I’m 69 years old. 56 years ago while in elementary school I was sexually asaulted by the school janitor. I have NEVER forgotten any details of that assault. I was told at the time by the school authorities. I should never tell anyone I guess they feared it would hurt the reputation of the school. I didn’t for years.....until one day I realised I hadn’t done anything wrong and so I decided I could speak about it. Just doing that helped. It doesn’t matter how long a person holds onto trauma, in there own time they have a right to speak out and say “ this happened to me” Dr Ford has a right to do so now
57
So far, most comments infer that Judge Kavanaugh is guilty of this incident and should be denied the position on our Supreme Court because he is Guilty !
It is only human to believe what you choose to believe.
Do you mean to say to all the readers that it's simply a fact that this incident happened and that there are no other possibilities ?
Many of the comments are from real women with true stories about what happened to them years ago.These women have been truly affected by their experiences.They are finally sharing their feelings. This is important for us to never forget.
Are we to assume from that--Kavanaugh is Guilty and there are no other possibilities.?
Let's hope that our people, with our emotions registering on
High, have not lost our sense of fairness.
Strong feelings are not facts. Not yet.
Watching our government proceeding with this nomination without first obtaining the facts, sets a poor example for the rest of us.
That is why i am uncomfortable reading most of these comments on Kavanaugh which seem to say that he is guilty, without having the facts to back it up.
We can do better than this !
10
To all of the men saying her story can't be true because she doesn't recall every single detail: If you'd ever experienced an attempted assault, you'd understand how the feelings of terror can crowd out the what/where details.
36
I am 71 years old. When I was 4 years old I was forced by an 18 year old male who was baby sitting me, to perform oral sex on him in the bathroom of my family’s home. The wallpaper was pink with gray fish. The condom he’d used had a strong chemical odor. It burnt my lips. He sat on the edge of the bathtub and pushed my head into his crotch. His pubic hairs were prickly on my face. The taste of the condom - and fear - made me nauseous. When he ejaculated into the sink, he knocked the glass that was kept beside the faucet into the sink bowl breaking the glass and cracking the sink. He concluded his reinvention of my person by telling me that if I told my mother what had happened we would both be in trouble, and I was going to be in trouble enough because he told me to say it was I who broke the glass and cracked the sink. He was right..I was in trouble and stayed in trouble for decades until these sorts of things began to be talked about. I had the good fortune of finding a counselor who helped me unload the burden of that experience to the extent that it’s possible to do that. I have no doubt that Dr. Ford remembers well having been assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh. How does it matter that this is the time she found herself able to speak openly about it? How can it matter if there was not a witness to the event? There rarely are witnesses to these things. That has nothing to do with the accuracy and veracity of the victim’s experience - not even after sixty years.
45
Thank you, Dr. Friedman.
As I have shared before in NYC Times comments, I was strangled and raped and left for dead in 1980, when I was 20 years old and a college student (at San Francisco State University).
I am an illustrator. The day after the assault, I sat down with a piece of photocopy paper and a pencil and drew a portrait of the perpetrator. When the detective showed up I gave him the drawing. He told me he was going to have me work with a police sketch artist, but that wouldn't be necessary.
The San Francisco DA told me that he'd never had a victim draw a portrait of the perpetrator before. The police used it to find the rapist. The DA used it in court.
That man's face and voice has been burned into my brain for 38 years. I could draw that portrait again today. I can recount everything that happened that night including what he said to me as if it was yesterday.
I wish I couldn't.
I would like to forget. We can't forget. It's not possible.
57
The notion that Dr. Blasey is not telling the truth is absurd. She gains nothing by telling this story, and she risks a lot.
Republicans recognize this so they fall back on the argument that she is mistaken. Dr, Friedman gives the lie to that explanation as well.
It is possible, I suppose, that the event has been amplified in her memory over the years. But even if that were true, Brett Kavanaugh's categorical denial would be a lie, and such lies, in my mind, disqualify him from serving.
Let's also consider the act itself. I too was a teenage boy once. I'm pretty sure that my hands, at times, wandered to places where they weren't entirely welcome ('signals are sometimes misread'). Those hands, however, were quickly withdrawn upon objection.
There's a qualitative difference, I would argue, between 'indiscretion' and trying to overcome someone's will by force. Using force to overcome the victim's will is the domain of robbers, murderers, and rapists. There's really no room in society for that attitude.
Moreover, that attitude tends to be permanent. People that believe they have such rights seldom grow out of that belief.
24
In the decades that I knew my mother-in-law, she rarely revealed anything too personal. In her last years, when she was in the throes of dementia and in her late 80s, I was sitting with her one day when she told me about a cousin who had tried to molest her when she was very young.
I was so startled by this revelation but I've never doubted its truth.
9
I have been thinking about Dr. Ford's statements and thinking about how many people might say that teenage boys act impulsively and make mistakes. I grew up with three older brothers and I have raised two boys - now young men. I know that my brothers and sons have made poor decisions in their lives but I also know that they would never attack a woman or put another person in a uncomfortable physical position. It is not just the act of an immature teen as Dr. Friedman points out the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed for teenagers which can affect impulse control - but the act of one with a flawed sense of right and wrong. If the accusation is true - and I believe it is because I don't believe anyone would expose themselves to this scrutiny as Dr. Ford has unless it was true- this act speaks to a flawed character and an arrogance regarding human life and decency. The importance of the role of a Supreme Court Justice demands not only intelligence but a truly evolved sense of right and wrong and human decency.
40
As I read these comments, I am struck that in the face of an overwhelming number of victims sharing indelible memories of their assaults those who dismiss these memories and events are by and large male.
It took the MeToo movement to get my own husband to fully believe me when I shared my own stories of rape and abuse, so I am not surprised that men would doubt a perfect stranger. However, men need to at least be open to the POSSIBILITY that one of their own is CAPABLE of doing these acts and CAPABLE of lying to cover his deeds.
The Old Boy Frat Network need to begin to hold their own to accountability or risk losing all credibility.
Rape Culture must stop. Denial of victims enables the abuse and corruption to continue.
30
Excellent point but could become irrelevant. Conservatives are desperately seeking an excuse to prevent Dr Blasey from testifying. If she plays into their hands, she loses. And America loses with her.
3
Dr. Friedman's compelling case might have mentioned one additional factor: Not only does alcohol merely release existing dispositions, but the intense dispositions of late adolescence—when the prefrontal cortex is indeed quite developed—remain secured inone’s sense of identity.
The intense feelings that seal memories also seal sense of self. How you love as a late teen has everything to say about who you are as loving one later in life. (Why else is depth psychotherapy valid?) How you feel about others in late teen years stays with your sense of others throughout life.
Misogyny during late-teen identity formation isn't automatically outgrown. A sense of entitlement flows into sense of profession, even sense of relationship to legal relevance.
11
Correction to my post regarding where I was when Kennedy was shot: it was 55 years ago, not 27 years ago. And I remember it to this day. I remember his visit to the UC campus in Berkeley. I remember the TV coverage with the casket and the riderless horse. I remember the dignity of Jackie who provided the nation with a way to mourn together. I remember Charles DeGaulle marching with her behind the casket. There are some things you never forget.
5
Please do not let this man be appointed to the SC.
If there is any question at all about his character, let there be an investigation.
20
People have a need for what they say or claim to be recognized. This applies to all kinds of things, and especially to traumatic experiences.
Violence or threats can be performed in order to silence, and then talking about them wins further threats, to punish the refusal to a continuing silence.
When terrible things happen, the first thing that must be said is: This happened, it was done, it was a wrong, and it matters, because such things should not be done.
I myself was openly harassed by the police in New York 3 years ago. Their vaguely articulated concerns were political. (I am a writer, and my politics are moderately left).
A lawyer confirmed that my subsequent psychiatric incarceration was indeed punitive and part of the harassment. It puts you outside "society," makes you responsible for the exclusion, and your purely privatized experience counts not.
She also said I must not talk of it, or they will say I'm crazy and do it again. My experience and thinking then negated, what i say happened cannot be true.
Obviously, the purpose was to silence and intimidate me. An implicit demand for silence about violence done to silence one is its continuation.
Citizens who speak must be treated as saying what is not necessarily true or false, but possibly true. There is no polity otherwise.
(Earlier version of this contained extra text at bottom meant to be deleted).
2
People have a need for what they say or claim to be recognized. This applies to all kinds of things, and especially to traumatic experiences.
Violence or threats can be performed in order to silence, and then talking about them wins further threats, to punish the refusal to a continuing silence.
When terrible things happen, the first thing that must be said is: This happened, it was done, it was a wrong, and it matters, because such things should not be done.
I myself was openly harassed by the police in New York 3 years ago. Their vaguely articulated concerns were political. (I am a writer, and my politics are moderately left).
A lawyer confirmed that my subsequent psychiatric incarceration was indeed punitive and part of the harassment. It puts you outside "society," makes you responsible for the exclusion, and your purely privatized experience counts not.
She also said I must not talk of it, or they will say I'm crazy and do it again. My experience and thinking then negated, what i say happened cannot be true.
Obviously, the purpose was to silence and intimidate me. An implicit demand for silence about violence done to silence one is its continuation.
Citizens who speak must be treated as saying what is not necessarily true or false, but possibly true. There is no polity otherwise.
about things that have happened to them, or what they believe about anything and what it means to them and why,
When victims are not believed,
Dr. Friedman is correct. In my 70's now, I certainly have not forgotten what happened to me an 8-year old and again as a 19-year old. These awful memories are indelible--I believe Dr. Ford.
19
All of us share the guilt for supporting a value system that makes heroes out of athletic young men with the high levels of testosterone needed for contact sports, a desire to fit in with similarly-aggressive teammates, and no more judgment than any of us had at that age.
We tell them they can do no wrong, surround them with enablers, and we tell young women that hanging out with these guys elevates their own social status.
What do we expect? This goes on right now. When it happened at the University of Colorado about 13 years ago, the president had to leave and the AD stayed.
8
This column addresses the accuracy of Dr. Blassey's accusations: Has the passage of time or the experience of trauma distorted key features of her memories? Even if she genuinely remembers this assault as she describes it, might she nonetheless be mistaken about what actually took place?
I find it most peculiar that nobody has asked the parallel questions about Judge Kavanaugh's denials: Has the passage of time altered his memories of the night in question? Did his alleged extreme intoxication that night prevent those memories from forming at all? If he genuinely has no memories of assaulting her, is that because it never happened, or because his memory has failed?
These are both highly accomplished professionals. Why must she defend the accuracy of her memories, but he has no such obligation? Perhaps Dr. Friedman could follow this column with one that addresses the impact of heavy drinking on memory, explaining when and why people sometimes cannot recall what they did while drunk.
15
I am a recovering alcoholic. When drinking I frequently drank myself into a blackout where I couldn't remember what I had done when drunk. These demoralizing events eventually led me to stop drinking and get sober. Twenty-four years later I remember blackouts but I still don't remember what I did during those blackouts. Could Kavanaugh have been blacked out during the assault?
8
This article, and many of the comments that have been posted, establishes beyond a doubt that that when someone is assaulted, she or he almost invariably remembers it vividly. However, it has absolutely no bearing whatever on a logically distinct proposition; namely, that when someone claims to remember an assault vividly, that assault actually took place.
4
When I was 6, I broke my arm at the elbow. I was in and out of hospitals for two years because of complications during the surgery. As a last attempt to fix the problem I was sent to a rehabilitation facility for intensive physical therapy without parent companionship. As eight year old, I was old enough to be alone, so insurance didn't cover it.
There was this boy there, older, maybe 10, but I don't remember for sure. He was fun, he loved my Garfield pin, and since I was tomboyish, I liked to hang with the boys. We had a blast, until...
One afternoon he was standing in front of his room and waving me to come. When I got close enough, he pushed me through the door, his roommates grabbed my hands, pulled me on the bed and he climbed on me and forced-kiss me. After that, they immediately let me go, and I ran. When I closed the door of my room, I noticed that my Garfield pin got open and it stung me.
I'm pushing forty, and whenever I hear a sexual assault story, my mind instantly goes to that moment, and I can feel that pin. I have no recollection what happened after. Did I tell on that boy? I really don't remember. Frankly, the incident is the only moment I remember from those four weeks. I don't feel traumatized by it, I just remember... and now I know why.
14
The Senators who opined that Christine Blasey Ford was, or may have been, "confused" or "mixed up" have demonstrated condesension toward, and bias against Dr. Blasey. They have therefore demonstrated they are not evenhanded judges in her dispute with Bret Kavanaugh.
They should recuse themselves from active participation when Dr. Blasey testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee and in subsequent discussions.
Of course, they won't.
18
I was baffled that little if anything was being written about the lasting psychological imprint of a sexual assault while being blackout drunk is often considered a mitigating circumstance by establishment partisans. Then came Dr. Richard Friedman's excellent article on "Why Sexual Assault Memories Stick," which I can personally attest to. I am now 75, yet can remember every detail of seeing the terrifying look on my attacker's face as he followed me into a dark alley on my way to my apartment In the early 1970s when I was a student in Taiwan. He grabbed me around the neck and digitally assaulted me before I could break free of his grip, turn, and scream in his face.
For decades I had a recurring nightmare of being attacked from behind and being unable to scream. I would wake up trying to get my scream out and feeling numb all over. I always knew the source of this dream and would get up to clear my head and walk off the numbness. I still am uncomfortable if I am walking alone at night and change my direction at the sound of footsteps behind me. No, I am not a "confused or mixed up" woman. I remember, just as Christine Ford does.
23
Mr Friedman has it exactly right. And so does Christine Blasey Ford.
12
Unexplained... How does the accuser claim to be able to identify by name? Either before or after the alleged incident. ?
3
Simple. She knew who he was and had known him previously. If you read the coverage you wouldn't make noxious assertions.
13
As for memories long in the past: Does any adult not remember where they were on September 11, 2001? Do they non remember what they thought and felt that day?
Does anyone living in the DC/MD/VA area in October, 2002 not remember the DC Beltway Snipers? Remember crouching down to fill your gas tank?
Traumatic events aren't easy forgotten.
13
@Sharon Klompus Actually there was an excellent study done on the memory of 9/11 and published in the Scientific American. It found that while people expressed high degree of confidence in the accuracy of their traumatic memories, they were off the mark in at least 50 percent of the cases. They were particularly bad at recollecting their own emotions and reactions. And the more confidence they expressed, the more likely they were to be wrong. So while traumatic events are not easily forgotten, the memory becomes so contaminated by confabulation as to be useless as evidence.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/911-memory-accuracy/
2
Kavanaugh is victimizing this woman all over again, only this time he has a posse of a bunch of old white guys with a lot of power, including a president who has himself admitted to serial sexual assault of women. Kavanaugh is not man enough, noble enough, honorable enough, nor truthful enough to admit it and apologize for it, even with no criminal jeopardy, and that fact is enough for me to say this man is not supreme court material.. But let's also not ignore the fact that Grassley, Hatch, Trump, et al, clearly could care less if it happened or not and just want to figure out how to get him onto the Supreme Court despite this inconvenience. Someone needs to teach that party what Christian, moral and family values actually are.
15
Why is it that nearly all of the comments casting doubt on Dr. Ford's story and credibility are coming from men? Have we not made any progress at all since the Anita Hill - Clarence Thomas travesty? Come on, guys. Don't you see what you're doing? Blame the victim. Again?
14
@Karen -- no one is blaming the victim. I believe she believes what she claims is true. But that doesn't make it true. Regardless of what the good Dr. Friedman says. Memories are easily embellished, inflated, invented and the person with the memory can strongly believe their memory is correct only to find it isn't.
4
@Ralphie "No one is blaming the victim?" Many people are blaming the victim. And if you won't admit it, you're deflecting, minimizing and lying.
4
Friedman attempts to rebut various vaguely-attributed claims:
* "... some of her critics ..."
* "... as some senators suggest ..."
* "Some commentators ..."
* "Some are saying ..."
Friedman's vague attributions expose him to charges of creating straw men to attack. Friedman should identify *specific* people who have made the claims he is rebutting.
1
I think you can find enough of that sort if thing in the comments section to realize that there are people that make that argument.
3
Frat boys will be frat boys, heh heh, nudge, nudge. Glad this is coming out. I graduated the same year as Kavanaugh and the Greek system was robust at my school with frat boys date-raping drunk girls, rating them numerically as they rode their bicycles by, carrying on without impunity because that's what frat boys do, right? And then those like Kavanaugh went on to have great careers carried on by his frat associations and had women surround him as useful objects. I hope he goes down.
19
"I graduated the same year as Kavanaugh and the Greek system was robust at my school ..."
Kavanaugh was 17 and in high school*, so he couldn't have been in a "frat".
* Georgetown Preparatory School
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_Preparatory_School
3
I'm 67 but in junior high after a school dance two ruffians slugged me in the jaw, the only violence ever done to me. Some things you just never forget and I recall the incident so vividly I could re-enact every part of it. So unless Ms. Blasey Ford is lying on purpose or has some ax to grind with Kavanaugh, she must be believed and her allegation disproved or Kavanaugh should step aside. Shame on you, GOP.
12
Well, duh, being sexually assaulted is not as easy to forget as your car keys.
4
two questions:
1) I wonder if the Times would print an op-ed from a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist or neuro researcher that stated that memories are easily conflated and confused over time, particularly from your teenage years and if you were drinking when an event occurred.
2) I wonder if those who are adamantly sure that Kavanaugh did it -- given the same set of facts and it were a Black male nominated by a democrat and it was the Republicans demanding the FBI investigate -- how much credibility would you give such an accuser -- one who can't provide any specifics and who the three people she has named as being at the party say they weren't, she can't remember key facts, her facts now disagree with what her therapist's notes say and she never told anyone for 30 years? How credible? And why?
9
What Kavanaugh did decades ago is terrible, sure, but what he's doing today is what's important.
Dr. Blasey's memories are highly credible, which means Kavanaugh is lying to protect himself because he wants a seat on the Supreme Court. That is morally indefensible.
When you hurt someone, you have to care about what you did. You don't call that person a liar, drag them into the mud you created, and further traumatize your victim(s).
People do that all the time, of course. Bad people. People like Kavanaugh. He's probably willing to perjure himself to get the nom. And Republicans are okay with that.
15
@David Hey Bill Clinton did it. He had an entire staff of people around to discredit "bimbos" who accused him of this or that. Headed by his wife. And the dems care then -- they don't care now as evidenced by HRC's getting the nomination. Sure, Bill did it a long time ago (not 36 years ago though). And Hill did it because she wanted to grow up to be president one day. They continued Bill's assault by publicly embarrassing and humiliating any female that came forward. Right?
