Read on Twitter
I& #39;m gonna tweet some things about Alex Morse but it& #39;s gonna be a little bit nuanced! This thread is not gonna be easily categorized into one of the two main kinds of takes on this topic! If I& #39;m really lucky EVERYONE is going to hate it! https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/10/alex-morse-holyoke-mayor-college-democrats/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/20...
Quick primer:
Morse is a gay Democratic mayor and former university instructor who had sexual relationships with local college students. He& #39;s running for Congress and now faces pressure to drop out.
Morse is a gay Democratic mayor and former university instructor who had sexual relationships with local college students. He& #39;s running for Congress and now faces pressure to drop out.
This is the kind of story that tends to push in one of two bad directions: (a) it was consensual! Any worries constitute victorian sex-negativity and/or homophobia! (b) power asymmetries are NEVER acceptable in sexual relationships! they& #39;re sexual predation on helpless youths!
Assuming the relationships in question were indeed consensual — and I& #39;ve seen no allegations otherwise — their consent means he didn& #39;t rape those students. Which is... good but obviously a super low bar. Nothing close to establishing that everything was fine.
It is possible to be skeevy and bad, in a way that makes groups reasonable in not wanting to invite you to their events any more, without engaging in any nonconsensual sexual behaviour.
Specifics of Morse& #39;s alleged behaviour haven& #39;t been given, but if I assume reasonability on behalf of
the College Democrats of Massachusetts, it seems likely that Morse was behaving inappropriately, even if not sexually assaulting anyone. https://dailycollegian.com/2020/08/college-democrats-allege-inappropriate-misconduct-between-holyoke-mayor-alex-morse-and-college-students/">https://dailycollegian.com/2020/08/c...
the College Democrats of Massachusetts, it seems likely that Morse was behaving inappropriately, even if not sexually assaulting anyone. https://dailycollegian.com/2020/08/college-democrats-allege-inappropriate-misconduct-between-holyoke-mayor-alex-morse-and-college-students/">https://dailycollegian.com/2020/08/c...
This is based largely on inference from their choosing to to publicly complain about his behaviour. People rarely complain about these things only when they are fairly serious.
I DON& #39;T think the abstract descriptions of behaviour are themselves enough to make wrongdoing clear.
I DON& #39;T think the abstract descriptions of behaviour are themselves enough to make wrongdoing clear.
In other words, I read their letter alleging misconduct, and I think it& #39;s probably true because I am deferring to their testimony of their experience — not because I think the specifics sited amount to a proof of wrongdoing.
This is the part of the thread I think more of my followers might be in disagreement with me about.
I don& #39;t think matching with students on dating apps and/or having sex with them is necessarily skeevy or bad.
I don& #39;t think matching with students on dating apps and/or having sex with them is necessarily skeevy or bad.
(If it& #39;s a student that he was teaching, that& #39;s a different story, but I& #39;ve seen no allegations to that effect. The stories are about unnamed students, including students at his university.)
Some people will say, a 30-year-old mayor/professor will always have an unbalanced power dynamic over a 20-year-old student!
And that is true, and morally relevant, but not an overriding consideration that must prohibit meaningful consent or a good relationship.
And that is true, and morally relevant, but not an overriding consideration that must prohibit meaningful consent or a good relationship.
Human power dynamics are very complicated, along many dimensions, and it& #39;s just... not true that sex can only be good or awesome or morally permissible if it is between partners who are equal in every respect.
