We all agree: Sexual harassment is a real problem in this country and it has touched thousands of people across the country and around the world.
The latest with the dismissal of Matt Lauer from Today and a CNN producer due to accusations of sexual harassment speak to a new volume that seems to be the focus of this country: We’re more inclined to believe women than men at this point. Why? Because it’s a liberal focus that has somehow plagued not only our nations, but nations around the world as well, almost like a disease.
From a personal perspective, I am more than willing to forgive these people for the actions they’ve done, as long as they’ve accepted what they’ve done. But the rest of the country might not see it like that. And that’s another thing that pisses me off about men and women in this day and age: We can no longer forgive people for this. These are fine and hard-working people who have made many mistakes in their lives. That’s the nature of being human. But somehow the media, liberals, and the millennials have made it their mission to end these people for good. To not forgive these people somewhere down the line. We’ve crossed that line and it could have deadly consequences for both sides.
Remember the Kobe Bryant scandal in Colorado that seemed to grip the nation, especially in sports? Well, Kobe Bryant did indeed take accountability for his actions and apologize for that, and he didn’t even lose his wife and children in the process. They were forgiving of his actions and he became a beloved figure in the NBA. And he knew he dodged a bullet on this one, and made it his mission to become a better man and a better figure for both men and women alike. Why can’t we say that about Matt Lauer or Charlie Rose or Louis C.K. or even Senator Al Franken? If they admit it and make it their mission to get better, shouldn’t we be supporting that rather than dragging them down? I would think so.
I believe this notion that we’re no longer a forgiving society when it comes to these types of issues is deeply troubling and concerning for me. We seem to want to fire people the minute accusations come rolling in. The news media themselves don’t seem to want to deal with the fallout of keeping people on.
Kathie Lee Gifford said it very elegantly on TODAY that humans made mistakes and our mission is to atone for our sins and become better people. We’re not all perfect and we sometimes made mistakes that we hope we don’t make again, and that’s a part of being human. And if we can’t seem to understand that and forgive people for actions if they’ve admitted to them, then we are no better than them. I’m sorry, but this whole process is all about forgiving as well, and if we can’t do that, then we can’t drive to become a better society, which is what America wants to be.
So I say this to Rose McGowan, Savannah Guthrie, and many other women and men alike who are condemning this very hardly: They deserve it, but you also have to have the ability to forgive. If you can’t do that, then I don’t forgive you either. And I really want to. We all must make a stride to get better, and that means admitting guilt and gaining forgiveness from it. That’s what being an American is.