And what qualifies you to say that her story is credible. The only credible thing is that she at this point in her life probably believes it happened the way she said, but she has no way of proving that. Or proving it to us. Those who accused Bill of rape and assault had evidence. They were credible.
1
As a now retired psychiatrist,I remember with agonizing clarity a near rape situation similar to what Christine Blasey recalls.The incidents happened from October-November,1976,at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Denver, Colorado, when I was a third year medical student.
I was on a team with a surgical intern, Michael Tralla, MD, now an ENT surgeon in Lakewood, CO, and 2 med students, Raeburn Jenkins, MD, now an orthopedic surgeon in Golden, CO, and Paul Anthony, MD, a geriatrician in Texas today.
Early in the rotation,Dr. Tralla pinched and inappropriately grabbed and touched me. I protested, but that made him bolder. Other residents and faculty were present and aware but said nothing. I told him to stop,but he wouldn’t.
The other med students were upset by my treatment.Rae Jenkins,in particular, strongly encouraged me to go to the director of surgery,Dale Liechty, MD,(died 2009-Alzheimers)which I did.The upshot was that I was accused of attempting revenge on Tralla, b/c he wouldn’t date me.I was called a liar and threatened w/expulsion.
I threatened legal action and the compromise was reached that if I took and passed a “special” exam, I could continue. I passed the exam, but painful gossip circulated for months. I took a leave. Later, I returned and got my degree.
Traumatic memories are seared into one’s memory, b/c of the great emotion involved. I believe Christine Blasey.
FYI: A Go Fund Me has been established for Dr. Blasey. Please contribute. Thanks.
16
@Sheila Wall. That's a lot of specific detail, when, where, who, witnesses, others at the time that could corroborate the charge. That is a charge that could be investigated and reasonably assessed to determine it's voracity and significance. So far Dr. Blasey hasn't given any of that. No time or date or even a reasonable date range. No place. No details surrounding the alleged incident, how she got there, how she got home, who were her friends at the party etc etc etc. Nothing that could be reasonably corroborated or refuted. That's makes it impossible to investigate and therefore one can't reasonable assess it's voracity or significance. You believe Dr. Blasey Ford... because you believe her. That is no more or less credible than those who believe Judge Kavanaugh and his forthright denial.
6
@Sheila WallI salute your courage, Dr. Wall, and applaud the outing of your sexual predator/assailant Trulla. If he acted in such a manner with you, and apparently suffered no significant consequences, how many other similar incidents was he involved in? At a minimum, his permanent hospital employment record should include your traumatic episode with him. Best wishes.
7
Politicians should not be leading the rape conversation. They are part of the problem.
Let's hear more from the psychiatry community like Dr. Friedman.
10
I'm almost 55 years old. I know that in HS a boy grabbed by buttocks while I was walking in the hallway when i was a freshman. I don't know what date it happened on, but I will never forget the shameful fear that filled me as he laughed and walked away. When you are a young, small female and an older, stronger boy suddenly grabs you, it is a scary and memorable event.
13
Honestly, I think this can be true of many non-traumatic memories as well. You remember pieces of a day or a conversation, but you probably can't, 30 years later, spontaneously recall the exact day or month or town or other participants unless it is obviously connected to the memory.
3
I was molested, sexually, when I was twelve, which is 63 years ago. The perpetrator was a disabled war veteran who had his nephew as an accomplice. The modus operandi was to entice young boys to accept an invitation to go water skiing in his boat. After the victim had his “turn” water skiing, he piloted the boat to pull the accomplice. The perpetrator was then alone in the boat with the victim. His hands began to grope genitals and he commented on them.
I don’t remember what ensued, it anything, and how I got home afterwards, but the memory of what happened that afternoon is as vivid as if it happened this afternoon.
8
There is something about terror — either from nature or from another person — that will stick with you till you die. One of mine is a near-drowning experience after taking off on a wave too large for my skill levels as a surfer in 1969. I also took a punch from a school yard bully in the 7th grade. At barely 5ft tall after leaving elementary school, I was easy pickings for such attacks by older boys. And I remember it all, and I remember them — vividly.
Thus there is no reason, in my opinion, why Professor Christine Blasey Ford vividly remembers the attempted rape of her by a drunken boy and possibly, his friend. Was 17 year old high school student Brett Kavanaugh so drunk that he really can't remember the event? Professor Ford never forgot it.
There is no question this attempted rape took place. Was the victim drunk as well? Not that that matters in rape. A drunken victim, after all, is still the victim. But it may matter in convincing the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans that she is remembering it was Kavanaugh.
Indeed, an FBI investigation is warranted. But Sen. Grassley remains committed to fast-tracking Kavanaugh through confirmation to the highest court in the land, itself a lifetime appointment.
I think we can expect the Clarence Thomas experience to guide the majority leader of this committee to keep the confirmation process moving forward.
2
Why would a onetime would-be teenage rapist be the best person today to nominate for the Supreme Court to make critical decisions about women's lives or those of other vulnerable people? Are we saying that all or most teenage boys are potential rapists? Should we keep them locked away until 25? How do we know that it was only a one-off event in his life? Did Trump have only one affair with a prostitute while married or only make one disparaging remark about women while a teeenager? What is the trust in Kavanaugh based on? Why not have the FBI investigate? If boys must be boys are they really suitable for the Supreme Court?
4
I was sexually abused in a one time event in 1958 or 1959...I remember nearly everything about the event, from what happened to what he said to my reactions...I can't say I remember much else of what happened during those years...
9
Dr. Ford is the person calling for an FBI investigation. Judge Kavanaugh's? Crickets. Why? Doesn't he want his reputation thoroughly and convincingly cleared?
11
In a conversation yesterday about this with a group of people, one man said "if you are sober enough to lock the door, if you are sober enough to keep her quiet, then you are sober enough to know what you are doing. Don't tell me you were too drunk to know what you were doing"
23
@sjs Please show up at the hearing with a sign that says that!
2
Dr. Friedman shows his lack of professionalism by cavalierly stating: "it is a traumatic memory that she's been unable to forget." This statement implies that Dr. Blasey's claim is established fact related to an actual event -- two big assumptions that Dr. Friedman arrogantly projects onto a situation that he has no capacity to assess with any degree of accuracy. If he's a psychiatrist worth his salt he'd understand the dangers of his own bias. He's feeding a mob mentality and moral panic that has turned any allegation of man vs. woman assault into hard truth, with every man accused as "guilty until proven innocent." As a psychiatrist myself, I'd caution any patient about seeing Dr. Friedman for care, as he demonstrates a lack of discretion and a tendency to project his own assumptions onto unclear situations -- perhaps only to inflate his publicly perceived moral virtue and authority. A serious psychiatrist would be truly neutral.
8
Neuroscience research has clearly demonstrated that a significant percentage of "Flashbulb Memories," e.g. where were you when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, are false or phantom.
As a psychiatrist, I usually enjoy Dr. Friedman's commentary but am not sure why he is ignoring the copious research on flashbulb memories.
Here's one citation:
http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1993-97049-001
and one article for the lay person:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ulterior-motives/201506/the-cons...
5
Is it not obvious that such memories would “stick”, Doctor?
Or are American women less human and more accustomed to violence, that made this column necessary?
How does Dr. Friedman know that Dr Ford actually recollects and knows that Kavanaugh was the specific teenage assailant as opposed other pre- frat boys at drinking parties she attended over 30 years ago. Will Dr. Freidman discuss the effect of alcohol on the accuracy of memories of all the teens involved?
2
You clearly know nothing about how memory works. You cite one, very old study, on the effect of memory enhancement by norepinephrine and then link that to the fight or flight response initiated during intense emotional situations. That is all fine and dandy, but what does it prove in this case? Absolutely nothing. Although that was a very controlled experiment, it does not recapitulate real life situations where a multitude of variables come into play. Instead natural history experiments have shown quite the opposite of what you are peddling in this article, with your soft psychiatry quackery masquerading as hard neuroscience. Interestingly, I can use your own field to disprove your notion that 36 years has not changed Dr. Ford's memory in any way. From a very recent meta-analysis (Barry et al. J Traumatic Stress 2018):
"Our findings are in contrast to the conclusions made by Moore and Zoellner (2007) that exposure to trauma is not sufficient to influence individual differences in specificity. Instead, by offering a broader analysis of existing literature, as well as meta-analytic methodology, our findings offer further support to the findings of Ono et al. (2016), which suggested that trauma-exposed individuals show compromised memory specificity compared with individuals without exposure. This also further supports the conclusions of Williams and colleagues (Williams, 2006; Williams et al., 2007), who suggested that reduced specificity might be associated with exposure to trauma."
5
This psychiatrist appears completely unaware of the research demonstrating the inaccuracy of "flashbulb" memories--memories of traumatic experiences. This points to either a) willful ignorance or b) poor training. If the former, he's a political hack and if the latter, we can't trust his review of the literature anyway.
7
This is one of the best articles I’ve ever read in the New York Times
6
@Courtney If only it were accurate
2
After I was raped, I tried to erase all memories of it. The next day I threw away the dress I’d worn so it wouldn’t remind me. These MANY years later I don’t remember the year, the season, etc., but unfortunately certain things will cause me to vividly remember being raped.
Dr Blasey’s charges against Judge Kavanaugh awakened those memories.
There are some things you just can’t forget.
6
May I suggest that everyone conduct a poll of the women in their inner circle as to whether anyone harassed, abused or harmed her. I did that a number of years ago, and all but one had disturbing stories to tell. I think it used to be very common. I'm hoping it's become less so, especially with incidents as this and the @Metoo movement. I'm thinking the GOP will stoke my anger and others when they debase Dr. Ford.
8
I was six years old when a cousin, a boy sixteen years old came to my town. He took me to a large dorm when no one was there. He asked me to get under the sheets. He tried to molest me. I ran away. I remember in vivid details the building entrance, the staircase, the size of the room, rows of beds, the metal bed, his face, everything.
I kept it to myself for fifty years. I haunted me, I must have thought about it millions of times.
Years after his death I decided to tell my family what happened. I broke the story at the table when his sister and beloved nephew and my mother were present. Shock and consternation. His sister's reaction was that she believed me. The nephew called me a liar. My mother told me to never say that again.
I got it off my chest. I rarely think about it!
5
Don't want to believe that there are very many people in the 21st century who need or want an explanation of why sexual assault memories stick.
7
This is an irresponsible, unethical and misleading column. It is equally plausible these indelible memories are believed by the accuser to be true but are not. The psychiatrist "who knows something about how memory works" fails to disclose this. It is also equally possible that the accuser was drunk, misbehaved and is now transferring her guilt. What was she doing in a bedroom alone with two boys?
5
I have never met a psychiatrist without need of a psychologist who didn't need a psychiatrist... eh, and so on... I rest my case. And, don't let this guy near a courtroom.
2
I am guessing most who defend the many mysteries and questions concerning Kavanaugh are unaware that in the 80's a guy named Ginsberg was disqualified when it came out he smoked pot in his youth.
11
"... in the 80's a guy named Ginsberg was disqualified when it came out he smoked pot in his youth."
That was Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, and he admitted as much, so the Ginsburg case is not the same as the Kavanaugh case.
Ginsburg: "Earlier today, I was asked whether I had ever used drugs. To the best of my recollection, once as a college student in the 60's, and then on a few occasions in the 70's, I used marijuana. That was the only drug I ever used. I have not used it since. It was a mistake, and I regret it."
High Court Nominee Admits Using Marijuana and Calls It a Mistake
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
Nov. 6, 1987
https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/06/us/high-court-nominee-admits-using-ma...
2
The Kavanaugh case is not a “she said/he said” case; it’s a “she said/he said/they said” case. Besides Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge, Christine Blasey Ford named two other boys she says was at the party the night of the alleged assault. Patrick Smyth, who says he is one of these named, sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee denying he ever attended a party like the one Blasey Ford described. Smyth wrote, "I understand that I have been identified by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as the person she remembers as 'PJ' who supposedly was present at the party she described in her statements to the Washington Post. I am issuing this statement today to make it clear to all involved that I have no knowledge of the party in question; nor do I have any knowledge of the allegations of improper conduct she has leveled against Brett Kavanaugh." He added, “Personally speaking, I have known Brett Kavanaugh since high school and I know him to be a person of great integrity, a great friend, and I have never witnessed any improper conduct by Brett Kavanaugh towards women.” So three of the four teenagers Blasey Ford has named deny they attended a party like the one she describes. Despite norepinephrine Blasey Ford’ story has changed. Her therapist’s notes show she told the therapist that she was assaulted by four boys, who she didn’t name. She now says the therapist’s notes are erroneous, but this seems dubious.
4
This is absolutely true: memories can persist for a lifetime. I remember disturbing incidents from my own youth: I'm 79 years old.
AND: Kavanaugh was not too drunk to PUSH HER INTO A BEDROOM AND LOCK THE DOOR!
He was not too drunk to TURN ON THE MUSIC!
He was not too drunk to COVER HER MOUTH WITH HIS HAND!
This was a premeditated attack and a crime.
10
@memosyne, where did this premeditated crime take place? When/ what date did this premeditated crime take place? How did she get to the site of this premeditated crime? Who did she go there with? Who took her home? So far she has named 3 people who were at the party. All 3 have categorically denied anything like what she is describing. Who are some of the people there that she could name who can corroborate any of the details of the party she describes? Who hosted the party? Without being able to ask or answer anything that could actually be corroborated or refuted, it is pretty flippant to so confidently deem this a premeditated attack and a crime. Don't you think?
2
@REPNAH, why do you keep on asserting that the professor is making this up?
4
Silly article.
She remembers what is convenient to remember, but none of the facts which would allow the allegations to be proven, or disproven.
How convenient for her.
She’s sand-bagging an honorable man for political purposes. America has truly lost the ability to use logic and reason instead of emotion and partisanship in these politically charged debates.
4
Forty two years ago this New Years Eve, the husband of my mother's dearest childhood friend kissed me and thrust his tongue deep into my mouth. I wore black velvet and my wedding pearls, he wore black tie and his onyx cuff links. He had studied for the ministry, taught Sunday school for decades and visited the incarcerated weekly. When he died several years ago, I looked at him lying there and was afraid I'd throw up. I'm sure he went to his grave without ever remembering. I'm sure I will go to mine without ever forgetting. I believe her.
22
@NinaP, you are inadvertently supporting one of the main issues that is causing many to not immediately and flippantly believe her. Your recall exactly when this happened, exactly where, who was there, what people were wearing etc etc etc. So far, over each accounting of the alleged incidence to therapist and Congresswomen and other interviews, Dr. Blasey Ford can't remember any of that. Where was the party, whose house, what date... what reasonable date range, who else was there, how did she get there, how did she get home etc etc etc?
3
I would believe that sexual assault is the ultimate loss of personal autonomy and security. You do not forget those invasions or your feelings of threat to personal safety. Kavanaugh crossed a threshold that Blasey will never forget.
6
Thank goodness the people (mostly women) who have been sexually traumatized feel the courage and the support from institutions like the press to speak truth to power. Every woman knows we are witnessing a sham in Congress. But now we feel power in our voices. How can they shut us up?!!! No way. The veils of deceit and surface respectability and rules for these perpetrating maladjusted entitled well dressed men (mostly) are being ripped apart to create room for a more equitable playing field. When kavanaugh gets confirmed, it will be a shame that puts more fuel on the fire to use our votes to give us (former meek pawns) more seats on judiciary . We will not stop. We will rip off more shackles with our votes, and gain the power we humanists deserve to disarm these abusers in our workplaces and bedrooms and Congress. The rules of conduct for the old order are toast. Good riddance.
6
One repressed misogynist one the Supreme Court is already too many. We do not need a second when the decision to over through Roe vs. Wade is reaching a conclusion.
Kavanaugh's position on the matter will be invalid, regardless. He must withdraw or recuse.
13
Richard Jewel comes to mind.
The Catholic church comes to mind.
How long did this "assault" last? 5 seconds, 5 minutes, 5 hours?
5 seconds could equal "horseplay" while 5 minutes could equal "trauma".
Anybody have facts or just opinions?
2
For those people who think that Kavanaugh has respect for women, I would say that his ignorance about birth control and his belief that businesses (and that includes churches and other religious businesses) should have a say in what or any birth control a woman should have access to tells me all I need to know about him. He has zero respect for women’s most personal needs and decisions and he thinks that he has the right to make those decisions for them.
As for Ford’s memory, she told her therapist about this years ago. If Kavanaugh can’t remember it, either he is lying (something quite likely given that he has already perjured himself in other testimony) or it was just another drunken event for an entitled young man from Georgetown Prep with no respect for women. Of course that also describes every Republican sitting in the Senate, even the pathetic Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski and their male counterparts Jeff Flake and Bob Corker. They all follow their Dear Leader, the man who bragged about his own sexual assaults. Sad.
5
But here is the real issue - she can accuse him, but he has the right to deny it and has the right to be assumed innocent until proven guilty. This paper has assumed guilt on Kavanaugh's part because they want him to be guilty. They want to hold off nominations to the court until after November, which is why this was never brought up when it should have been. So, the rule of law is not in the interest of the NYTimes or the DNC. What a sad state for a paper and a party that used to have the respect of many, regardless of party. I guess things do devolve to the lowest common denominator.
4
"A surge of norepinephrine" triggered by "intense emotion" makes her memory and her accusation "credible," does it? Well then Dr. Friedman, what enabled Dr. Blasey to remember that all the guests had only "one beer," while conveniently forgetting who those guests were, as well as forgetting the year, the place, the hostess, and how she got home? No intense emotion or surge of norepinephrine with a single beer? Well then just ignore it. But that would mean your conclusion has no academic or intellectual integrity, wouldn't it Professor? Of course it would. Perhaps then your article can best be characterized by the words of the students in the Rathskeller from Goethe's "Faust": "All lies it was, a phantom and a cheat. But it seemed like wine and tasted sweet!"
7
I remember every detail. I was a fifteen year old sophomore at a dance hosted by our prestigious “brother” school when a tall, handsome senior asked me to dance and kept me on the dance floor through several songs. We agreed to go outside and “get some air” after the next song. I had no idea why this guy, just weeks from graduation, was paying attention to the younger girl with glasses. A short boy from his school came up to us on the dance floor and shouted over the music that I should watch out because the senior would try to take me outside and then rape me. My dance partner gave a big, goofy smile and I realized it was true. My platform shoes were blue, his polyester shirt was patterned, and the song was “That’s the Way I Like It” by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Every time I hear that song I am grateful to the student who warned me, and weep for the girls who did not get fair warning.
16
I am 76 yrs old & I clearly remember a sexual molestation when I was 9, by a 27 yr old neighbour (a cop & a new father, no less). My mother ignored it & so then did I. But I never forgot it & will never to my dying day. Those assaults are imprinted on a child's & a young person's brain &, even if never talked about until decades later, the memories remain clear. Believe the victim.
