Once again, a mass shooter, this time killing 9 co-workers in San Jose, California. Once again, an ex-girlfriend reported he was violent toward her. And on the day of the murders, he was scheduled to attend a disciplinary hearing over racist remarks he’d made to co-workers. It’s all so closely connected, and I don’t understand why the red flags go unnoticed, over and over.
As always, this diary is a team effort. thanks to mettle fatigue, Angmar, and the WOW crew for links and discussion. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly this week.
Violence and harassment:
The pandemic within the pandemic: domestic violence.
Four female cops are suing their department, alleging that male colleagues sexually harassed and assaulted them in the guise of “undercover work” where the women were forced to pose as sex workers.
The rape trial of actor Danny Masterson includes claims that the Church of Scientology tried to prevent the women from reporting to law enforcement. “One woman testified that a church official instructed her to write a statement showing she would ‘take responsibility’ for a 2001 assault, in which she alleges Masterson raped her while she was unconscious.”
Reproductive rights and health care:
A Virginia doctor was sentenced to 59 years for health care fraud that included “performing unnecessary gynecologic and obstetrical procedures, removing organs, including unnecessarily induced labor, and sterilizations without patients' consent, by pressuring them with cancer fears.”
According to the CDC, the number of women dying from pregnancy or childbirth each year is now about 700.
The Pennsylvania legislature is pushing multiple anti-choice bills, which fortunately the governor is expected to veto. Proposed laws include one to ban abortion after a fetal Down’s Syndrome diagnosis, a 6-week “heartbeat” abortion ban, and….this:
Workplace issues:
During the pandemic, many women left their jobs to be caregivers. A business coalition wants companies to help.
#MeToo hits the craft beer industry.
Companies that want to retain women need better child care policies.
Last week Randy Good, owner of Good’s Candy Shop, posted an “employment ad” on Facebook that turned into a rant about every behavior he found unacceptable, saving special venom for “splitting,” which according to him is a behavior of “misguided gals” who “learned it from their mothers.” When the inevitable backlash hit, he added posts claiming the shop was benefiting from the publicity. Now, a week later, he’s selling the shop.
Uncategorizable:
A depressing survey in the UK found that half of the 16-to-24-year-old men agreed with the statement “Feminism has gone too far and made it harder for men to succeed.” Not coincidentally, alt-right and misogynist groups have been recruiting and grooming young men online.