Though the former intern issued a statement hoping the intern program at MSSU would continue, that does not seem to be enough reason to print the name of a 19-year-old who was preyed upon by a 49-year-old man in a position of power.
Globe reporter Eli Yokley, who wrote the article, also used the young woman's name on his PoliticMo blog.
AP, KC Star and Post-Dispatch named her, too. No reason not to. She's an adult and not a sex crime victim.
ReplyDeleteShe also did not commit any crime. If she files a lawsuit, I name her. If she is charged with a crime, I name her, but in this instance, the person who was taking advantage of his position and his power was John Diehl. As I was checking the coverage earlier tonight, I did a search by the girl's full name, instead of the first name that she uses in the Globe article, so I missed some other media outlets that used the name. I came across this one because I was reading on the Globe website.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Randy, but I agree with 9:50--she's an adult and did an incredibly stupid thing in public. I think she should be named in articles about this mess, just like Diehl.
ReplyDeleteYea, you're right. She probably didn't know that sexting with a married man who was the speaker of the house was wrong.
ReplyDeleteI don't get how she is a victim? Do you feel that this poor helpless little college student was too dumb to know better. Don't insult our intelligence no our ability to do stupid things although still possessing a high intellect.
ReplyDeleteShe is a University student with an internship not a poor helpless little victim of an older man. Give me a break already. I don't believe this man was taking advantage of anyone. What an archaic, sexist attitude to take. This kind of commentary takes women back 50 years.
Don't set up a field kitchen next to a latrine. It was true then, it is still true now.
ReplyDeleteAll the comments that the intern is not a victim apparently assume that there was not some sort of power based coercion involved.
ReplyDeleteI am not convinced that is the case.
MSSU has some explaining to do imo.
Acting like she is a victim is ludicrous. She is an adult. Sure, Diehl is older then her--so what? I think anyone who read over the text messages can clearly see that she was a very, very willing participant in the exchanges. The idea that Diehl was somehow taking advantage of her is patently absurd.
ReplyDeleteI find it unfathomably sexist to assume that this 19 year old woman who is a college student and part of the prestigious legislative intern program could not possible be capable of making her own decisions and that it must be that Diehl "took advantage of his position of power". Did anyone read the texts? She had his contact name saved as "Frank Underwood" with a little emoticon smirk beside the name. She knew exactly what she was doing; she was turned on by the fact Diehl was a prominent politician.
ReplyDeleteI would not be surprised at all if she is was one who came onto him and he reciprocated.
But really, lets not act as if an adult woman who is clearly quite intelligent, cannot possibly make conscious decisions on her own.
If you think he resigned so quickly because of what is publicly known so far, you are naïve. There is so much more to this story that will come out. Abuse of power in a work setting is illegal, unethical and sick. Predators are experts at targeting victims they can threaten, coerce and control. This isn't the first time he has done this.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Diehl is a married man, who defends family values. Second, she was young... if she was 18 or 17, people would be angry. Lay off the kid! Let's not smear someone without knowing everything.
ReplyDeleteI am sickened that at this day and age, we still have a blame the victim mentally for these types of situations. Political conspiracy theories, she came on to him, etc. Really? He is a grown man in a powerful position and there is absolutely no excuse for his behavior. I have no doubt he initiated it because he is so arrogant he thought he could get away with it. This was somebody's 19 year old daughter! He has a 21 year old son for goodness sake. Did you see the picture of him out partying it up last night with the two women hanging all over him? Have you heard him apologize to his wife and kids yet for humiliating them? Yea, I didn't think so. He is a sick man who needs some help and I am heartbroken for all the family members on both sides of the situation who have been left to pick up the pieces.
ReplyDeleteBeing a legal adult and fully understanding the consequences of your actions are two different things. She probably knew it was wrong, but didn't comprehend how it could go bad in a big way. What you do between 18 and 26 is frequently very dumb.
ReplyDeleteThere are two separate and distinct ways this can be be viewed. First, we can view it as a colossal mistake in judgment by two consenting adults--regardless of whether one is older and one is younger.
ReplyDeleteSecond, we can view it as an abuse of power by an older man perpetrated against a younger female.
The law gives legal adult status to individuals when they turn 18; they are able to serve in the military (let us remember that in the military we are giving HUGE amounts of discretion to so called "naive adults" but that is neither here nor there), enter into legally binding contracts, get a passport and travel overseas, and so forth.
What I find troubling is in a case like this where so many automatically take a holier than thou approach and have the knee jerk reaction of treating the older individual as some sort of a predator. I think everyone can agree that the exchange of texts (and whatever else happened we don't know about) was wrong and that Diehl did the right thing in resigning.
I for one am not "blaming the viction" as I don't see there really truly being a victim here to blame. My question is this: why does there always have to be a victim? Why is it so hard to comprehend a scenario where two consenting adults did something stupid and wrong? Why must there be "abuse" and "victimization"?
There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever thus far that Diehl used his position to coerce this woman in any way.
You can make the argument that the judgment of a 19 year old isn't the same as the judgment of a middle aged person. Overall, I'd agree that is true. It is also true thought that age isn't a good factor in determining what actions a person will take. Look here: a 49 year old man made a huge mistake--just as a 19 year old woman made. Nothing more, nothing less. . .two adults who made bad choices.
She is as guilty as he is! Plain and simple. She is 19 years old and old enough to know that what she was doing was wrong! The faux outrage by the Democrats leaves me laughing though. I mean this is a party who idolizes an accused rapists, that once perjured himself about doing much more heinous things with an intern. Where is their outrage with Bill?
ReplyDeleteShe also gave statements to that reporter. If you'd ever do any leg work on anything you write, you'd know that.
ReplyDeleteGet your head out of the sand! I don't care what she said, how she dressed, or if she threw herself at him. He is over 3O years older than she is and is in a legal position of power which makes this a sexual harassment case by law. Those of you defending this jerk and calling this a relationship between two consenting adults should be ashamed of yourselves. If it was so consensual and no further wrongs have been done - then why did he step down and give up his entire political career less than 24 hours of it going public? This has nothing to do with politics. Bringing up Clinton to justify his behavior - oh come on. Monica was mid 20s and a college graduate. This intern isn't even old enough to buy a beer. Clinton's case - immoral yes. Diehl's behavior - sick and disgusting!
ReplyDeleteWhen there's a "employer-employee dynamic" in play, and a superior that can determine if you stay or go, if you get a good reference or a bad one, etc...and that superior wants something from you what do you do? At 19, 21, 30, 45 and upward as a woman, I have felt harassment in many forms in the workplace. Dirty jokes, propositions from male bosses and co-workers, nude calendars hanging on the walls of our common work areas...If I didn't smile and laugh at my boss's dirty jokes, I didn't get my next raise. If I went to that same boss because the other co-worker hit on me constantly, he didn't feel the need to do anything about it. That same co-worker made more per hour than I did, simply because he was a husband/guy. I think that the young woman in this situation practiced poor judgment, but may have honestly felt she had no choice but to follow his lead. JMO
ReplyDeleteHow is Diehl any different then men in here in the Joplin Business Community who hit on and have relationships outside of marriage with much younger women? What say you Mr. Big?
ReplyDelete8:51 is right. I see that type of stuff all the time, even at places around town like the country club and other places where business folk gather.
ReplyDeleteRandy: This is 8:51 and let's make a Diehl. I want to make clear I was not referring to you when I referenced Mr. Big. I was referring the PR person in town who thinks he is Mr. Big.
ReplyDelete