19
In an article of 9/19/18, "From the Anonymity of Academia....," the NYT reveals that Ms. Blasey Ford has been contacting her friends and acquaintances to ask if she ever told them she had been sexually assaulted in high school.
This suggests to me that she has been asked by her high-powered lawyers and Democratic pols like Diane Feinstein to seek out corroboration of her story via people to whom she might have mentioned the alleged attack back in the day or between now and then.
If Ms. Blasey Ford had been able to find such confidants and corroboration I am sure the parties' names would have been leaked to the media by now and the parties would be showcased on all the talk shows.
Without such corroboration Ms. Blasey Ford's allegation descends to the level of a she says-he says dispute based on the memory of someone who is unable to recall such basic facts as the day, month, year or city in which the alleged incident took place; in whose house the alleged incident occurred; whether four or two boys were present; and how she got to/from the house where the alleged attack took place.
7
@Ro Ma When I was date raped in High School I did not even tell my best friend. I told No One. Not a soul, until the PTSD flashbacks put me in therapy 20 years later. And one reason I never told anyone at the time, was that no one would believe my story over his. Period. So I do not have a shred of evidence either, but I have had a lifetime of paying for his youthful boys -will- be- boys moment.
13
Friedman: "As a psychiatrist I know something about how memory works."
Yet Friedman never clearly states that alcohol can inhibit memory formation.
"As the amount of alcohol consumed increases, so does the magnitude of the memory impairments."*
So the incident might not be remembered at all by Kavanaugh and his friend, Mark Judge, if they had been drinking heavily. Judge describes such "blackout" drinking in his memoir, "Wasted: Tales of a Gen-X Drunk".
That's why Senators should ask Kavanaugh about how much he drank in the past, whether he drinks now, and whether he has ever sought treatment for alcoholism.
* What Happened? Alcohol, Memory Blackouts, and the Brain
by Aaron M. White, Ph.D.
July 2004
*ttps://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-2/186-196.htm
1
At about age 16 I had a similar experience at a party. Although I don't recall why, I went into a bedroom where everyone's coats were thrown on a bed. A young man named JIm followed me in, closed the door, pushed me down on the pile of coats, and attempted to rape me. As I fought and called for help he held me down while taking his pants down. Another young man opened the door, took a look and left. As I continued to resist, finally someone came in and he gave up. While I do not specially recall the location (it was a lake cabin near my hometown), nor the specific year, I absolutley know who my attacker was. Every moment of that humiliating incident is clear in my mind 50 years later.
173
As a psychologist who also suffered a severe, non-sexual assault as a young child, but in a "recovered memory," I can only concur with Dr. Friedman. The traumatic memories are extremely vivid and emotionally very powerful and, of course, very disturbing and equally difficult to work through. That is why what the all white male Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee is doing is not only outrageous, but psychologically cruel. They are not interested in getting at the truth, which, of course, puts a lie to the entire nomination, but they're attacking the victim (Yes, Mr. Trump and Sen. Grassley, it's Dr. Blasey not Judge Kavanaugh) both by disparaging her in remarks by Sens. Cornyn, Graham, and Hatch, but also by intimidating her by putting her in a position of being humiliated like Anita Hill with no corroboration from the F.B.I., other witnesses, and mental health professionals It's hard enough to work through the original trauma, you don't need a bunch of uncaring, insensitive men threatening to re-traumatize you.
1
If men switched positions with women and experienced the constant fear of being raped, beaten or murdered at the hand of a male, their tune would change in a second. As they've never experienced such fears, it's easy for them (and especially the thousand year old Senators) to dismiss a 36 year old memory and brush things under the carpet on any day. But placing a "chosen" white male conservative on the Supreme Court that will put those little women in their place is a too sweet of a prize for them to explore what really happened. Everyone can bet their bottom dollar, the confirmation will go through.
5
Yes, Dr. Blasey Ford's accusation is credible, and should be thoroughly investigated, especially in view of Judge Kavanaugh's public uttering of the old rule that "What happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep", and his further remark that that rule has done him and others a lot of good.
Further, there are the writings of the person Dr. Blasey Ford alleges was the third person in the room, Mark Judge. These writing relate wide-spread drinking and lusting after the girls at nearby schools.
This is a seat on the highest court in the land. To not investigate these credible allegations would be ridiculous. Or perhaps just Republican.
2
....how long did it take Dr Friedman to find a picture of a man holding his hand over the mouth of a girl........
I'm in disbelief that Ms Ford can't remember where it took place.......if something like that happened to me, I would never forget where it happened.
It will never be proven - we all know, it's going to be her word against his.
The investigation is nonsense - either the Committee accepts the fact Judge Kavanaugh may have assaulted her as a teenage, or they don't.
We don't need FBI experts to determine that.
4
"Some commentators don’t dispute Dr. Blasey’s veracity. Instead, they deem an assault as described by Dr. Blasey as irrelevant to Judge Kavanaugh’s fitness to serve on the Supreme Court because he would have been just 17 years old and drunk at the time. We all know that teenagers are notoriously impulsive and should be forgiven for doing things like that, right?" Right. A stupid behavior of an adolescent should not impugn career of a middle-age person. Whether we like Judge Kavanaugh or not (I do not), whether we want him to be appointed or not (I do not), this kind of accusations should have no bearing on his appointment. No one is one hundred per cent upright and to require that public officials had crystal clear past, even from their adolescence, introduces an element of paranoia and fear of oneself (what if I did something that I forgot but others remember that was awful? How can I be sure I remember correctly my own actions?) that is certain to produce more harm than good.
1
Veterans experience PTSD with vivid memories & their after effects for yrs. They cannot put a name to the after effects because most of them suffer shock, then trauma for yrs after. People have learned to understand & believe these ill effects - of veterans & first responders of trauma incidents without question.
The same could be applied to children & adolescents when they have been sexually assaulted. And adults who have been raped. The effects of sexual assaults remain long, long after the event(s) & their memories of survival in such situations remain forever indelibly printed in their brains. For the perpetrators & their supporters who would deny the assaults & accuse the victims, look to the research of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders.
4
I was 18 when I was violated on a bus somewhere between Buffalo and Syracuse where my attacker dis embarked. That was 50 years ago and I had drank my first 2 or 3 boilermakers, but I still vividly remember being blamed and shamed by everyone I told of the incident. Dr. Blasey I get it.
5
Psychiatrists tend to think the worst of people - i.e., that even minor, early-life events reveal some deep knowledge of who people really are, and that people don't really change that much over time. This is self-seeing nonsense.
1
Yes, Christine is my real name. I am outraged and nauseous. Christine Ford came forward with accusations that Ibelieve were known by the Republicans supporting Kavanaugh (after all, didn't the FBI already conduct numerous investigations into his past? I am being facetious here). They are rabid to confirm Kavanaugh and take this country and all marginalized groups in the country back decades. What if Dr Ford were their daughter, mother or other close relative or friend? Would they be denying her claims? How do these people sleep at night? And why isn't Kavanaugh and his family forced into hiding? Christine Blasey Ford ia a heroine and a patriot. I only hope that Flake, Collins and a few other Senators who are truly concerned about the country have the you-know-whats to say NO to Kavanaugh for SCOTUS and stop the proceedings from moving ahead. The country needs and deserves a full investigation by professionals who are experts in investigating sexual assaults.
1
At age seventy, I have just completed writing my memoirs. There is an entire chapter in it devoted to all the times I was sexually assaulted by men, starting at the age of three. In every incident I chronicle, I add "I have never shared this with anyone before writing these words". And that's the truth.
One chapter involves harassment by my boss who occasionally had one of those infamous 1970's "three martini executive lunches" and would come back and lock me in the office with him and literally chase me around the desk. I was so terrified I finally confided in the office manager, who called a secret meeting with the rest of the executive staff. They came up with a plan to protect me from my boss when this happened. We were all terrified we would lose our jobs if became known that we were aware of this "quirk" in a top executive of this major American company.
Trust the women.
3
When does this stop? The Catholic Church, Colleges, Universities, Prep and high schools, the Movie Industry, Ford Motor Company, our Senate and House of Representatives - all of these have have participated in suppressing or refusing to admit to a culture of sexual assault and rape. The over whelming response when a victim has come forward is that the victim is lying. And threats to the victim and their families should they go public. The burden of proof is almost entirely on the victim, and except for boys assaulted by priests, the majority of the victims are women who fear to come forward, reluctant to be subjected to vilification.
Kavanaugh appears to have lied under oath in this hearing and others. Why should we assume that he is not lying now? Do we want a liar on the Supreme Court? All judges should be absolutely truthful and above reproach or suspicion. Kavanaugh and Mark Judge should undergo FBI investigation and lie detector tests. Of course a huge hurdle here is the unspoken male pact never to tell on each other.
Dr Blasey has been subjected to vilification for being honest. No wonder she hesitated for such a long time to come forward. I doubt that Kavanaugh will do the right thing and withdraw. Or that the Senate will order an FBI investigation and hold a decent hearing. Or the Pope excommunicate criminal priests. Or that schools enact “No tolerance” sexual assault policies. Where we go from here depends on all of us refusing to continue the status quo.
5
I was physically but not sexually assaulted when I was 17....I have forgotten nothing of the episode. Not the location, not the time of day, nothing.
When I was 27, the husband of a friend cornered me and chased me around their dining room table as I waited for my friend to return home. I remember all of that, too, and made sure to never again be alone with that man! I was lucky, so was Christine.
Just the reported changes in her behavior after the assault should be enough to convince any but a devoted trumpy she is telling the truth. Turning from a sociable athlete to a loner is not normal behavior for a teenaged girl!
The mysterious enduring memories of high school sexual assault when most of us will freely admit not having a hazy inkling of what occurred during the entirety of grade 11 is easily explained by comparison to the whole decade-long phenomenon of 'recovered' memory - you know the psychological trend that put many innocent folks in jail until it was determined that ancient memories are subject to enormous errors and outright manipulation.
I get it Dr. Friedman - this is perfectly understandable until it is subject to something mundane like empirical study and verification - then when it falls apart a simple 'ooopss' will suffice.
1
She has an extremely strong memory of the event.
Except for the part where she has no idea when or where it was.
This article seems to conveniently omit that. Actually no, this article intentional is omitting that because that is completely contradictory to everything written here.
The narrative being pushed. It is clear.
1
These memories clearly, and vividly are imprinted in the minds of victims, and based on comments the victims are primarily pre-adolescent girls, and adolescent young women.
What about the perpetrators memories? Does the blanket Kavanaugh denial, and the memory card trick directed at victims—approximating the ultimate insult: “you must have imagined that!”, imbue these once teenaged boys with the continued confidence to never ever atone for their own past behavior?
1
By coming forth Ms. Ford has no doubt faced a lot of threats and flack. She is facing much adversity and has nothing to gain by lying about the matter. Kavanaugh, on the other hand, has every reason to lie. I believe her. However, the Senate Republicans appear ready to confirm Kavanaugh to a lifetime appointment to the court without even inquiring into the charges of sexual assault leveled against the nominee.
1
Perusing through the comments, many women detailing their stories of how they were attacked They remember every minute detail. Yet none of them question how it is possible that Blasey can not tell us when and where?? She can not tell us which house, or what party, how she got there or home. Ok, the circumstance of every attack is different, as is the victim themselves, but every story here is full of very pertinent details. Every one.
Was she drunk? That doesnt negate the attack in any way, but it also suggests she could be wrong.
3
Isn't it interesting that 1) This psychiatrist tells us how traumatic, adrenaline inducing events enhance our memory, but she has no memory of when this occurred, where it occurred, how she got there (as a 15 year old who couldn't drive etc), how she got home... in other words her enhanced memory is void of any detail that could be corroborated or refuted. If she gives a date and it turns out he was out of town and couldn't have been there, her story would be rejected. If she named a friend's lake house, and the family report they didn't purchase that until 2 years later... ditto. No memory of anything that has any chance of being refuted. That's a very convenient "enhanced" memory. 2) "First, alcohol does not create violent sexual impulses so much as it unleashes or magnifies pre-existing ones." And yet this pre-existing predilection to violent sexual impulses reportedly unleashed by the alcohol doesn't appear to have manifested any other time in his life. Not at another high school party. Not at college, not law school, not as a professor, or an attorney or as a Judge. Strange that a "pre-existing violent sexual impulse" would only be "unleashed" this one ambiguous time, whenever and wherever it allegedly happened. Explain those phenomena for us Dr. Friedman.
4
I think Friedman buries the lede somewhat. It's not just sexual assaults, but any assault or episode where one experiences either a power pain or emotion. While I've never been sexually assaulted, I've certainly been assaulted in my life (junior and senior high school bullies), and have vivid memories of those events. I would bet that most people who have been assaulted, can remember those events.
That being said, I think people are too focused on the allegations of his behavior in the past, rather than his behavior right NOW. By which I mean, he claims that he was NEVER at the party in which the allegd assault took place. According to Ford's letter, there were 2 other people at the party, beyond her, Kavanaugh and his friend that Ford alleges was in the room.
THAT is the reason why an FBI investigation is necessary! Say what you will about them, but I think that they could at least manage that task. And, if the other 2 people there DO place him at that party, then we know that he's either lying or mis-remembering the event. Additionally, they will have to interview Judge - and he will face possible charges if it can be provably shown that he lied to the FBI. These are the reasons that an FBI investigation is necessary - and the fact that the Democrats can't seem to manage to convey these points instead of the mealy-mouthed justifications that they are giving is what makes me conclude that they are going to, once again, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
This is all convenient selection of information to suit the outcome. The notion that the assault cannot be made up for any reason, and it must be real because it is impossible to forget are complementary components. But if this is what happened to her, then other clear details would go with it, something, anything that completes the story. She has nothing but a name of a well-known individual and that of a second person who is a published author. The names of two others that the sloppy therapist recorded, well, they weren't actually there. Or maybe there are not two names easily accessed in the public domain, so blaming the therapist for including them is the best answer. Dr. F may be right on the science, but that does not mean anything at all happened here. This does not eliminate the possibility that this is politically motivated. By the way, there are studies that show trauma victims lose track of important details over time, and this was carefully ignored, too. Unlike others, I have not made up my mind about what really happened. I know that I personally will never have enough information to have the full truth. I want justice for whomever deserves it. But those who already have certainty that this happened but have no more information than anyone else in the general public are the people who frighten me.
2
Thank you for this article. As someone who was sexually abused as a teenager by a Priest, I can attest to memories and never forgetting being raped. The events that occurred to me in the mid seventies are vivid and never ending. It’s a slow torment that rots away at your sole.
5
But this is not about sexual assault. It's about what Dr. Blasey thought Judge Kavanaugh might do or what could happen. For example, "I thought he might inadvertently kill me." Or "he was trying to attack me." Not "he attacked me." No he was "trying." What does this mean? How was he trying? How did she end up in a bedroom with him? How is this sexual assault? Based on her own comments, we can all agree that he did not remove her clothing. Could she be a victim of her own imagination? Should she be allowed to use that as a cudgel against him? Does anyone really think that there is a way to prove what happened that night 36 years ago? Is there anyone out there that does not see this as being politically motivated? Anyone?
2
This is one of the many reasons we need more women judges and in politics. They rarely have sexual assault on their records.
And they don't disappear to go hike the Appalachian Trail alone.
1
fifty years ago i was assaulted by a man who was hiding in my apartment in mexico. i remember every moment. i was able to kick him off of me before he could physically hurt me. and still. i remember every single aspect of that night. i think it's only in the last ten years or so that i have stopped checking behind my shower curtain to make sure...so what i can say is that an assault on one's person creates indelible scars. how we deal, who we tell, well, that is just as personal as the wounds in our psyches and on our bodies. respect this.
1
If we have learned anything about sexual harassment and assault over the past few years, we should all know by now, that it is a vastly underreported phenomena, and that the people who do report it are commonly ignored by authorities, or condemned. There should be no surprise that Christine Blasey Ford chose to not go to authorities when she was 15 years old. What could she have said? At age 15, at an unsupervised drinking party, you can bet that Christine was perfect pickings for a couple of drunk senior boys out for a good time. If you have ever been 15 yourself, you know the stories, and you know the truth. These things happen in every town, and every school, and no one talks about it, because of the shame involved.
Judge Kavanaugh and his friend may have seen their drunken actions as simply youthful folly; Christine did not. She was crushed by what e and his friend attempted to do that day. Judge Kavanaugh is now culpable, not for what he did, but the lie that he now tells to cover it up. Drunk or not, he remembers. He has proven that he will do anything to survive. Judge Kavanaugh looks to be a liar and for that reason should not be on our Supreme Court.
5
When I was 15 I was hitchhiking in my home town when I was picked up, and a guy tried to assault me.
I ran away, wasn't harmed, but the incident remains vivid.
I believe Christine Blasey Ford, like I still believe Anita Hill.
3
I’m not buying it, I defy anyone to describe, in detail, an incident that happened 35 years ago in their lives.
Beyond that, it’s certainly a little bit more than suspicious that it comes up days before this man’s confirmation, she’s anti-Trump fanatic and a huge supporter of the Democratic Party, the pieces just don’t fit, get this guy confirm
3
I was 12. I was assaulted on the street, about 1 block from my house. Not a day goes by I don't have anxiety (Stomach issues) leaving the house in the morning. I'm 62.
4
I am a California attorney and will be marking my 40th anniversary as a member of the California Bar Association. As a member of the legal community, I am saddened by the degradation of the United States Supreme Court and the nominating process. Harken back to the confirmation of Justice Scalia and Justice Ginsburg.
There should be an FBI investigation of the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh. I believe Dr. Ford. On Saturday, when I put down the Washington Post account of Dr. Ford’s experience as a 15 year old, buried recollections of a similar situation in my life, from January or February, 1971, came front and center in my mind and details were revived. I googled the man that attacked my while sober, and found that he had run for Congress as a Republican in 2010.
If there were an FBI investigation, Judge Kavanaugh would withdraw from consideration. Such an investigation would force Judge Kavanaugh, a sitting Federal Judge, to choose between possibly lying to the FBI in maintaining his denial, a crime. He risks someone else coming forward about this incident or perhaps another. There is corroboration in Mark Judge’s book concerning Kavanaugh ‘s high school drinking.The FBI shoulditerview Dr. Ford, Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Judge. The FBI has expertise with witnes credibility and latent.
Judge Kavanaugh and Mitch McConnell know the risks and will avoid FBI involvement at all costs. White male privilege assaults Dr. Ford again and assaults all American women.
1
Read some of the comments, and see you clearly why so many victim s do not come forward! They know they won’t be believed.
Dr. Ford, does remember where she was, and whom the attacker was and that his friend was in the room!
