently. A higher percentage of children who died before the age of 2, really bring those averages down.Dr. Tnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-15865647767827419212017-12-13T04:44:43.103-05:002017-12-13T04:44:43.103-05:00Bob, Moore wasn't married to the 14 year old h...Bob, Moore wasn't married to the 14 year old he had strip down to her underwear and touch his dick, against her will. He was also not married to the 16 year old waitress he tried to rape in a car, violently shoving her out when she resisted. Get off your sick hobbyhorse, Bob. I suppose you're disappointed your perv hero lost.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-66040879660398284822017-12-12T20:39:10.383-05:002017-12-12T20:39:10.383-05:00“The children have disappeared that. But also, the...“The children have disappeared that. But also, they've almost completely disappeared the crazy views Moore has expressed, in the past twenty years, as a fully grown public figure. His lunatic views are boring. His dating behavior is not.”<br /><br />Enjoyed the post, and that pretty much encapsulates the criticism Bob is leveling.<br /><br />And 1:03, don’t you have an ounce of discernment? As Bob wrote, he’s not enthusiastic about age disparities when it comes to marriage.<br /><br />“For our money, it wouldn't generally be a good idea for people to date or marry across that age divide.”<br /><br />He’s always maintained that view. But you write paragraphs of criticism that completely miss his point, which is that Moore was hardly abnormal in his pursuits at that time (especially given that it was a cultural norm, to such an extent that it was “glamorous”). He does describe Moore’s assault of a teenager as beyond the pale though not in so many words.<br /><br />Instead, the focus of the media stampede is ignoring his real, subversive tendencies in his history as an elected judge, tendencies which were blatantly odious and obvious, though perhaps not to those who elected him.<br /><br />I think you may be on the wrong site to express your views, though I’m in agreement with them as far as they go. If it makes you feel better, post away. Your angst is somewhat preferable to some of the trolls who lurk here.<br /><br />Peace,<br /><br />Leroy<br />Leroyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02021120389394278239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-27436880963337997242017-12-12T17:26:10.040-05:002017-12-12T17:26:10.040-05:00December/May romances were considered ok. That'...December/May romances were considered ok. That's the point.<br /><br />Jesus. Trump has made people stupid and crazy, hasn't he? Next we'll be hearing about the horrors and psychological pain of premarital sex.<br /><br />From probably Lawrence O'Donnell and company.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-78445315270289026522017-12-12T17:10:39.952-05:002017-12-12T17:10:39.952-05:00Older men and younger women are historic.
It'...Older men and younger women are historic. <br /><br />It's not always culpable, and not always toxic or harmful. Get over it, people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-79464348887661071532017-12-12T17:08:44.624-05:002017-12-12T17:08:44.624-05:00Thanks to Gloria Allred and the sex scolds, probab...Thanks to Gloria Allred and the sex scolds, probably. People down there have sympathy for him because of the overkill.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-7335716408356965082017-12-12T17:07:08.038-05:002017-12-12T17:07:08.038-05:00Yes. But only two complained about sexual miscondu...Yes. But only two complained about sexual misconduct.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-49211964960938603482017-12-12T17:05:55.196-05:002017-12-12T17:05:55.196-05:00Women weren't valued in the past?
Oh, what a ...Women weren't valued in the past?<br /><br />Oh, what a wonderful era we're in! We're so special!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-59913292234082773422017-12-12T15:38:54.996-05:002017-12-12T15:38:54.996-05:00Historically, human life span has been generally i...Historically, human life span has been generally increasing over time. It's astonishing to note that life expectancy for females in the US in the year 1900 was 48.3; by 2000 it was 79.5; it's now over 81.<br />Lower life expectancy probably went hand in hand with younger age of first pregnancy, and hence marriage. It's possible that our moral judgment has simply grown with our life expectancy, i.e. the "imperative" for procreation is no longer as strong at very young ages. But hopefully, we also now value women more as persons than child-bearing machines. At any rate, there has been a growing pushback against this antiquated, mechanistic view of women. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-9230619601115964042017-12-12T15:05:57.497-05:002017-12-12T15:05:57.497-05:00"According to the Census Bureau, the average ..."According to the Census Bureau, the average age of first marriage for women was 20.3 in 1950"<br />Yet again, Somerby is incorrect here. He has been corrected by commenters previously, but so what? THERE IS NO SUCH STATISTIC FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU. The link takes you to this:<br />"Median Age at First Marriage, 1890–2010"<br />That's MEDIAN, not "average."<br />One would think that a blog concerned about fairness and accuracy in reporting would try to be accurate. <br /><br />Then he says this:<br />"As everyone except journalists knows, women tended to marry quite young in the middle part of the last century."<br />News flash: Men tended to marry quite young back then too: their median age of first marriage: 22.8!<br />Talk about misusing or misunderstanding statistics. <br /><br />Aside from this, Somerby still has not provided any statistics on the average ages of men vs women when first married. How common was it for men to be much older than the women upon first marriage? The median age for women of 20.3 does not prove the thing that Somerby is trying to prove here. He feels or thinks that it was common, and provides some celebrity anecdotes. Not proven. Although that would make an interesting research project. