I had a deadline so I was mostly ignoring the Aaron Coleman debates, but it won't go away. so here's my POV

1st: the amount of misogynist violence he's done in his short life is EXTREMELY disturbing. It is not common nor an issue of class or maturity. https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article244930027.html

2nd: the way he discusses his behavior shows disturbing patterns of a) minimizing, b) making excuses, c) lack of knowledge about what is at the core of that misogynistic behavior.

He doesn't share any concrete steps re: what he's done to unlearn his misogyny

minimizing language.

"made serious mistakes"
"grown up a great deal"
"occurred only digitally"
"sick and troubled...boy"

3) another red flag: describing THEIR OWN TRAUMA when addressing how *they* inflicted trauma onto others.

Childhood trauma is extremely common. Stalking and sexual aggression as a result of that trauma is NOT common.

4) there's the recent behavior....

5) doing this interview shows he cares more about entitlement to run than the impact he still has on his victims and the larger implications of giving a young man more power despite his minimizing behavior.

this isn't the behavior of a man who understands—or cares—what he did

Many people have troubled pasts. Most of us do not use it as an excuse to repeatedly bully, stalk, and commit sexual violence on any medium.

But abusers trying to escape accountability will lean on it as if it's a valid excuse. it allows them to hide what they haven't changed

Misogynists are not good leaders. They are more prone to corruption. Dude's brain isn't even fully developed yet. Men around 18-24 have a higher propensity to be sexually violent.

defending him just doesn't seem to be a hill worth dying on.

And considering how poverty and labor issues disproportionately impact women—especially women of color—and that intersections with sexual violence and exploitation (hello slavery, domestic labor, for example!) a misogynist representative won't be an adequate ally.

people say they're sorry when they're caught all the time.

it's about the concrete actions that accompanied those words that matter.

an apology without change is just manipulation.

and im not debating anyone about this in DMs. I limited responses for a reason. I do not have any desire to spend even more time on this. ty!!!!!!!!