Question to Conservatives apologists for Kavanaugh: Why would Kavanaugh not be demanding an Investigation in order to clear his name? An innocent person would. I would deman one and would be shouting to be allowed to clear my name!
Republicans has a serious problem with the people they support and promote, Roy Moore, Clarence Thomas, Donald J. Trump....so much for the party of “family values.”
Thank you for the article. Many won’t buy it, they want to shame and blame the victim.
4
I was sexually harassed at a job for a year during my teen years and never told anyone, including my husband of 43 years until recently when women began speaking out. All these episodes bring it all back....and like any traumatic event, it is something I can’t forget. I ache for Dr. Ford......and I hope and pray for some resolution to all these sexual assaults.
2
I have noticed over the years, that what happens to you in life is less important than how you handle it. If your husband cheated on you but repented and truly made an effort to repair the damage and rebuild that is one thing. If he blamed you for say, not being attractive or denied it, that is another.
I think that Kavanaugh's response to this, more than what he did when he was a boy is what makes him a dubious candidate for his role. He has never showed the least bit of understanding for the woman or even admitted that he might not remember, but that he is sorry anyway. Given a chance not to act like a jerk, he has not taken it. What kind of a judge can you be if you can not see another point of view? What kind of a judge will you be when you can not admit you might have made a mistake in life?
If Kavanaugh were kind, or smart, or even really cynical, he could have turned this around by owning the story, expressing empathy or even offering himself to call in the FBI. But he acts guilty, protests his innocence too loudly "unequivocally" and has not acted like a gentleman, who is dismayed if he causes harm, even unintentionally.
2
Sexual assault memories stick because they are traumatic maybe even PTSD inducing. You get no argument from me there.
My argument against this kind of thing is that there are literally thousands of things from bullying to accidents to having a parent with narcissism personality disorder, bipolar, depression, cancer, schizophrenia, alcoholism, borderline personality disorder, whatever.
And yet somehow sexual assault is considered holy. Considered sacrosanct in our postmodern society and something so vile and irredeemable that no movement forward by anyone involved is ever possible.
In a perfect world Christine Blasey Ford should have been in a safe space where no thoughts of rape would ever be possible.
In a slightly less perfect world, but still nearing perfection, when the assault she experienced happened, she should have had easy access to a therapist and there would have been no stigma attached to her coming forward. She would have named names, and with no stigma attached to the people she accused, they too should have gone through mandatory therapy until such a time as they could see why their actions were wrong, and begun to work to fix the damage they had done. Punishment should only fall on repeat offenders.
In our imperfect world, we must have fault and blame. Our system is adversarial so someone must pay. Perpetrators have no reason to stop because victims have incredibly hard times coming forward, and no one wins except the ideologues.
Christine Blasey Ford says she has a vivid memory of an attack that took place when she was 15 that she just remembered. Next, she will say that she just found out that she is really a guy.
3
"First, alcohol does not create violent sexual impulses so much as it unleashes or magnifies pre-existing ones."
Precisely. Drunk men, like dead men, tell no lies. All you're seeing when you see someone drunk is the real person with no inhibitions.
The dude has a problem. Anyone reading the list of questions he wrote up as Ken Starr's deputy to ask Clinton about his affair with the intern, would see this. The questions were beyond pornographic, to the point that the lurid details had less to do with truthfulness or the affair, and more to do with voyeuristic, sadomasochistic, and angry tendencies of the author. Even Starr felt he'd gone too far, though the "Smut Report" would contain lots of sexual school-boy fantasies and jealousies over the episode.
Regardless, between the allegations of sexual assault, his clear problem with the issue of sex, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars he went into debt over re sports tickets and gambling, he's beyond unfit for the highest court in the land.
8
Vivid memory? She can't even remember what year and where the party supposedly occurred. PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE! 65 women remember him from high school and all have written letters of support. This woman who marched against Trump the day after he was elected has the power of a congressman??? Feinstein even admitted she's not sure of the truthfulness of the letter and refuses to give an un-redacted copy to Grassley. Feinstein is crooked as ever. Had a Chinese spy chauffeur for 20 years.
2
Thank you to the Times for providing an author who " knows what he is talking about" ( vs. ORRIN HATCH' dismissive " really mixed up" crack.) This physician is providing valid information in language all citizens can understand. Now if only Trump and the Senate would listen.
A believable accusation of sexual violence, televised lies and avoidance of truthful answers and assorted antisocial opinions are insufficient disqualifiers for membership on the SCOTUS. The bar can get lower but not by much. Unsurprising is the cabal of old white men and old whife men in training who stand firmly in support of this offender. Although I never needed any more evidence it is even easier to understand the difficulty that women and black Americans had in getting the vote. This same body could not outlaw lynching for decades prior to 1965. The stench coming from them is unchanged. One of these days soon, misogynists and racists will fully understand that the democracy which they abuse is still about "the people"; the same group referenced by the 18th Century document which begins "We the People".
3
Interesting. Vivid memory for the attacked, no memory for the attacker.
There are some things you do not forget-
Even 65 years later.
2
I'm a 59 year college educated woman who was also a victim of sexual assault at the tender age of 15 by a 17 year old senior from my my high school, someone I barely knew. I have never forgotten his name or the feeling of being violated. I've never recovered from the humiliation, fear, and shame of the experience. I kept it to myself for many years. I believe that a young woman maintains these memories forever even if some of the details fade. Thankfully, the guy who raped me ended up in prison. A man who behaved in a similar way at any age should NOT be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court...period!
161
I don't see anything in this article's that tells me that all her memories are valid or that they truely happened. Vivid does not mean valid and the two shouldn't be confused.
22
@James Logical fallacy: Burden of Proof
1
@James
This article does not discuss all of Prof. Blasey's memories. It is about the time Kavanaugh attempted to rape her. I suggest you reread so that you can come to a logical conclusion.
3
The fact that the victim is this allegation was only 15 years old at the time is crucial. A man/boy of 17 would be fully aware that someone two years younger would be less sophisticated and less likely to know how to deal with, or repel, an aggressive older boy. From reading, life experiences and discussions with women, it is apparent that many girls of that tender age have not come to terms with sexuality and haven't fully formed their views. It is easy to see how having it thrust upon them, or any attempt to do that, would create a scramble of emotions and foment distressing, lasting confusion.
Yet, we are looking back on an event without the benefit of a full set of facts. We are supposed to, instantly, develop positions based on where we stand politically and in regard to women's rights and respect for all women. Why? Because the allegations are sensational and Kavanaugh has signaled in many ways throughout his adult life that he favors the wealthy and the powerful over the needs and rights of citizens. So, pick your side and throw your darts?
I fully accept that someone would vividly remember a traumatizing experience as described. (Do I remember bad things that happened decades ago? You bet and so do people I know.) However, I also believe there could be details around the edges of such an event that might be blurry and might, if fully known, alter our understanding and perhaps even change the narrative significantly. Wait, in other words, but be alert.
3
I’m a 67 year old male. I was raped by a male doctor when I was 17. Almost everyday I reflect on how it negatively affected my life. I’ve told very few people about it. I remember every detail. I believe Dr Blasey. Kavanaugh should not be on the Supreme Court but given the moral failure of the Republicans, he’ll probably be there for 35 years.
146
Friedman fails to say that alcohol can inhibit memory formation. Such memory loss is called a "blackout".
A search for "alcohol blackouts" in Google Scholar finds numerous papers on the subject. See, for example, this 2018 paper:
"Blackouts—or memory loss for all or part of a drinking event—are reliable predictors of alcohol‐related consequences. Studies suggest a distinction between en bloc (complete memory loss) and fragmentary (off‐and‐on memory loss) blackouts; however, research has not consistently differentiated between these 2 forms of blackout. This study aimed to validate the distinction between en bloc and fragmentary blackouts among young adults."
Distinctions in Alcohol‐Induced Memory Impairment: A Mixed Methods Study of En Bloc Versus Fragmentary Blackouts
by Miller et al
28 August 2018
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
Your description of trauma brings to mind an amazing story told in Archives of Memory, a book by Hoffman and Hoffman (an oral historian and neurology professor couple). Howard Hoffman (the neurologist) was interviewed by Alice about his WWII memories. He mentioned to her his regret that he had never ridden in an amphibious vehicle. She found an image of him doing so and he still had no recollection of it at all and initially denied it was him. They later figured out that the day he had ridden in the vehicle, must have been the same day that there had been a terrible explosion on the beach (in Italy) in which soldiers were horribly hurt and some were killed. The trauma of that memory completely obliterated his memory of riding in one of those vehicles. His memories of the accident were vivid.
4
"The trauma of that memory completely obliterated his memory of riding in one of those vehicles."
The authors have their own explanation:
Various subsequent events "probably prevented the rehearsal that seems necessary for an experience to survive as an archival memory". (p. 149)
The page number is from your very interesting reference:
"Archives of Memory: A Soldier Recalls World War II" by Alice M. Hoffman, Howard S. Hoffman.
'First, alcohol does not create violent sexual impulses so much as it unleashes or magnifies pre-existing ones.' This sentence should scream out at everyone. A man who is credibly accused of "unleashing a possible pre-existing" (character trait) is about to sit in judgment over others, some of whom will be women begging not to be silenced. Alcohol is a known dis-inhibitor. It enables someone to ignore things like respect for another, common sense, good judgment, and releases constraints on one's baser impulses...if they are present. It enables someone to do what they want to do, but would be unable to do without alcohol. We desperately need to know what deeper impulses lie in this man who, so far, has a known record of lying, and a known record of controlling a teen-aged female imigrant from exercisingher right to get an abortion.
1
The memories DO remain, and vividly so. It was over 60 years ago that my aunt's molestation of me began, when I was a small child. I recall attacks very clearly.
METOO has been very helpful in letting victims feel less isolated, less alone, less guilty and ashamed.
I hope that more males speak up, and that women show support for the male victims, including those whose attackers were/are female. This has not been the case with Asia Argento's accuser, the NYU prof's accuser, and elsewhere. It would be a shame if METOO lost its moral authority because some women refuse to acknowledge that men can be victims of sexual assault, and women can be sexual abusers. Indeed, boys are over 1/3 of child victims, and females are over 40% of their abusers ( and over 15% of girls' abusers).
1
Friedman's piece certainly resonates with me.
My wife of 36 years was raped just after we met & married. While both of our memories have wavered over the years about details of shared experience, her memory of her assault has steadfastly remained razor sharp and consistent as concrete. When she has had infrequent occasion to recount her experience, over 36 years, there has never been the slightest memory creep from what I have heard before. Until this article, I never understood the unfathomable irony of this creative, artistic, sometimes inscrutable, right-brained person channelling Det. Joe Friday ("Just the facts, M'am.")when talking about this event.
1
Judge Kavanaugh apparently said in a speach at a banquet for the Yale Law School Federalist Societ: „What happens on the bus stays on the bus.“
i am sure some in the audiaence cheered. after the speach he thought, presumably: „wow, i am such a cool guy!“
i don‘t think he is a cool guy. in my opinion nobody is hundred percent responsible for what he has done as a teenager, but mr. Kavanaugh has not learned his lesson. on the contrary...as an old man he still recommends the mistakes he has done as a teenager.
and he presumes to judge others...?
no mr. Kavanaugh - what happens on the bus never stays on the bus!
I remember details of when I was assaulted, where, the setting and who else was there.
Why didn’t Dr. Friedman explain why Dr. Blasey doesn’t remember any of these important contextual details?
1
I was sexually assaulted in the stairway of my junior high when I was 13 years old. I remember the time of day, which stairway, which step I was on, what I was wearing (long forest green Gap sweater, black velvet leggings, nylons, black loafers from Payless), the boy's haircut (shaved except for the bangs), and the expression on his face and what he said. I remember how it felt. I remember telling my mom when she noticed something was wrong after picking me up from school. I remember telling the school counselor and principal about it. I remember them saying they spoke with him and saying that he denied it, so they couldn't do anything.
Everything about that day and the next is still vivid 25 years later and so are the feelings of disappointment and disgust about how the school handled what happened. My mom told me recently that she ended up taking the issue to people in the school district's administration, who finally - quietly - did something about it and suspended him for a few days.
Thank you, Dr. Friedman, for your article. I'd like to read one now on why it is so difficult for people to believe others when they come forward and why it is so easy for people to give these egregious behaviors a pass.
1
Dr. Friedman writes, 'Some are saying that Dr. Blasey’s accusation, even if true, is just one ancient example of admittedly egregious behavior in an otherwise upstanding person who, as President Trump attests, “never had even a little blemish on his record.”' Girls and women have been judged by so-called unblemished record holding upstanding men according to standards of behavior which have, in my experience and in my lifetime, allowed sexually predatory males to maintain unblemished records to begin with.
2
Perhaps Mr Kavanaugh has had time to realize that unless he can produce an evil twin,he is tainted with an accusation that in the end, blemishes one to a great extent.
Withdraw for the sake of your party
This article was difficult to read and I'm sure significantly more difficult for those who privately suffer the after effects from an assault. Although not even comparable, I was verbally bullied my first year in high school. I remember their voices, incidents where others watched and laughed, the hurt and humiliation I felt. As an abuse survivor, I would imagine everything about that incident - touch, smell, etc. would never leave memory no matter how Dr. Blasey Ford tried to repress it. The gall and insensitivity of the GOP to minimize and try to dismiss is disgusting.
1
I was 10 when I was sexually abused by a stranger on Hampstead Heath London. While it was happening I thought I was going to be murdered as kids were always found dead after being abused, always on the TV news. I was brought up never to talk to strangers but I was with friends and after being approached by a man who wanted to play hide and seek.. I told my friends after the guy disappeared, they said I was making it up. So I didn't tell anyone at home and when a cousin was sexually abused on the same Heath, we went to the police station immediately with an aunt, I told them what happened to me but it was a year later so I got a look of disbelief....I can remember almost what he looked like, I remember exactly what he wore and what took place. For politicians to say she is confused, making it up, downgrading her is using the President's lingo, it's a disgrace! I've talked about this event often and I believe I'm not freaked out about it but it's always there in the back of my mind.
This really doesn't say much about the members of congress who refuse to listen to a victim because there isn't enough time, outrageous.
Richard A. Friedman’s observations here are absolutely categorical and hypothetical. They’re not clinically verifiable ones he has observed. He has never personally met either Ford or Kavaunagh. At most he’s guessing about their psychological profiles.
He’s not reporting on his clinical examinations of either subjects. He’s not writing as a court psychiatrist would of the results of his 30 or 90-days mental examination of a suspected criminal, so the judge could determine the suspect’s mental fitness to stand trial.
So his profiles of Ford and Kavanaugh amount to nothing more than his prejudices.
5
It is my observation, Trump is acting very presidential. He has not tweeted any crazy stuff.
I bet if Stormy Daniels comes out in support of Mrs. Ford, Trump will perform the equivalent of a nuclear tweet.
Secret message to Kelly Ann, drop that tweet machine in some still wet concrete.
It would have been nice if the Dr. had provided some citations to support his view of how memories are formed when individuals are sexually assaulted. This is not settled science by any means.
1) You can't conduct controlled experiments for this type of behavior -- it would be unethical.
2) I've found several articles that disagree with Dr. Friedman
3) We know memories become conflated over time
4) Eye witnesses to crimes are not highly reliable
5) Drinking was involved.
6) Many times victims of sexual assault or rape misidentify who did it.
7) We don't know if Ford and Kavanaugh knew each other before this party. If they didn't know each other before and she was at a party with older boys and girls she didn't know -- that could become confusing as to who was who?
Dr. Ford presumably believes her story. And something similar may have happened. But it may not have been Kavanaugh. It may have been that she was drinking and flirting and having a good time, went willingly into a dark bedroom with a boy she didn't know but was interested in, engaged in some "fooling around" then got nervous, wanted to stop, didn't communicate well to the boy who eventually got the message. Later, because she felt guilty about her behavior, or because the boy never called, she began to transform a non event into assault. And the boy whoever he was, morphs into Kavanaugh as he becomes more well know. Or after she read Judge's book.
4
I was molested at age 4 or 5 by an old guy who worked on my dad’s farm. I remember everything vividly - what i was wearing, what he did, what i felt. I also remember going home and telling my mother and father “frank touched me down here” pointing to my genitals. Frank disappeared shortly after....never saw him again. I however don’t remember the exact date, time of day or exactly how old I was. In a silver lining, my personal healing journey of that experienced eventually enabled me to help others who had been sexually abused as children, help them heal. There is no better person to assist others than one who has gone through the experience and made it through to the other side.
I believe Dr. Ford.
1
I agree with Dr. Friedman. I’ve been on the pointy end of the stick of power most of my life. I’ve fought back, however, which has meant that I’ve had to accurately recall what had happened years ago. For me, what has been tough to objectively assess is . . . what was on my mind, at the time, and, particularly, what might have been on the mind(s) of the accused. This is where assessments, often authored in silos by the accuser and the accused - without context - lose their force. What has helped me find justice has been a gathered set of factual elements about the wrong-doing. Where a preponderance of the evidence is allowable, a factual record expressing the same, egregious, behavior helps.
What worries me, in this case, is that the facts have yet to be gathered and, most important, the mindsets of both parties, at that time, have yet to be impartially-determined to any meaningful degree of accuracy.
So, what may be the best way to move forward? Perhaps both should reach out and discuss this matter directly. This is the toughest part of seeking a satisfying-justice. It is a point and time where and when one or both may need to admit that they may have wronged the other. Both appear to have an ongoing wish to make a substantial contribution to society and humanity. With apologies having been accepted and amends made, why not find a mutually agreeable way to continue to contribute as each has?
Human memory is persistent, but it is also dynamic. Our memories are shaped by our attempt to put meaning into them from the moment they are formed. Every event is twisted. There is truth, but it is "truth, from a certain point of view." Even moments after an event, memory is already failing and witnesses, with no ill-intention, already change and manipulate the scene. That's why, no matter what the issue, we should never rely on human memory alone. I have no doubt that something happened to Dr. Ford 36 years ago, but we will never know "the whole truth" and it is silly to try.
I don't like Kavanaugh, I don't like his politics. But the man is no criminal/sexual predator, and it is simply wrong to try and hang him on an event that happened 36 years ago. Find something more recent or let it go.
3
Reading through these tragic and awful and terrifying accounts, two thoughts:
First, okay, skeptics... do you think ALL THESE LETTERS represent lies? Because I don't. If even one tenth are true, what do you conclude? There are A LOT of people, mostly men, out there, who think literally nothing about assaulting another human being.
Two, the amount of pain I witness when I read these accounts, of people who have been sexually, emotionally, and physically abused, feels overwhelming to me, yet I feel that the least I can do is read and serve as witness.
