A bevy of so called pundits have jumped on the media carousel shouting at former White House intern Monica Lewinsky to just shut up and go away already. Monica's recent interview with Vanity Fair about the repercussions of her affair with former President Bill Clinton is roiling the beltway politicians and some powerful female personalities.
Among her outraged critics is Cokie Roberts who attacked her today on Morning Joe claiming: "You wonder how much of this is aimed at Hillary Clinton. Wouldn't she like it out of the way"? God forbid that Monica Lewinsky should attempt to derail feminist darling Hillary Clinton's second attempt at occupying the White House.
Many political operatives argue that if Monica is so shamed by her story, and if her past indiscretions have ruined her life as she claims, then she just retreat into her 90's closet and stay there along with her skeletons. The problem with that argument is that Monica Lewinsky's name has been repeatedly dragged back unto the national stage, particularly by right wing activists who are seeking to one-up Bill or Hillary Clinton in the political battles de jour. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has invoked Lewinsky and Clinton's affair repeatedly in his effort to lay the groundwork for a presidential bid against possible nominee Hillary Clinton.
Public documents stored at the University of Arkansas library detail some of Hillary Clinton's discussions with deceased friend Diane Blair. Clinton told Blair that Lewinsky was a "narcissistic loony toon." Should we just rip the pages referencing Monica from our historical documents? In fact CNN did a story in February headlined "Where is Monica Lewinsky?' Is she the one who keeps rearing her tarnished head, or is it the American public who won't let her remain encased in a historical vault?
Monica Lewinsky is, and always will be, a central figure in American history and she has a right to be heard on any issue on which she chooses to speak. Her freedom of speech is enshrined in the Constitution. The problem is there are certain establishment interests that would like to rewrite Bill Clinton's history and pretend he did not defile the Oval Office with his predatory sexual behavior. They are more concerned with protecting the legacy of one of our richest and most powerful men, than allowing a young woman the space and time she needs to resurrect herself from an ugly life experience.
Monica Lewinsky needs to stay in the spotlight for a number of reasons. Her shame is also our collective shame because of the way we, as a society, treat our women. She is a reminder of our discomfort with all things sexual, even as we splash nakedness across the internet and television.
We have celebrated and adored Bill Clinton, a man who may have seduced this young woman or even used his power to sexually coerce her into having relations with him. We will never really know. The reality is that she was a very young, unpaid intern and he, the President of the United States, was her boss. Clinton came out unto a public stage and denigrated her as 'that woman'. Now these so called pundits, many of them women, are yelling at Monica to shut up and go away. It also highlights the way women repeatedly run to the defense of men behaving badly, to the detriment of their own gender.
America is still a male chauvinist bastion. While we do not have marauding terrorists kidnapping our women and selling them into slavery, we are more focused on shaming those who have been sexually victimized than highlighting so many gender related atrocities going on in our country. It is not a coincidence that we have so few female CEOs in corporate America. A recent report by PBS highlights the unbearable cost of day care which is forcing women who desperately want careers to stay home with their children.
The Supreme Court recently stripped away a rape victim's right to the entire judgment she won in a lawsuit filed against a relative who sexually assaulted her and posted the pictures on the internet. The ruling set aside nearly $3.4 million judgment in favor of 'Amy.' Her losses had been calculated based on the ongoing internet trade and viewing of images of her being raped by her uncle when she was 8 and 9 years old. The justices were more concerned that 'discretion' should be exercised when awarding restitution. The feministas were practically silent about this outrageous abdication of duty by our highest court.
Men who assault women are frequently giving slaps on the wrist like probation. Millionaire RadiumOne CEO Gurbaksh Chahal recently kicked his girlfriend 117 times and was allowed to plead to a misdemeanor.
Abortion clinics are silently closing all around the country as the right wing continues to place fetal rights over that of the mother. Mississippi and Texas have closed almost all their clinics while Louisiana and Arizona have passed very restrictive and onerous laws aimed at shutting down the clinics that still remain. This is happening all around America and the media has looked the other way.
When will we as a society stop silencing women who have been sexually victimized? We silence victims of rape, incest and other sexually related crimes. Prostitutes are imprisoned day after day while many johns walk away unscathed without humiliating mug shots and arrest records. The White House sex scandal is a part Monica's life experience and it always will be and she deserves the right, like anyone else, to tell her authentic story. If you can’t stand to hear it, then shame on you.
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