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-31622377533958949222017-12-12T14:40:04.895-05:002017-12-12T14:40:04.895-05:00You run interference for plutocrats with the Army ...You run interference for plutocrats with the Army you have, not the Army you wish you had.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-71253665959103291512017-12-12T14:37:00.220-05:002017-12-12T14:37:00.220-05:00"You see, the Post didn't like Roy Moore!..."You see, the Post didn't like Roy Moore!"<br /><br />Evidence for this? That they published the original story detailing Leigh Corfman's account, plus other interviews and information about Moore? <br /><br />"the confusion which had been introduced by the Washington Post"<br />The Post reported. It no longer matters to Somerby, but it has been pointed out that all the women being interviewed felt troubled by their experiences and wanted their stories told. No confusion there; no one doubts the accuracy of the original reporting, including Somerby. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-89329466799066576382017-12-12T14:08:22.359-05:002017-12-12T14:08:22.359-05:00A first cousin once removed, is a child of one of ...A first cousin once removed, is a child of one of your first cousins. Or on the other hand, your children are first cousins once removed to your first cousins.<br /><br />Also, bats aren't bugs.Dr. Tnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-18157614222680663232017-12-12T13:15:55.718-05:002017-12-12T13:15:55.718-05:00Speaking of marrying vastly younger women, do you ...Speaking of marrying vastly younger women, do you all realize that John Tyler—six presidents before Spielberg’s Lincoln, born in the 1700’s—still has two grandsons walking the face of our planet. You can do the math or check this out:<br /><br />https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2017-02-20/president-john-tyler-born-in-1790-still-has-2-living-grandsons<br /><br />Interesting stuff. Couldn’t pull that feat off without old coots and youngish brides. <br />Dude the Obscurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04168943380628649253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-58982871305863710142017-12-12T13:12:11.014-05:002017-12-12T13:12:11.014-05:00Quit worrying, Somerby: Moore's going to get e...Quit worrying, Somerby: Moore's going to get elected anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-1071622999082722017-12-12T13:06:50.252-05:002017-12-12T13:06:50.252-05:00https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/watch-randy-r...https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/watch-randy-rainbows-16-going-on-17-musical-takedown-of-roy-moore_us_5a2fb600e4b01598ac47cdcb?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-3116461575107856982017-12-12T13:03:08.203-05:002017-12-12T13:03:08.203-05:00Somerby cites a bunch of movie stars as evidence t...Somerby cites a bunch of movie stars as evidence that teen marriage is A-OK. He doesn't cite any of the sociological or psychological literature about the effects of teen marriage on the teens involved. He ignores that research because it is hard for him to lookup, never having taken a course in either subject, but also because it flies in the face of his claims about today's issue with Moore.<br /><br />Somerby seems to be unaware that the mothers of kids who are used in the production of kiddie porn (an illegal activity) are also enthusiastically in favor of it. He ignores that mothers routinely are imprisoned for actions that harm their children, ranging from neglect to outright abuse. That SOME, not ALL, of the moms of Roy Moore's targets were happy about it means nothing whatsoever.<br /><br />The question isn't whether child marriage is normative but whether it is good for kids. It isn't. Further, Roy Moore's actions may have been considered OK by some during his youth, there were by no means considered OK by (1) his colleagues in the DA's office, (2) the mall security, (3) bosses and supervisors of the girls he stalked, (4) local police who chaperoned him at high school events. IF he dated any women closer to his own age, most of them would have considered his interest in much younger girls to be creepy. I am older than Moore and I would have stopped dating any man who expressed such interests. I had a teen daughter during that time period and I would not have been enthusiastic about her dating anyone not in high school. I expected her to go to college, so marriage was way in the future, not scheduled for next year. My goals for her included self-reliance and not dependence on some good-earner. Somerby perhaps doesn't know any moms with those kinds of values.<br /><br />Lauren Bacall was 19. I repeat, Bacall was 19. The girls Moore wanted to "date" were not 19. Many were not 18. A few were much younger. <br /><br />If Somerby knew anything about the psychological literature about love and dating and romance, he would know that even young children below puberty can feel romantic love. Their feelings are deep, serious, and equivalent to those of teens and adults. That doesn't mean they are ready for dating and marriage. That two people of any age are in love doesn't imply they should be married. Other circumstances dictate that. Two moms were bad parents. The newspaper failed to embarrass them by reporting that fact. It doesn't mean what Moore did was right, normal, or good for the teen girls. <br /><br />What happened to Somerby's ability to reason? Is he so blinded by his affinity to Moore's plight that he cannot see the way normal people respond to abnormal sexual inclinations toward children? Does he not understand that adults are supposed to protect children, not expose them to the desires of older men who apparently cannot control their own impulses? Is Somerby an old lech now?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com