One of the letter writers talks about being in a "whirlpool" of memories. This is where I'm living lately. It's hard for people who have been fortunate enough not to have experiences like those described here to understand how overwhelming the memories can be, how they plop you right back to that kid you were, naive, terrified, alone, and never the same. My own experiences break my heart: two attempted rapes during my junior year abroad (only luck saved me); then, a terrifying time of being stalked by an ex-boyfriend. These days I seesaw back and forth between going down the rabbit hole of news coverage and completely avoiding the coverage.
The idea of being in my whirlpool IN THE PUBLIC EYE -- as Dr. Ford has to endure -- I can't imagine a worse context.
We have to do better about believing those who speak up if we want to communicate to our sons that this is unacceptable behavior.
3
I believe her. I'm 74 years old and every time I see a #2 yellow pencil I'm reminded of being attacked in 1963. All I remember is being terrified and spending what felt like hours fending him off - he was drunk; I didn't know him. It never occurred to me to report it.
2
Dr Friedman. This article is so true. And I would bet that if you put 100 women in a room and you asked how many of them were assaulted in one way or another, 95% would raise their hand. And everyone of those women could still give you the details, whenever it happened.
2
I was a teenager (15-17?) when I was subjected to a frightening sexual attack on a subway train in Chicago. Although I am now 72, I have a vivid memory of the details of the attack itself. But beyond a couple of peripheral facts (I know it was summer and a Saturday morning. I know who I was going to visit) I remember nothing except the attack itself.
I told no one about the attack until decades later. And although I have spent years working on this issue, in and out of therapy, every time allegations of a sexual attack are subject to public discussion and debate, I relive the terror I felt that morning over fifty years ago.
In my experience, nobody makes public accusations such as the ones Dr. Blasey has made without agonizing self appraisal. IR
I have been amazed at how many famous men brought down by the Me, Too movement excuse their behavior by saying they assumed it was consensual. Women (and men) who have been sexually assaulted never forget the incident. Perpetrators seem to rationalize their behavior by denying their aggression or that the incident ever happened.
I disagree with Dr Friedman. Minors have always been treated differently than adults by the court system. Recently the Supreme Court has reversed the death penalty and lif without parole punishments for those under 18. Minors aren't allowed to sign contracts, and in NYState, finally aren't allowed to marry, and only under a judge's court order. Why you ask? Due to, as sited by the majority including all liberal judges, that the brain of a minor is immature, is undeveloped , it takes until the age of 25 for the most human brains to develop fully. Why Dr Friedman omits this is very troubling for he, most likely has seen the research studies that supports this theory conclusively . Our justice system always sealed court records of juveniles, wipes the slate clean. Past offenses committed as a minor can not be used against a person when they are adults. Friedman's opinion is a scary one. Fear those like him for soon even little children , kindergarteners in fact , if Friedman's reasoning is put into practice, will be vetted for "offenses" committed. I thought Trump's presidency was a path to dictatorship; now I fear the left wing nuts have the same in mind when and if they get into power. The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization is now upon us- from the right and left.
4
Like many other women, I can relate to Dr. Ford. I had a similar experience in college except that I was raped. At the time I felt he just took advantage of the fact that I had been drinking. A kinder male friend walked me back to my dorm from a frat party and then the perpetrator, an upperclassman, followed us and later walked freely into my room. I wasn't a drinker at all in high school and rarely dated so I was naive about alcohol and certainly about sexual assault. But I can tell you, that I have never forgotten it and can relive my horror at someone forcing himself on me in the dark. He actually wrote me a letter to apologize yet said it was a "natural and beautiful thing that happened." Yes, I told my friends and they were shocked but in 1971 who in authority would I turn to? No one. Over the years, I have confided in a few close friends who have also shared some similar experiences but we felt ashamed and stupid. And I was totally scared and I just wanted to forget the whole incident but you never really ever forget it even when life turns out great as it has for me. But I would resent it deeply if I knew this person was soon to be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice. However, I also cannot say that the young man who raped me did not feel guilt. We never spoke to each other and I have no idea how is life turned out. However, many men who commit these acts in their youth, live in denial and have buried their past so deeply they believe it never happened.
1
I was assaulted in my home over 25 years ago, and I can assure you that I remember detail of the event. A loop plays over and over in my head, like a Poe horror story.
1
I can't remember the specific clothing I wore--I know I was in my pyjamas. I can't remember how much I drank, besides "more than I should've." I can't remember the exact date, even. I've spent years trying to triangulate the date of my assault, and I'm someone with a darn good memory and a very concrete sense of chronology and history. But I can never forget what it felt like when a boy in the same bed as me put his hands down my pants and how my body revolted and my brain screamed "no" but my mouth wouldn't make a sound. It paralyses me whenever I think about it.
I was heavily depressed and have lost a lot of other memories from that time--blocked them out, maybe. But I remember the feeling of being touched when I didn't want it, and I remember how I pretended I was somewhere else as it happened like a ghost watching my own body, and I remember the feeling of wanting to shower for a thousand years when I got home. The feeling of uncleanliness, like his scent was stuck to my body hours later. Like his fingers were still touching me. It's a terrifying experience, and it's not one I'd ever wish on my worst enemy, but it's one that's been seared into me whether I wanted it to be or not.
The fact that an article has to be written to explain that a traumatic event would be engrained in someone's memory speaks volumes about the lack of understanding about sexual assault in our society.
Where there has been DNA evidence available for examination, these memories have been proved wrong enough times to cast some doubt on the current situation.
2
Except she doesn’t remember where the attack took place or when in occurred? This seems a bit far fetched to me,
3
I would have much less trouble with Judge Kavanaugh if he said, "I was sometimes a jerk in high school. I don't remember doing this, but I could have, and if I did, I'm terribly sorry." But to insist he never did anything like this, despite numerous insinuations by others and by himself of over-the-top behavior in high school, makes me doubt his denials and trust his accuser.
1
One can certainly count on the TImes to find a column like this to help fortify one of the most egregious cases of politically stage managed unprovable charges against a Supreme Court candidate whom it does not want to see on the bench. Even if the accusation were true, it is unacceptable to bring a questionable and unprovable juvenile memory to destroy a flawless moral reputation. For another it is evident that the accuser is refusing to testify under oath by placing an impossible and indefinitely delaying condition to her willingness to testify. Surely even the TImes understands that this entire situation has been planned, step by step, in order to hobble the President and his choice of a judge. Shame on the Times. Shame on the Democratic Party.
2
Look, call this entire circus what it is...politics. If you reversed all sides and made Kavanaugh a liberal and his accuser a conservative from the deep south I bet good money Friedman doesn’t write this Op ed. I’m sure Fox News would be touting how vivid memories like this are critical and should be believed and Kavanaugh should step down...and MSNBC would be questioning the veracity of 35yr old stories with limited details and push to have him confirmed. To me I think this is all a sad display of political maneuvering. And people just take whatever side favors their political leanings...What a joke. Our country is really just falling apart.
3
I may not remember what movie I saw months ago, or where I put my keys but I remember my early years. I believe Kavanaugh is not innocent of the crime. I believe the good old boys in the House want this to go away.
I believe they know the truth and are trying very hard to appoint him to the Supreme Court. A woman has no chance against men like these even though it's almost 2019.
I want to thank Dr.Friedman for this well-written and thoughtful essay. Also, I would like to thank Christine Ford for being so strong and exposing a man who is eventually going to be in a very powerful position.
I think that abuse, in general, is very uncomfortable in many ways and can leave deep scars within the abused person. Thankfully, I was not abused except some "little" bullying in the schoolyard due to my obesity in childhood. However, a couple of years ago I had a very unpleasant experience with my father. One night he was getting really drunk while arguing with my mom. That really happened a lot during my childhood and my teenage years. But at that particular night my father suddenly threatened my mom with a kitchen knife while I was protecting her. Thankfully, my father stopped but I don't know what would have happened if I had not protected my mom. Afterwards, he actually thanked me for stopping him from doing something really stupid. He also said to me that the fact that he was drunk facilitated "the act of violence". In other words, he partly blamed the use of alcohol which I did not fully accept. He is the one to blame.
I remember every little detail from that night ever since and I think that I will live with that memory for the rest of my life. I have not spoken with my mom about this in the recent years but I believe that she will not forget the event either.
The ones being abused will never forget.
If the victims memories are vivid due to the emotional nature of the assault, I'd bet the assailants memories are also vivid. I doubt it is a ho hum forgettable event like misplacing your car keys. Especially if it was a one time event. And therein lies a look into the character of Judge Kavanaugh.
Either the purported victim in this case is lying or Kavanaugh, with his unequivocal denial of the assault, is engaged in that "art." I mean no disrespect to the victim but for me at this point it isn't about the assault from 30 years ago. It's the potential lie being expressed today. A lie clearly in pursuit of ambition.
It is right that this whole circus of a confirmation process be delayed if not outright cancelled, until this situation is resolved. Because if he is lying he does not deserve the bench seat as a Supreme Lawgiver of our Land. Period, end of discussion.
And any of our elite privileged representatives who sides with him solely because of party, and their own desire to seat a perceived conservative acolyte on that throne of Power, deserves to be removed, too. None of them serve the interests of the American People.
John~
American Net'Zen
She was so traumatized by this assault that her memory should be rock solid, according to your logic. She should be believed.
Yet, she is given a pass for not being able to remember minor details like when, where, etc.
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It's no wonder that this woman was reluctant to come forward. It's takes profound courage. When I was quite young, probably 12ish, I was pinned down by 3 boys who were supposedly friends. I was terrified and remember it vividly. I'm 60 now. Thankfully I wasn't raped, but was groped, my shirt pulled up. They yanked at my pants. There was a 4th boy who did not participate, and was clearly disturbed by what he was witnessing. He finally spoke up, thank God. He said loudly and sternly, "leave her alone!" Had it not been for him, I don't know what would have happened. I remember it as though it happened yesterday. These things do stay with you, and the worse the experience, the more damage it does to ones psyche. I was also touched inappropriately by a stranger in 4th grade. I also remember that clearly. Again, I was terrified. I didn't say anything because I was afraid of making a big scene, of what my father might do. Sadly, I don't think many, maybe most, men get it because so many have not had that experience.
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Sexual abuse from acts against children to rape of adults are crimes that demand prosecution and there should be not time limits after the acts placed upon filing charges once there is evidence to prosecute. People who commit these acts tend to continue and to even escalate their predatory acts.
Sexual harassment should be handled on a case by case basis and should not be equated with sexual abuse crimes. The motives and likely subsequent behavior can vary, a lot.
Sexual biases are not the same as sexual abuse nor sexual harassment. Misogynists are often courteous with women and do not abuse them. Wage differences and denial of equal opportunity are a mix of greed and misogyny, and can often be nothing more than taking advantage of work history affected by family obligations.
Each of these needs addressing but equating them as one problem would be a mistake. Sexual abuse is a pathology which reoccurs across the Earth and across many generations. It will have to be addressed as long as humans exist.
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I am going to look at this from a totally different angle. First this young 15 year old was drinking along with the young me with her. I have 6 daughters and I lectured them that drinking inhibits your ability to make good decisions. If you do not want to be taken advantage of DONT DRINK!!!. I grew up in Michigan where it was legal to drink at age 18. I never drank before that. Dr. Blasey does not acknowledge her own culpability in this situation. I am calling her out on that. I am not part of the METOO group, but part of the NOTME group. I was never taken advantage of because I chose NOT to drink and impare my abilities to walk away from a situation. Wake up Women of the World! My grandmother was a prostitute because she chose to drink and allow others take advantage of her.
I am the mother of eight, because I chose to accept the love from my husband and say "NO" to anyone else that expressed passing interest in me.
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100% agree that you don't forget a rape or sexual assault of some kind -- it is traumatic, frightening, horrifying, humiliating and burned in your memory. At the same time blaming someone for something he did 35 years ago as a teenager -- I can understand the reluctance to do so. But isn't the issue whether he is lying about this to win in a high stakes contest and the lying is what is unacceptable -- an investigation for this reason is essential.
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This is a judge who imperiled a teenage girl to score political points, recently. This accusation should surprise no one.
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We can all agree that sexual assault is a traumatic event. I wonder if you could discuss how sexual assault effects the perpetrator? Does it effect his/her memory? Does it effect his/her future life in ways similar to or different from the victim of assault?
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I am 62 years old. Forty-seven years ago, I was hanging out with friends outside a pizza parlor. A guy we didn't know approached us, and punched me—hard—in the jaw. I can still see his bleary eyes, his plaid shirt, hear his voice mutter an obscenity right before he swung. I can remember exactly how it hurt. I remember crying as he pinned me against a brick wall to 'apologize' (he thought I was someone else.) I was 15. I simply went home that night and didn't talk about it. That's what one did.
From time to time in the following years I would share this story if it was relevant to a conversation. It has been relevant much more frequently in the past year.
I live my life just fine. This was not a defining moment. But those few seconds are burned in my brain and replay like a vivid film clip. I would guess that it's the same with every woman who has been assaulted.
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INDEFENSIBLE describes Dr. Fords experience both in the senses of it being unjustifiable and there being no way to effectively refute it. In the brief and final analysis it is a test of you.
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I don't question why Dr. Ford came forward when she did. I seriously question why Feinstein sat on the information. The Senator could have forwarded the information to the FBI for confidential review in performing the background check in July unless I am missing something? The Senator's explanation that she was concerned regarding protecting Dr. Ford's confidentiality does not ring true to me. Further, I don't understand why whether or not the FBI further investigates should have an impact on why Dr. Ford is willing to testify? Is her testimony going to change pending results of the investigation? It seems to me that the testimony and investigation are two separate issues, and linking the two issues smacks of a political manuevring as opposed to anything substantive.
I can vouch for this assertion; I remember 9/11 clearly as a second grader, the tornado over my apartment when I was 4, and being left alone at home while my dad picked up groceries when I was 3. All of them were terrifying experiences.
I have no doubt that Dr. Ford can remember; I also wouldn’t doubt that Judge Kavanagh cannot. To one, it was life changingly scary; to another, it would have been just another party.
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Dr. Friedman, Thank you for writing this piece. Like many other women, I have gone through this too, although the person who assaulted me was not someone in the public sphere. The accusations of false (or "recovered") memories, or false recognition this week against Dr. Ford have lead me at times to tears. Too many of us understand completely what Dr. Ford is experiencing, including the personal attacks on her character. The nature of sexual assault means that typically no one else is present. However, in this circumstance, Dr. Ford also places another person, Mr. Judge, in the room. Ms. Ford's therapist's notes, predating Kavanaugh's nomination, her placing another person in the room, her voluntarily undergoing a lie-detector test, all these things are compelling circumstances that support her veracity.
My heart goes out to Dr. Ford and her family. I hope she testifies, as it may bring her a strength she did not realize she possesses.
As for the naysayers, I have some words for you, but they aren't fit for print. And to all of the women who have been brave enough to come forward, especially this past year, thank you for your bravery and strength. Let's make sure this doesn't happen to our daughters, or anyone's daughter.
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It is unbelievable that so many people would look at this through such a tribal lens. Reading thru some of the pro-Kavanaugh comments I found none that supported an investigation. (I did not read all comments). I did find several that believed this is a political move and nothing more, they said nothing about morals and character. On the other hand there were many who spoke of their traumatic incidents, still vivid after a lifetime. They were more likely to call for an investigation or simply to chose someone without a cloud over them. Why can some of us only feel pain for their own?
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"I did find several that believed this is a political move and nothing more, they said nothing about morals and character."
The US Constitution requires that the Senate confirm Supreme Court nominees. And the Senate is a *political* body, so politics are involved by definition. If have you a problem with that, say so.
As for "morals and character", say something definite about underage drinking.
Every Single Woman born before 1980 has experienced unwanted sexual advances to some degree during her lifetime. That is the magnitude of the historical discrepancy between men’s and women’s perception of “what is appropriate” in our culture. It is correct that this discrepancy be identified and closed NOW. What is not sustainable or productive is to right every perceived historical wrong. It is just not in our collective best interest. We need to define the standard for prosecution and stop propagandizing every individual experience that suddenly - and let’s admit it, often opportunistically - reasserts itself.
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@FNL i agree. to keep looking back with no clear facts is not production and unfair... lets look forward and address current issues that present themselves... fairness to one another, clean up the voting abuses for 2020, better technology protections for all... to continue to look back and guess what actually happened is a huge waste of energy and is causing this country to fray. Every business and individual should clean up there own house and we should all move forward correcting current un-healthy issues. Our government is unhealthy and is causing our society illness on various levels.
@FNL I'm going to put aside my stern disagreement that holding people accountable for "unwanted sexual advances" that men dern well knew were inappropriate "back in the day", and just were okay with because they got away with it, and focus in on a distinction we MUST make here. Attempted rape is not equivalent to making a creepy pass at a coworker in the hallway. Holding a person down and muffling their screams while you try to force yourself on them is not and has never been acceptable, and should never be. It is important and in our collective best interest to acknowledge and investigate this because it is an act that is 100% disqualifying for the position. Please also elaborate on what you deem to be the opportunities now available to the accuser. I'm interested. It might seem sudden to you because you are just now finding out. It hasn't been sudden to the victim. It never goes away.
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@Leslie E A crime is a crime and crimes have statutes of limitation for a reason. As one of the countless victims of advances that may or may not have been “criminal” I can recall but I don’t dwell - that would only empower the perpetrator don’t you agree? I prefer to focus on making sure that my sons comprehend respect and don’t perpetuate this behavior. That is how I choose to cope.
To those insulting Dr. Ford. Given the nature of how memories are formed (something Dr. Friedman is talking about), if I hit you with a hammer, you're unlikely to remember where the event took place, or anything that occurred at that time, but you'll remember that I personally hit you with a hammer.
Any memory generated when strong emotions are involved are always strong and vivid. I spent a decade teaching mathematics to high school students and listened to many of them telling me about things that had happened years before. They'd not told anyone, and made me swear not to tell anyone else, because they were always afraid of not being believed, especially when their tormentor was in a position of power. (in the case of Dr. Ford, that would be the spoiled and entitled person of Mr. Kavanaugh) Frankly, they were afraid of revenge actions by the tormentor. As a 15 year old girl, Dr. Ford had every reason to believe she wouldn't be taken seriously, again adding to vividness of her memory.
I'm not surprised he would say he didn't recall that event and wouldn't do anything like that. Even a fully guilty person would proclaim their innocence, and Mr. Kavanaugh is smart enough to know that if he even admits that there may be some credence to Dr. Ford's story, his career is over; his belief that he's entitled to a position on the nation's highest court is gone, never to be recovered. She gains nothing coming forward.
This is why a full investigation is necessary.
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I too was 15 years old when sexually attacked. My attacker was 14 years older than me and a casual acquaintance. Like Dr. Ford, I remember every detail of what was done to me and the general time of year. We'd just come back from the beach, so it must have been summer, but without that clue I could not say what month or time of year it was. It took my system another 15 years before I could confront what happened to me. Up to that point I literally froze up when thinking of it. As I write this, I'm shaking. The experience never goes away. We learn to live life with it lurking in the background.
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Iam a California attorney and will be marking my 40th anniversary as a member of the California Bar Association. As a member of the legal community, I am saddened by the degradation of the United States Supreme Court and the nominating process. Harken to the confirmation of Justice Scalia and Justice Ginsburg.
There should be an FBI investigation of the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh. I believe Dr. Ford. On Saturday, when I put down the Washington Post account of Dr. Ford’s experience as a 15 year old, buried recollections of a similar situation in my life, from January or February, 1971, came front and center in my mind and details were revived. I googled the man that attacked my while sober, and found that he had run for Congress as a Republican in 2010.
If there were an FBI investigation, Judge Kavanaugh would withdraw from consideration. Such an investigation would force Judge Kavanaugh, a sitting Federal Judge, to choose between possibly lying to the FBI in maintaining his denial, a crime. He risks someone else coming forward about this incident or perhaps another. There is corroboration in Mark Judge’s book concerning Kavanaugh ‘s high school drinking.
Further, an FBI investigation would likely uncover others that were at that party or other parties in which Judge Kavanaugh engaged in excessive underage drinking with Mark Judge
The FBI should interview Dr. Ford, Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Jug.he FBI has expertise with witness credibility and latent memories.
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The literature showing that flashbulb memories are inaccurate is large and conclusive. The author is misleading us on the current state of understanding. (This is not a statement in favor of Kavanaugh; I'm a leftist; it is merely a recognition that this article is deceptive.)
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I am disgusted at the men attacking her memory.
Think about it, now really.
I'm not surprised that heavy drinkers don't remember their abusive behavior.
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A strong spotlight is being shone on this vetting process. Yes, it is serious. Yes, it is important in confirming a Supreme Court Justice, one of the highest positions in the land. And yes, above all, a woman who has alleged sexual assault deserves to be heard and treated with utmost compassion.
I will never forget when another spotlight was shone on sexual assault as it played out in the court of public opinion. It was never considered to be a disqualifying factor in electing a self-professed sexual predator to the highest office in the land? Why did so many turn a blind eye to candidate Trump's own admittance of sexual assault? There should be an intense vetting process for all candidates whether it be a justice or a president.
Women who have been victims of sexual assault do not forget their predators nor do women who have listened in disgust as a sexual predator who will go on to become president brags about his prowess. I am both of these women and I will never forget either experience.
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Quick translation:
Kavanaugh is a conservative, and his joining the court could result in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Therefore, we must do anything to stop him, including finding him guilty of something that he is accused of doing 35 years ago when he was 17, with not a single witness to corroborate.
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@Erik THere was a witness; he should be called to testify.
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If you believe professor Ford (and there are compelling reasons to believe her) then Kavanaugh has committed (at least) two felonies in his lifetime: one for sexual assault and the other for denying it under oath.
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If her accusation is so serious and credible, then why did Feinstein hold it until the very last minute, instead of divulging it six weeks ago. Why? Because she does not care one bit about the accuser. It's all about politics.
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@Erik
Because six weeks ago Christine Blasey Ford wasn't sure she wanted to go public and with good reason. Look at the lies and death threats that have been thrown at her.
You're right, though, about it being all about politics -- Republican gamesmanship. -- thegamesmenplay.com
@Erik Apparently she did forward it to the chair of the committee who did nothing. how would it help pelosi's case to wait one month???
Thank you for the clarification on memory. It’s common sense too, as anyone who’s been through a trauma will tell you. For example, I still remember every detail of an event becuase my brain recorded it in slow motion; and I still remember it that way. But the important issue for me is whether Kavanaugh has changed. I suspect he is the classic controlling abusive guy who is ultra conservative and believes women are inferior and “deserve what they get.” Many young men who get drunk at a party may demonstrate disinhibition and make sexual comments or even a sloppy “pass” at a girl. But only a monster would put his hand on her mouth to stifle her screams. I know this is just my opinion but I suspect Kavanaugh is a misogynist in the mould of the man who nominated him.
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@Kathy M. Have you watched his interaction with his daughters?
Dr Friedman, then how do you explain the “vivid memories” of the McMartin preschool children, that they were sexually abused by multiple adults at the school? After the lives of all these adults were totally destroyed, it was found that none of this actually happened.
I’m very much aware of the studies of Dr James Mcgaugh on memory, but we also know from various studies that eye witness testimony can be notoriously unreliable.
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Reasonable minds can disagree on whether a Supreme Court Justice must have a totally unblemished character and moral record. But it is silly to argue that allowing someone who may or may not have committed a sexual assault as a drunken teenager constitutes the unwarranted taking of a risk with a person who will be invested with great power. Exactly what risk is that? It is extremely unlikely that a Justice Kavanaugh would ever face an issue involving sexual assault. If that happened he could recuse himself.
Let’s face it - the real perceived danger of a Justice Kavanaugh is that he would be willing to roll back abortion rights if the appropriate case came before the Supreme Court. For those who are pro-choice that may be a legitimate concern. But let’s not sound alarm bells when it’s not warranted.
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@Jay Orchard If Judge Kavanaugh has such disrespect for women that he would participate in an attempted rape as alleged, then he most certainly cannot be trusted to protect women now from the most egregious unfairness and oppression that exists -- patriarchy.
I am a victim of a sexual molestation and likely a rape if I did not wake up. My story is slightly different than Dr. Blasey Ford's, but our memory of the event also lingers on for decades. I am grateful for Dr. Friedman's explanation of victims' clear memory of a longer ago sexual molestation or assault, a memory deeply buried but not forgotten. I was also about fifteen at the time. The date of the molesation is forgotten, but the place and emotional reaction is still clear as if it happened yesterday. The violator is easy for me to remember as he is a immediate family member. I have not yet spoken to my extended family members about it as I still believe no one will believe me. I have revealed my sexual molestation to my husband and my grown children only a few years ago. My memory of the event was suppressed for over three decades until it was revived in my therapy unexpectedly when I told my therapist that I had trouble falling asleep when my husband was away. I discovered I was suffering PTSD because of what happened that night long ago. I believe Dr. Blasey Ford's story! Bret Kavanaugh most probably had forgotten his own predatory, despicable behavior. After all, he has a respectable, high profile career since. It is much easier to accuse President Clinton than to reflect on his own youthful violation of Dr. Blasey Ford.
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Prof. Friedman is right that traumatic memories are vivid and painful. However, he forgets to mention that they are not necessarily true. Work on false memory, confabulation and trauma by such scholars as Prof Elizabeth Loftus has shown how malleable and imprecise human memory is. Loftus, a highly respected authority in the field, was instrumental in changing the laws regarding witness testimony and the so-called repressed memory syndrome, with the result that such “recovered” memories are no longer admissible in court. I don’t know whether Prof. Ford’s memories were “recovered” but the fact that they are emotionally charged tends to make them more, no less, suspect.
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@MorDid you read the article? Dr. Friedman says: "It is also important to note that what Dr. Blasey is describing in her report of sexual assault by Judge Kavanaugh is not a so-called recovered memory". She was traumatized by its for a few years, and sought counseling for it as recently as 6 years ago.
In her therapists note it says she was assaulted by 4 men and in those notes is no mention of Kavanagh by name. She cant remember where is happened, exactly when it happened, or who else was at the party besides one person, who has said they dont remember being at that party.
Even though Pelosi says she couldnt release the accusations because Ford didnt want to go public, Ford scrubbed her social media accounts over a month ago and also took a polygraph test, which indicates to me that she knew she would be going public, when the time was right.
I dont doubt this woman was sexually assaulted, but it's become a bit confusing. Who were these other 2 men? Was she assaulted by 4 men or 2 men or just Kavanaugh. Why did she not come forward in 2012 when Kavanaugh was an uber powerful circuit court judge, the second highest court in the land? Why did Pelosi wait a month to release the information. What can the FBI even investigate? If she wants to wait until after an investigation that has no other witnesses or evidence, what's the real purpose of her coming forward now?
To me this is just Machiavellian politics. We cant ever know the truth, and no FBI investigation will find it. The only real motivation for this is to submarine this nomination. As an independent, it just makes me wish there was a viable third party or that the dinosaur leadership of the Democratic party would finally retire to enjoy their million dollar bank accounts.
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@Jacqueline
And what are the motivations of the Republicans, who want to jam this nomination through the Senate without allowing the Democrats to vet Kavanaugh adequately? We have evidence that Kavanaugh lied before Congress 10+ years ago. Is it even appropriate for Trump, given the Mueller investigation, to be nominating a justice to the Supreme Court at this point, let alone who seems likely to vote in his favor down the road? Why are the Democrats, not the Republicans, the focus of your anger? If the Republicans were being honest, this nomination might never have gotten to this point.
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@Jacqueline You made it credible what Dr. Ford said because you are using the name of Pelosi instead of Feinstein. And it has not been 36 years ago but only a few weeks or months that Mrs. Fenstein got involved.
At age 11 I delivered newspapers for a N.J paper. i won a prize for getting more new customers than any other paperboy. My reward? I over. He sat between me and the other kid. The movie came on. A few minutes later I glanced to my right. The supervisor had exposed himself. I got out and went to the snack stand. I stayed there until the movie ended. I was shaking. When the lights came on I got back in the car. Silence. I never told my parents. About three months later my father told me a Detective Ford wanted to talk to me at the police station. I sat across from the detective in an empty room. He asked me what happened at the drive in. I told him. Then asked about the man who had tried to molest me. Detective Ford said the supervisor raped the kid who was with me. He added there were 24 other young boys victimized. I'm 72 and still remember like it was yesterday.
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@g.i. I am so sorry for what happened to you. Your story has something in common with 99% of the MeToo stories that we have heard recently. It was part of a pattern with multiple victims. If several other women came out with independent allegations against Kavanaugh, that would change things dramatically. The thing about this one allegation is that it is just one. Isn't it possible that Dr.Ford is just remembering the wrong Brett? When there is only one allegation of wrongdoing from 36 years ago, it brings up a lot of questions. I hope that Dr. Ford testifies so that she can answer some of those questions and we can get to the best decision possible on whether Kavanaugh should be on the SCOTUS.
Dr. Friedman is right on point. Over forty years ago, at age 14, I was raped by an older male cousin. To this day I can recall all the details of the sexual assault.
I believe Dr. Blasey for two reasons: one, we don't just make something up that occurred that long ago; two, she has nothing to gain in coming forward with this story. She has suffered the consequences of the sexual assault for decades and believe me the memories resurfaced vividly at times for her. As recently as 2012, she was in couples therapy talking about it.
So, while Dr. Friedman is accurate, he doesn't point out that Senators are not the people to analyze and question a victim of sexual assault. They do not understand the intricacies of the trauma and how the brain works. Adding to this, some of them are going to aim at discrediting her in various ways.
So far, Dr. Blasey is being re-traumatized and her worst fears are coming true. She is received harassing e-mails and death threats. What victim deserves this kind of treatment? Second, why would she want to sit in front of a bunch of senators and be questioned? I wouldn't.
B. Kavanaugh is a veteran to the legal system and courts. He has already denied the allegation and his savy "judge" skills gives him a clear upper hand in an appearance before the senators. Dr. Blasey may have flashbacks, her nerves are probably shattered and she will not want to be challenged.
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Maybe Dr. Blasey remembers the assault because it was the single, horrible event of her high school years and Brett Kavanaugh doesn't remember because this was a commonplace behavior for him.
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@MomT. If Kavanaugh regularly sexually assaulted young women in high school, where are the rest of the victims? And did he suddenly stop doing this when he turned 18 and then lived an exemplary life afterward? What of his high school girlfriend who said that he was always kind and respectful to her? And his college girlfriend who said the same?
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The callousness of the GOP senators on the Judiciary Committee is unbelievable. How can they dismiss this allegation by Dr. Ford as to some problem with her memory of an event that took place so long ago. Well for their information I am sure we all have distinct memories of events that thrilled us when we were very young. I am almost 80 and I can vividly remember some thrilling sporting events I participated in and/or watched when I was a teenager. Consider how well you would remember an event if you were a young girl and was being sexually abused. Shame on the GOP. Especially, Flake, Collins, Murkowski, Graham and Corker.
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Thank you Dr. Friedman. Your article should be mandatory reading for every member of the Judiciary Committee. Their despicable comments and attitudes have upset me terribly. Senator Hatch’s comment about how Dr. Ford must have “something wrong with her” or words to that effect, made me livid, and then cry. I take their cruelty toward Dr. Ford personally. As a teenager I was abused. I remember is as clear as day.....where, when, how, etc. I have suffered greatly my entire life because of it. I know exactly what you are talking about. I am utterly appalled and broken hearted by all the comments condemning her, criticizing her, blaming her, doubting her, etc. It is clear that our country has a great deal to learn, and much growing up to do. Thanks again.
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People who are dangerous when drunk may not recall in a sober state what they did "under the influence." But they did it. To assault a woman with the intent of violating her is criminal. To isolate her in a room, lie on top of her, cover her mouth, play loud music, work to remove her clothing--- the bigger, stronger, older attacker had one goal: rape a 15 year old female. And give me a break: everybody knew then and knows now that rape is heinous.
Dr. Ford's account is documented. Several years ago, she told her husband, told her therapist, who kept notes, and she told them long before Judge Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court. Dr. Ford passed a lie-detector test. (During the Senate hearing there've been instances of Judge Kavanaugh demonstrably lying under oath, stating that he did not do something when his emails show that he did in fact do it. For example, he perused documents stolen from a male Senator.)
A friend once told me,"Crimes against women don't matter."
Crimes against all human beings matter, whether or not the crimes are recognized, prosecuted. Odds are that Judge Kavanaugh will be confirmed.
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@Biscuit I hope the friend who told you that is no longer your friend!
@Biscuit. That "friend" should be ostracized.
For the record, I am NOT a support of Mr. Kavanaugh. That said, the NYT has an obligation to stop presenting these fuzzy "analyses" in the publication. Instead, there should be an article entitled: "Why you are innocent until proven guilty in the United States." I would be glad to write it upon invitation.
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I am 67. I remember - and never repressed - the times my father molested me when I was a child. I remember very clearly the day my sister told my mother because the fall-out was extremely traumatic. But could I tell you what calendar day it was? No.
But these memories are seared in me and have caused me great, daily pain. I have no doubt that Prof. Ford has very clear memories of what happened to her even if she can't remember the calendar day, etc.
The fact that she told her husband and therapist in 2012 is all I need to know. Nobody would make that up. She's passed a lie detector test. All the conspiracy theories are insane from right wing America.
The fact they won't do an FBI investigation is all I need to know.
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@Sophia. What if Dr. Ford is telling the truth that what happened actually happened - but she just remembers the wrong guy? How did she know Kavanaugh? Was that the only time she met him? Was he introduced at a teenage pool party where they were all drinking as "Brett" - or with a full name? These are just some of the questions that she could answer if she testified and it would go a long way to allowing the Senate to determine how credible her accusation is.
I'm not sure the author of this article actually read the letter to Nature that he attached. According to the study (and as the author correctly noted), propranolol impaired the memory of an emotionally arousing story. What you can take from this interesting study is that the involvement of extreme emotion in an experience like sexual assault can impair your memory of it. And there are cases to support this.
Mark Denny for instance was a man who was convicted of a rape he didn't commit--based on the victim's claim that Denny had raped her!-- and spent nearly three decades in prison.
Now, it's important to investigate cases like this to confirm the integrity of a man appointed to the Supreme Court--but let's make sure we understand that a single claim isn't an indicator that the victim's claim is true. We need to be cautious in this investigation.
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Both sides should be heard. Other than timing the release of this information to coincide with the Senate vote, WHY didn’t the Senate Judiciary Committee investigate this in July when they received the letter from Ms. Ford? Rape is a serious accusation and I am disturbed that this information was kept under wraps until now. Also, it’s disturbing that Brett Kavanaugh is being tried in the media and many just assume that he’s guilty by default, i.e. he’s male. May I remind everyone that there have been two cases in recent memory that were tried in the court of public opinion: the Duke Lacrosse case (2006) and the purported group sexual assault at a UVA fraternity house (2015). In both accounts, the victims provided graphic and specific details but those allegations proved to be false because both women admitted later that they lied. Unfortunately, the young men who were charged must live with the stigma of being falsely accused and the trauma of knowing they may have gone to jail for a crime they didn’t commit. Think about that for a minute. The media doesn’t follow up with how the young men are coping and no one calls out the women for false accusations. Those lies make it difficult for genuine victims of sexual assault to be taken seriously and it’s wrong. Let’s be careful and remember there are TWO people involved here. No one, male or female, wants to be tried in the court of public opinion.
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@MyHumbleOpinion Exactly why they have to have an actual, FBI investigation before any kinds of hearings go further. A Senate panel is just another form of the court of public opinion and will serve no purpose other than to fuel the fires of bias. Both Kavanaugh and the young woman he allegedly attacked are best served by having an the proper authorities do an actual, transparent investigation of the assault.
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@Sarah That’s correct. Both sides need to be heard. This could have been handled so differently had this been investigated back in July. The welfare of both parties wasn’t taken into consideration and this information was kept under wraps for political gains only. The Judiciary Committee knows better but willingly took the low road. No one, Democrats included, is being sensitive here. Both Kavanaugh and Prof. Ford are being used as political footballs to score points with the respective bases of each political party. It’s disgusting. I’m so sick of these two parties and the extreme hyper partisanship. I’m a centrist voter and this has got to stop. It’s just not right...
A number of commentators here are questioning Dr. Ford's account with varying degrees of hostility, a number misrepresenting her account in the process. My question to them, if they really are so sure that Dr. Ford's account has no merit, why are they opposed to an FBI investigation? Not a criminal investigation, but the kind of background investigation that was conducted in response to Anita Hill's accusations in the Thomas hearings. Yet it is those hostile to Dr. Ford, and the Republicans who are so opposed to an investigation. They clearly fear the outcome of a real investigation.
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GOP senators should entertain that their daughter or wife were actually in Ms. Ford's situation, and that an attempted rape so many years ago had impacted her life negatively. . Would it carry more weight of it were your daughter? Would you want her to remain silent so your guy gets on the Court?
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Most women who say they have been raped, have been raped. Let's drill down into this alleged rape. Folks will say he was just a boy. How big are 17 year old boys? Big. How small are 15 year old girls? Often small. Add class, partriarchy and booze to the soup of a wild night, and some boys rape. Not many. Just some. Kavanaaugh could well be ome of them. Let's not rush to judgement, but do a deep investsigaion. It's only right. Otherwise, a bunch of males will violate this woman, again, and all women of the world.
2
No doubt, the attacker remembers the incident, clearly, unless he is a serial rapist. I have no doubt about what Dr. Ford remembers, but I have no doubt that Kavanaugh AND Judge remember it just as clearly. That is, assuming neither of them is a routine sexual assaulter. I begin to wonder about that.
2
I was trying to explain the very same thing to someone just the other day. Trauma is sticky. Very, Extremely, Unavoidably, Super, Sticky. Trauma is the the inevitable super glue of memory stickiness. I was coming from an evolutionary standpoint but the argument was essentially the same. Humans are programmed to remember traumatic events.
Makes sense, right? Your great-great-great-great-ancestors wouldn't be around if they didn't remember the most harmful moments in their lives and attempt to avoid similar situations. That's why human memory exists. Your brain is designed to keep your butt out of trouble.
The hard part, as we've learned, is learning how to forget trauma. We can become desensitized through repetition. However, you can never forget that initial shock of what was once traumatic. The feeling is truly terrifying.
Your brain has a picture-perfect memory of a terrible event on instant recall. No matter how hard you try, you can't ever seem to swat that image away. Worse, the memory pops up at all the wrong times. Video in slow motion. Suppress, suppress, suppress. That's how these situations work.
From an evolutionary stand point, memory makes a good deal of sense. For the individual however, things are a little more ... traumatic.
1
Once again this "news paper" gives an opinion that is clearly biased. Keep it up. The scope and volume of this "news paper" opinions are driving it into irrelevance.
7
This article is in the Opinion section, hence it is correctly an opinion. For news reports, one would need to read almost any other section.
@Duane Mathias - This newspaper (no quotes) has clearly labeled this article "Opinion". Opinions pieces, unlike news articles, are allowed to be biased (although this article is biased only toward the scientific). Please learn to read.
@Duane Mathias And yet not irrelevant enough, apparently, to keep you from reading it.
Dr. Friedman makes very good points about memory. He misses a critical point with regard to Judge Kavanaugh's fitness for the Supreme Court, however: while Kavanaugh was just 17 at the time of the alleged incident, and was reportedly drunk, he is now a sober adult whose honesty is in question. If he was too drunk to remember the incident, he should have said so. If he was not drunk and is absolutely sure that he did not take part in the incident, he should be happy to have the FBI investigate thoroughly to clear his name. He should also be offering to take a lie detector test, as the accuser has done. Why isn't he demanding that both of these steps be taken?
3
All you women writing about being raped while in high school....what if you had gotten pregnant? In situations like yours, Kavanaugh wants to make teenage girls drastically alter their lives by giving birth. It's ok for him to sow his wild oats as a teenager but God forbid, girls shd even if they were raped by men like him.
6
This man is a liar and will prosper for it. Look at our president after all.
4
I'll add another layer, when you WITNESS a sexual assault, you don't forget it either.
When I was in high school, I went to church camp and saw a male-on-male group rape happen...no booze involved, and I was "supposed" to join in...I will never forget the screams.
3
Would that any of the ancient men and 'humorless-reprobate' republicans on the Judiciary Committee (and beyond) would read what Dr. Friedman has to 'say' (as 'most all' other psychiatrists surely could say) in reference to Dr. Blasey's horrible and 'unforgettable' memory.
But they will not care to -- and if they would, they wouldn't care anyway.
3
At the age of 14 I was sexually assaulted.
Two things one never forgets - the guy and the room.
5
So. Doctor Friedman, her memory is good to go, but Judge Kavanaugh's isn't? What if he were a Liberal Judge and she was a conservative Doctor, would that change things? I bet it would.
5
He has a reason to lie. She does not.
@BorisRoberts So let Kavanaugh take a lie detector test and have the FBI investigate. Dr. Blasey is willing to and has already taken and passed the test.
Don't bet. You would lose.
Implied abuse with a sexual stink has a similar impact. I remember the head hunter job interview in Grand Central Station that began with the comment "Do you know about Plato's Retreat?" which was a swingers club in NYC where you had to bring a woman. He was late 50s in a food stained shirt and tie and I was late 20s and new to NYC. No idea of the calendar date or job description but one stain was beef gravy and another mustard. Oh and dandruff, lots of dandruff The guy was someone my brother used to recruit. My much older brother who I later figured out has serious issues with women in the workplace and outside. Sadly, there was no one to tell. You just soldiered on.
1
Interesting choice of comparison, between attempting to rape a younger girl violently on the one hand and stealing cigarettes on the other. Remember why so many people insisted that Mike Brown "had it coming" when he was shot dead in the street for resisting arrest for a traffic violation? He'd been seen earlier in the day shoplifting cigarillos -- obviously, he was an unredeemably hardened thug who was better off dead.
Now ask yourself what would have happened if a black high school boy had done exactly the same thing that Kavanaugh did. The days of lynching may be over, but the chances that he wouldn't have been convicted as an adult and served hard time are somewhere between slim and none. And he might very well have been summarily shot dead by the arresting police officer.
4
As a retired Clinical Psychologist, I have nothing to add but:
BRAVO!!!! KUDOS!!!!
I co-sign every word.
7
Regardless of the truth the vote to confirm Kavanaugh and install him on the Supreme Court will allow the Republicans to perpetuate the patriarchy where he will serve to "put the fear of God in those women" and help to "keep them in their place" with his fundamentalist rulings. However they should fear the shared experience women who are learning that they are not few, they are not alone, that their experience isn't isolated or even unusual. Too many women have experienced abuse of men who were fine family and church and upstanding community men and we know it. Even just from this comments section. Republicans may win this one, but I believe it will come at cost they don't understand yet.
I was able to successfully fight off my attacker at a business conference in 1995. He followed me into the elevator on the pretense that his room was on the same floor as mine and when I opened the door as he pretended to open his across the hall he rushed me, using his momentum to push me back onto the bed. Luckily my legs were under him so I was able to use them to push him up and off me and scream to get out. Did I report it? No. I feared what would happen to me if I did.
Another when I accepted a dinner date but when we got the restaurant he tried to attack me in the car. I was able to get out and call a cab. Nor did I report this. Again not because I didn't think was nothing, but because I knew what happened to women who reported sexual attacks.
#MeToo.
5
NYT, Open a comments section as a streaming column so that we may share our stories sexual assault and rape. Most women have such a story, and many of us have kept them silent for years.
Mine starts at the age of 5 years, and ends at age 45.
PTSD is exhausting.
3
Memories do fade. Sorry. You may remember a traumatic event better than what you ate for breakfast, but memories do fade. They are not “indelible.” No science supports such a proposition. The study you cite does not support it.
A scientist is supposed to create a hypothesis and then set out to disprove it. One should act like a scientist before one can claim such a title.
3
@Matthew So all the women who have commented in this section about their living memories from decades ago are lying?
Matthew,
Maybe you should reread her article with an open mind. She mentions a flood of neurotransmitters being secreted when a human is attacked by another. Perhaps you have missed out on this kind of trauma. Not me. I easily recall the smells, the sounds, the voice of my violent rapist 46 years ago. And still jump when someone surprises me from behind. Dr. Friedman is reporting established fact.
With all of these stories from the other commenters about their own sexual assaults, my heart feels so heavy for all of you. This country needs a reboot! Are we so sexually suppressed that these attacks happen, even to little children, and we as a nation seem to say forget it and shut up! I say NO! Bring the sun in and expose this whether anyone likes it or not! Then let’s talk about why? Why boys and men (I know it’s not always males) treat girls and women in violent sexually charged ways.
2
The Senate Republicons do not want Mark Judge to be interviewed because if he lies to the FBI, he would be in bigger trouble than his lying to the do-nothing Republicon Senate. And while he refuses to testify now, the last thing Republicons want him to do is to claim 5th Amendment protection!
It seems to me that their Presidential Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card (Kaavanaugh) passed its expiration date long ago! 30 years to be exact!
The truth always rises to the top - like cream in milk!
4
When boys report that they have been sexually molested by priests over 30 years ago there is public outrage. When girls report they have been sexually molested by boys over 30 years ago the response is why did you wait so long?
6
Amen to that!
Trauma sticks. Holocaust. Rape. Maybe for good reason. Those lucky enough to not experience the worst, need to educate themselves on this subject.
2
Especially before the age of about 25, our brains are wired to preferentially remember frightening events. If someone had assaulted me in such away when I was 15? Or course I'd remember. I remember someone grabbing my crotch in a carnival spook house when I was 12. It's as clear as the day it happened because it was really scary and made me feel sick.
I don't think her memory is the issue here. It happened. She remembers. And it's pretty clear that coming forward was not an easy decision for her because society will blame her. For the incident. For her coming forward. And they will question, often in hostile ways, her rationale for doing so. She has even had death threats. She is one brave lady.
What is a bigger issue is whether or not someone should be held accountable for sexual assault as a drunk teenager. I'm no fan of Kavanaugh. I think he is an inexplicably poor choice for this lifetime position. Obama wasn't given the chance he should have had to appoint a replacement for Scalia and he had almost a year left in his presidency. And his nominee was a moderate, not a liberal. I feel this confirmation should wait until after mid-terms....only 6 weeks away. This is too important a decision to rush.
But I digress. What I mean to say is this matter shouldn't be hurried. The fact that he has already lied about it is alarming. We impeached one president for lying about a legal, consensual affair. I would think a SCJ should be above reproach.
4
What's more important of all things and what tells me he shouldn't be on the Courts what he did as a judge, as a Bush advisor. His opinion that presidents are free from scrutiny; cops, prosectuors are free to act like thugs, Women's health care rights would be curtailed, Affordable Health Care Act repealed. These things. Why on Earth would any true blue American want a guy like that on the court. Especially the Republican and a few Democratic U.S. Senators. They must want a president to become a dictator, a crook; want poor people not have health care, not have women the right to choose. It's always been pretty simple, but the political party's wish must come before all other things.. how disgusting is that? We elected these idiots, we get what we deserve. Put down that Smartphone, video control device, and get involved.
2
I don’t for a second doubt her, just use a little logic. By coming forward she will be vilified by a good 40% of America including the President. None of this happens if she stays silent. Of course he will lie what negative consequences will he suffer for lying? None my friends.
I only hope the women of America remember this while going to the polls come November and send a giant middle finger to the president and Republicans in congress.
4
I seriously doubt few if any woman (or man) who has been sexually assaulted cannot remember what happened.
I'm 86 years old, and can give you a blow by blow description of the rape that happened to me at age 17. One might rise above it eventually over time, but one never forgets.
9
The stories in some of these comments are even more shocking than some of the worst #Metoo moments. What is wrong with this species... or is it, this society? If it's the latter, then fundamental institutions need to be changed, now.
3
great article
1
Does Friedman also advocate a full investigation of the long list of sexual assault allegations against Bill Clinton?
If in 2018,a high school classmate falsely accused Friedman of sexual assault 30 or more years ago, how could he possibly defend himself?
Should we assume that he is a sexual predator because a psychiatrist says "Sexual Assault Memories Stick"?
3
@jck Bill Clinton isn't up for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. More importantly, how do we know this accusation against Kavanaugh is "false" without a full investigation?
Yes. We should believe the psychiatrist.
Clinton was investigated plenty. If there is more the let them investigate more.
This is not a political issue it is a moral one!!
Why does the Times put this lurid, sensationalized picture of horror with this op ed? And it's on the front page too. The Times is fanning the flames. The last thing we need by our media now in this fevered political atmosphere. There are other publications where we would expect that. Shame.
2
@Meredith You can't be serious. Attempted rape is a disqualifying event in a prospective SCJ. If he's innocent let the FBI ask him he question and then take a lie detector test.
You may not care about facts, but the adjectives you use don't begin to address the issues raised in this article. These are not only issues about Kavanaugh, but issues about the fabricated reasons the Judiciary Committee members offer to ram this confirmation through.
The shame is this country willing to put a person of questionable character into one of the most powerful positions in the country. There are plenty of honorable judges out there.
My brother-in-law molested me from the time I was 11. I was a naive little country girl and grew up on a farm. I remember every detail, particularly the feeling of dread every time my sister and brother-in-law would come to stay with us. My sister was 8 years older than me and I looked up to her. I didn't tell my Dad for one simple reason. He would have believed me and kicked him out and my sister would have gone with him and I may never have seen her again. So I kept quiet, kept the peace and told only one person - a cousin I was very close to. She did her best to make sure I wasn't left alone with him. I'm 71 years old and I remember.
6
@REF
I remember too. I truly hear you.
I was assaulted for years by my aunt in early childhood. It's remarkably clear after over 60 years. When I have spoken of it in more recent years, woman have tended to make excuses for the aunt, or to suggest that I don't remember accurately, or that I misunderstood her normal "affection" in some way. We just refuse to believe that boys can be victims of women in this kind of act.
5
I do suspect that Kavanaugh has his biases which have led him interfere with at least one legal process under his control as a judge, inappropriately. I also find the accusation that he abused this woman when both were teenagers credible and his denials to be deceptive. That is why I think his nomination should not be confirmed without resolving these matters with more certainty.
That aside, the traumatic experience of this woman as a teenager was just that and it was a violation of her rights to be free of physical harm from others. Yet, the perpetrator seems to have not repeated this kind conduct and had not acted so previously. It seems to have been a mean act committed once.
This raises the issue about zero tolerance and all misconduct regarding offenses against women regardless of what was done being treated as being the worst possible of those acts and requiring the most forceful prosecutions and punishments regardless of the circumstances.
Is it really reasonable to treat a bad act the same where harm was intended out of true maliciousness and where it was done once when the perpetrator acted out of self centered indifference?
As an NCIS agent, I investigated four rape cases. In one case, my testimony got a sailor sent to prison.
In another case, the couple and had been drinking and had sex in the dorm of a federal service academy--and expulsion offense. Both had been drinking, but the man was dismissed a month before graduation because alcohol is no excuse for bad behavior. The woman was not disciplined because she had ben drinking and therefore had diminished capacity to consent.
Two other cases were demonstrably false accusations.
While I'm sure--from interviewing victims and assailants--that sexual assault imparts searing memories, the introduction of alcohol can cloud and distort them.
2
"Both had been drinking, but the man was dismissed a month before graduation because alcohol is no excuse for bad behavior."
Under what law -- US? Military?
Anyway, you are oversimplifying current legal practice. The "sleeping pill defense" has been used in several cases.*
"The woman was not disciplined because she had ben drinking and therefore had diminished capacity to consent."
That's a double standard -- men can make rational decisions while drunk yet women cannot.
* See, for example:
Sleeping-pill defense claimed in Denver-area murder case
By Kirk Mitchell
The Denver Post
October 24, 2009
Some Sleeping Pill Users Range Far Beyond Bed
By STEPHANIE SAUL
New York Times
MARCH 8, 2006
Ask me, or anyone, about their situational details of when they heard about the Challenger blowing up. Ask me about the details of where I was on 9/11. Ask me about my circumstances when my sister called me to tell me my uncle had committed suicide.
I, like many, many others, can give excruciating specific details about my environment during these events. And yet none of events rise to the emotional stress of an assault - especially an assault that is as personal and intimate as a sexual assault.
The science in this article is reassuring and unassailable, but anyone who belittles the memory of intense experiences, is probably just bullying.
3
I’ll never forgot what happened to me when I was in high school. And though I wouldn’t want my attacker (close friend at the time) to be punished for his whole life, I wouldn’t want to see him in the surpreme court. That’s it. There must be a better candidate.
11
The other afternoon my girlfriend and I decided to revisit every sexual assault and humiliation we've endured for over 50 years.
We wondered how our husbands would react to our stories. We never told our partners about these events. I've never forgotten the indignities and the shame I felt and either will all my friends, believe us.
2
If one looks carefully at the "facts" of the claimed assault, a few things become evident:
1. The language the accuser uses to describe "assault" doesn't sound like a description from trained psychologist, but that of an amateur. Critical information is missing from the accuser's narrative. Also, he narrative contains confusing and contradictory information that seems to "evolve" constantly.
2. As a professional psychologist, the accuser should have known the importance of relating the "assault" at least to family, friends, and some psychologist friend/colleagues if the situation was so traumatic that it threatened her life, but she mentioned the event for the first time 2012, a late 30 years after the claimed very traumatic event. This behavior is odd for a professional psychologist.
3. The accuser's "disclosure" appears staged in order to confuse matters and to postpone the judge's nomination: first a letter to a senator, refusal to reveal her name, then refusal to testify, then request for a bogus "FBI investigation." Not the mark of a professional psychologist advised by two attorney.
It is hard to figure out if the "assault" happened or not, but the above facts should slow down those who are eager to believe her based on such odd behavior and "evidence." Women lie too, just like men do.
3
I work in a correctional facility Mental Health Division. I have interviewed many perpetrators and victims of sexual and physical assaults and whole-heartedly agree with the description that is presented by Dr. Friedman.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such an educational paper!
Joe C
3
"No man is safe!"
This from male commenters who have zero understanding of trauma, childhood sexual trauma, or this culture's revolting history of treatment of children and women (and men) who have been sexually assaulted.
Read the comments here from women and men who were assaulted decades ago. Look at history. Then consider: It has been open season on women and children all through history. Also consider that victims coming forward reap dismissal, public victim-shaming, and even death threats.
As it stands now, no woman or child is safe. Not then, not now.
3
@MichinobeKris
Thanks for including men, although only in parentheses, among victims.
Memories of trauma stick with us vividly for years, whether it be child abuse when we were toddlers or sexual assault when we were teenagers. Not to mention bullying, witnessing parental substance abuse, and lots of other things. Many of us try our best to push them down, but they are always there.
1
Proving that such memories are enduring for reasons that would be familiar to Dr. Blasey, herself, prove only that such a memory is possible, not that she is being truthful about it. And the fact that many women have posted similar experiences that they know are true does not mean that Dr. Blasley is telling the truth.
The oft repeated and erroneous claim that Dr Blasey has nothing to gain by lying overlooks her three likely goals, all of which are tribal, and for which she seems willing to endure great personal discomfort: 1) To protect Roe v Wade by forcing a delay; 2) To put the Republicans further at odds with women to improve anti-Republican turnout in November; 3) To extract justice for the Republican's reprehensible treatment of Merrick Garland.
In addition, Dr Blasey's claim that she remembers that every guest had just "one beer" does not fit Dr. Friedman's explanation that intense emotions and the resulting rush of norepinephrine are the cause of memories enduring for 36 years. Nor does he explain how she can remember the "one beer" but not those who drank the beer, except for the two accused boys. It is simply unbelievable. There is no logical, scientific or academic justification for Dr. Friedman's conclusion that "Dr Blasley's accusation is credible...." That conclusion is simply Dr Friedman's own personal opinion which is not supported by any of the factors he presents in his article; his conclusion is an obvious non sequitur.
3
For those who remain skeptical of relying on human memory, please understand that Dr. Ford is only relying on her memory to fill in context and details surrounding that evening. She doesn't have a problem "remembering" the assault. She never forgot it in the first place.
5
I'm older than Dr. Blasey. Some memories are forever. Ask anyone who's been violated.
9
There’s a distinct difference between the way many men respond to this and the way women do. So many men are saying “no man is safe”. That implies that she is making this up. She is requesting an investigation. If in fact it’s “he said she said “, why should the default be that he is telling the truth?
1
I'm horrified and disturbed by some of the comments here, assuming that Dr. Ford is bluffing or confused.
1) Several years ago I attended a Continuing Legal Education class, taught by a woman prosecutor who had done extensive research with medical and psychiatric professionals, who taught us the neurological impacts of trauma on one's brain at the time of assault.
2) Numerous articles by medical professionals are available on the Internet, detailing new understanding into how brain circuitry works doing heightened fear (pre-frontal cortex shuts down; amygdala kicks in, etc.).
3) As many survivors of sexual abuse can attest, you never forget. You may forget the day or exact time and, in some cases, even the place, but you never, ever forget what occurred. It's embodied in you.
4) The point has already been made by those wiser than I that Dr. Ford, at age 15, suffered a harrowing experience that she has never forgotten. She is now a successful professional woman who has guarded this terrible secret for years, revealing it only to a couple of people.
5) Dr. Ford is risking everything in her life to come forward. She wanted to remain anonymous, but that wasn't possible.
6) No woman wants to be known as "the woman who had awful things done to her." No woman.
7) Like Anita Hill, who is sadly known more for her victimization at the hands of the SJC in 1991 than her numerous professional accomplishments, Dr. Ford runs the same risk, but follows her conscience.
6
I believe Ms Ford
I came out in the summer of "69. At the time I lived in a medium sized town, but there was a fairly large gay community. I now know that I was rather naive at the time, and more trusting of people than I should've been. I can never forget the night of my assault because of the date.
On December 19, 1969 I went to a party to watch Tiny Tim get married on the Johnny Carson show.
As I was leaving to walk home, one of the guys asked me if I needed a lift and I accepted. He said he needed to stop at his apartment for some reason and invited me in to meet his dog. As soon as entered his apartment he assaulted me. It was quick and violent. I got out of there as fast as I could. I didn't tell anyone at the time. I didn't fully understand what had happened. It wasn't until many years later sitting around talking with friends and we were talking about the strange things that had happened to us, and I had told my story of that evening. One of the guys turned to me and said: You were raped. Until then it had never occured to me that men could be rape victims. For some reason I never encountered him again, but I know his name, the factory that he worked at, and the fact that even though he was much smaller than me, he had a physical strength that I was unprepared for.
I hadn't thought about it in years, until Ms. Ford's story broke and others shared their stories.
One may be able to set aside these kinds of memories, but they never go away.
9
I believe her -- everything about Dr. Ford's narrative rings true for sexual assault victims, right down to barely telling anyone for 30 plus years. I don't need an expert's validation that Ford's memory serves her well, respected as it is. She had everything to lose by coming forward, and judging by the death threats and character attacks, she's already endured more than she should for doing the right thing: telling the truth and she knows it
The real question comes back to the public and Kavanaugh, not the woman. Was this a pattern? Does he have a drinking problem that impairs his judgement? Was he blacked out when the incident happened? Is this really a man who has the character to handle with gravitas the fate of so many men, women and children in this country? Of course there should be an investigation -- I don't know why Republicans keep stonewalling -- let's get the truth. This isn't a partisan issue. Without some justice in the highest court of the land, this country has nothing. And sexual assault charges are serious -- not one of those things that should be allowed as part of "Make America great again."
5
Everyone can remember where they were on 9/11. Why can't Blasey recall where she was when the incident she alleges happened?
4
@Ian Maitland 9/11 or JFK's assassination when I was a kid are memories that we can all talk about. When a person is assaulted that's quite personal. Not sure the 2 are comparable. Perhaps we all should do a little (or in some cases a lot) more reading about trauma and memories.
1
I have a very accurate memory of when I was five and my father, drunk, ran after my mother with a knife yelling he wanted to kill her. I ran out into the living room and he stopped, she ran outside in five below weather on a New Year's Eve. She came back and all went to bed. Then to church the next day. I cannot forget that and several years before my mother died at age 79, she said I saved her life that night.
8
I was also sexually assaulted at the age of 22 - what was termed in those days as date rape. I remember each terrifying moment as though it were happening right now. I did not report the assault, nor did I even confide in anyone until more than a decade later with a therapist. I knew that even if I had gone to the police, I would have been treated more as a suspect than as a victim of a sex crime - I do not defend my inaction, but I also won't say it was unjustified. For that reason, I think Dr. Blasey is an incredibly brave woman -
11
Trauma doesn't come with an expiration date. PTSD can last a lifetime.
The problem GOP Senators are having with Dr. Ford is not her trauma, or the alleged incident itself. It would actually be impossible for them to care less about her or getting to the truth. They want their Justice, even if he has an abusive past.
If Dr. Ford were a male bringing the charges of abuse against Kavanaugh, Capitol Hill would be turned upside down by the same senators demanding justice. The message is clear: Women don't matter as much as men.
If educated white women like myself had any doubt, we don't anymore. GOP is the party where no self respecting women should ever place their votes or their trust.
GOP? We won't go to that party.
4
@Sarah
"
If Dr. Ford were a male bringing the charges of abuse against Kavanaugh, Capitol Hill would be turned upside down by the same senators demanding justice."
I agree with much of what you say, but not that.
A male victim would be shamed because he "didn't stand up for himself," or because "he must be gay." Had it been a female attacker of a man, he'd be told he "got lucky."
1
Any experience that triggers a big release of adrenaline is burned it into one's memory, figuratively speaking. That's why I clearly remember things that happened 65 to 70 years ago when I was child. My Army Basic training in 1969 is all but burned into my memory I remember the bullying by the drill sergeants so vividly. I recall classmates insulting my impoverished family when I was in high school, back when JFK was President, as clearly as if they had just occurred. Dr. Ford's recollection of her assault is totally credible.
4
I wonder what percentage of shrinks are liberal Democrats. But of course that has absolutely nothing to do with this. Of course they'd treat Keith Ellison the same way.
3
@Mark Either you are blind or you close your eyes. This is not a matter of partisanship, it's a matter of common sense and realism.
What has Keith Ellison got to do with this. Do you not get this is not a political issue? Don’t be blinded by politics. We are all people of the USA. Do unto others.. what is she were your sister or mother??
I would extend Dr. Friedman's understanding that “Neuroscience research tells us that memories formed under the influence of intense emotion (and/or alcohol and sex as teenagers, both positive or negative) — are indelible” …. and, IMHO, I would posit that such memories may have characteristics related to what Berkeley's George Lakoff calls 'analogy thinking'.
This facade of an aged and bribed U.S. Senate pretending to investigate the actions, let alone the memories, of 17 year old Brett and 15 year-old, new girl in town, Christine, related to the future proper behavior of our country or world is a flawed morality play that would tax even Shakespeare’s imagination.
In the “Dating Game”, possible romance, love/risk of teenagers under such circumstances, words are said or unsaid, and done willingly or not willingly, which somehow, not only infuse minds with memories then, and forever, indelibly storing either real love or love of power.
Historically, teenagers, while they apparently don't differ markedly in all areas of socialization and behavior based on gender, do somehow produce a higher percentage of adult dominating 'power-players' and Emperors than Empresses --- which would suggest that on issues as important as the future of our country & world, investigating any signs of “Empire-thinking” of our elected or unelected leaders would be more valuable to 'we the American people', than of their recollected 'memories' of how they inter-acted in Prep School.
1
I remember the man who molested me when I was too young to have words to describe what happened. I remember the red petticoat I wore and how I looked away as he put my hand on him. I recall the wet sticky stuff that soiled my beautiful, prized, red petticoat. I don't recall what I had for lunch that day. I don't recall the time, date, address or where my mother was while he "babysat". But the molestation is etched in my brain forever. Professor Friedman is correct in reminding us all of how memories work. I never told anyone for fifty years until I told my sister during one of our adult heart to heart talks. Unsurprisingly, she, too, had been molested by him.
6
I can attest to clear details indeed. I've been sexually assaulted three times (not raped, but attacked). As a pre-teen a neighbor pushed me into his closet, under the pretext of showing me a new toy, threw me against the wall, pushed up against me and my mouth and forcefully kissed me. He had horrible peanut butter breath that I'll never forget. A classmate grabbed me on a golf course, with our friends around, from behind by the breasts and through me to the ground. I'll never forget exactly how it happened and how humiliating and violating it felt (he apologized in later years). And a person I was dating date raped me. I'll not forget the overly heated room, me saying no or the smell of him. The details are hyper-clear - things within a 5- foot radius are clear while those outside go a bit fuzzy, sort of like a photography lens. #metoo
6
To Dr. Friedman and the editors and publisher of the New York Times: according to the American Psychiatric Association:
"it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement.”
This column is unethical and misleading. The NYT crusade against all things Trump twists everything this paper prints.
3
Really? So Dr. Friedman gave up his first amendment rights when he became a psychiatrist? He was not delivering a diagnosis. He was explaining why a traumatic memory of attempted rape is much stronger than a drunken bully’s. Thank you Dr. Friedman for educating us and give those who have suffered such indignity a voice.
1
I have started to write a comment to this article many times,and couldn't.I cannot imagine what Dr. Blasey is going through now.I went public after being sexually assaulted by a patient at 7:45 am during a med pass on a Sunday, at "One of the top 100 hospitals".Part of my assault caught on tape.The administrator pulling down ? $400,000,said it was part of my job as a nurse.One of the female leaders of my union,basically said so you were humped a couple of times.The security officer who arrived,laughed and said well there were no body fluids exchanged.The police were great.Come to find out he had a long history of assaults.He was charged and found guilty,held for 2 years.Would I report it again? I often ponder this,as it caused so much stress to me,and my family.I believe her.No one puts themselves in this type of situation,without tremendous risk to themselves and their family.To those who are minimizing this,I say be very glad you never have been attacked.
10
Dr/ Friedman certainly prevails in his argument with "Some/these people" as follows:
"Some are saying that Dr. Blasey’s accusation, even if true, is just one ancient example of admittedly egregious behavior in an otherwise upstanding person who, as President Trump attests, “never had even a little blemish on his record.”
Since teenagers change so much, these people say, bad behavior then isn’t necessarily predictive of adult behavior."
Being a columnist with a political perspective is fine, but when it is conflated with objective scientific findings, it is simply adding to the cultural divide. The evidence for traumatic memory being permanent is valid and I happen to believe Dr. Ford.
However, the analysis of Brett Cavanaugh is a partisan screed with a patina of academic objectivity. It would go unnoticed by his students, something that is a deep and pervasive problem.
1
It is exasperating to hear expressions of surprise at how women must employ defense, avoidance and resilience to live in this testosterone-laden world. I don't know one woman, not one, over a certain age, who has not been marked as prey - been the victim of assault, or lucky to have escaped an attempt.
My daughter took full-contact defense classes and learned avoidance strategies as she approached sexual maturity. My granddaughter is taking them now, courtesy of grandma.
As I type, I am smelling his cologne (Aramis), seeing his shirt (blue plaid), and recalling the detached calm with which I washed myself afterwards. I don't know what season it was, haven't a clue what I was wearing, and don't understand (these 40 years later) what drove him to attack and take from me. He went on to become a prominent mental health professional, his psychopathology cloaked in white cloth. My ambitions were derailed by anxieties and bouts of depression that followed.
9
I am frustrated by people talking about this woman's assault in terms of memory. This is not a memory. The where and the when is a memory, maybe even a vague one, but the assault itself has never been filed away. It is current. It is lived every day.
Victims only wish attacks on their person could become a memory. When people are forced to cope with trauma in social isolation, isolation resulting from not being believed, coping turns into compartmentalization and the trauma remains free floating in our psyche, often detached from the where and the when, but never from the emotional impact. The emotional impact maintains emotional currency no matter the time that passes.
Please don't bandy about discussion of this woman's experience as some mystery of memory. The inessential details get filed away as memory, but the emotional truth stays current. A trauma like sexual assault is ongoing. Scars only form over time when healing has occurred. Too often, these are open wounds.
7
@tellmewhenitsover
I completely agree. The essential details are there; other things may fade. I have four episodes that keep coming back to me, and with each one I remember certain things and not peripheral ones. If Dr. Ford was acquainted with Kavanaugh before this incident, and she says she was, she would be more likely to remember him as the assailant; the "where" of the party could easily fade, etc.
4
In fifth grade, an older boy grabbed my crotch in an aisle at the county library. I went and stood by the librarian's desk, scared and confused. Why did he do that? What to do? Fifty years later I still remember.
8
I believe Dr. Ford. A very similar event happened in my life, at about the same age. There were also witnesses. My life changed substantially thereafter, and, curiously, I did not remember what had happened until I was about 40 and then disclosed it to my parents. My mother cried, and said she thought the devil had got into me. The odd thing is that not one of the witnesses, including the adult chaperone, ever asked me how I was dealing with the horror. Now I wonder why it is that those who were supposed to be friends, and the adult involved, could have been so oblivious.
5
The Federalist Society didn't do due diligence when it placed Kavanaugh on its short list. I heard the speech where he joked about heavy drinking by his Yale law school buddies. Excessive drinking is worse than smoking pot. Admitting using Marijuana disqualified Douglas Ginsburg. How in the world did Kavanaugh pass the vetting process six times. Now the credible allegations of sexual assault have to be investigated. If the Republicans ram this nomination through, I hope them pay at the polls.
5
A very insightful and helpful analysis. Thank you Professor Friedman.
2
If memories of traumatic events are accurate and indelible, why has eyewitness testimony shown to be unreliable?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-the-eyes-have-it/
Sexual Abuse causes a psychological trauma. Let’s not forget those were the years in which people that were sexually attacked didn’t have any support or even knew what to do; they only knew it was shameful. As a defense mechanism; they would block these terrible attacks from their memories.
Those were the day in which men were the rulers and “bad boys” weren’t being punished because sexual misconduct wasn’t a subject for discussion.
What a coincidence that back in 1985, during a speech at Catholic University’s Columbus School of law, Judge Kavanaugh said “What happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep.”
2
When you’re sexually assaulted, it gets seared into your memory. And no matter how hard you try to forget it, you can’t. It replays in your mind over and over again. It haunts you every day as you try to get on with your life. Christine is telling the truth about her victimization. And she deserves to be heard when she’s ready to tell her story. If she says she wants the FBI to investigate, then President Trump should honor her request and order the FBI to conduct a thorough inquiry. As a survivor, I stand in complete solidarity with Christine.
8
I don't know if it's true or not, but if it was him and she is telling the truth she needs to quit whining about the "trauma" of "reliving" the event and testify. Otherwise she can just shut up and go back home. She's not a defenseless teenager anymore. She needs to grow up and face her responsibilities.
As of now she looks like a partisan hack trying to use any opportunity to derail a political opponent's agenda. She's not believable because of how she is acting today. If she were telling the truth I would think testifying would not be such a trauma.
Ah, but she IS being responsible by trying to warn us that a man who will be making decisions affecting millions, and I'm thinking women here, was a sexual predator as a teen. She's doing this at considerable cost to herself. I believe and admire her.
I have been attacked on a few occasions in my life. You are correct. The memories are vivid even 40 years later. I am sure anyone who has seen active combat in the military can attest to this also. I have blocked out my attacks by not thinking about them (my way of not letting the predators win by taking space up in my head), but if brought up, I can recall them like they were yesterday. They definitely affect my ability to trust and I am always ready for the worst. I believe the doctor. She did not want to come forward for the obvious pain the partisan hacks and fanatics would cause her, but she had to come forward. I would think anyone would if they knew their attacker was going to be nominated as a judge in the highest court in our country. How could she not come forward? I feel very bad for her and that she is in this position. Anyone with an ounce of compassion would. The bullies on the judiciary committee are animals for saying the terrible things they did about her. Do they know how hard it is to come forward? After what they did to Anita Hill, how do they sleep at night and face themselves in a mirror. They want to destroy her to protect a criminal. They will not be successful this time. Women have had it with being treated like second class citizens by these neanderthals. They are going to get the fight of their lives.
3
I have a 23 year old son. I would bet the future of the planet that six years ago he would no more have held down a struggling girl and attempted to rape or molest her in any way than he would have flown to the moon by flapping his arms. And anyone who would attack a person like that, at age 17 or later, is still not a good person many years later since people don't fundamentally change. Sounds like Brett is what used to be called an "evil seed."
4
I remember when, after a new friend in 7th grade invited me to join her friends at their lunch table, a mean girl in the group refused to let me sit with them. I remember when, as a 17-year-old freshman at an Ivy League mixer, an undergrad immediately and forcefully groped my breasts after I accepted his invitation to dance. He later became a well-known journalist, and I relived that experience with revulsion every time I saw his byline.
No, we don't forget those who mistreat or assault us, ever.
5
When you have a guy who repeatedly has stated that "What happens on the bus, what happens in high school", and, one would presume, what happened in that bedroom all stays in that place, I think you have someone who has things to hide. One of those statements happened not in high school, but in law school. Um, 4 years of college happened between those statements. One can presume that Kavanaugh did not engage in out of control behavior once in high school and then once in law school. And then it stopped. Like a light switch? He transformed from a John Belushi guy to a Bing Crosby type? Just like that. Ooops....sorry Bing had a skeleton too. But, hey his songs are timeless. Kavanaugh's behavior is so inconsequential to him, the FBI, and the Republicans that it doesn't even bear looking into. Like he was never like that. None of this, some on tape, has warranted getting a look? But it certainly was consequential to Ms. Ford. Who has been tormented for years by it. But why should Republicans have to look into it? They have made a habit of ignoring other people's bad behavior and then embracing them like their long lost brother. I wonder how they would respond if Ms. Ford was their sister or wife or daughter? I imagine they would tell their relative to shut up. "You are potentially ending a fine man's career. We'll get you a little therapy and you will be OK. "
4
If what Dr Ford says is true, then Kavanaugh is lying today. He is being dishonest right now. His credibility is already suspect. This accusation and his categorical denial is even more reason why there ought to be an investigation. If he is willing to lie to get a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, he is unfit for the job.
5
At 61 many of my memories of the past have faded and even disappeared but I remember every second of an attack that happened thirty years ago. How I was shoved up against the side of a building. How he raised his right hand hand and struck me hard against the left side of my face. How he then pushed me down onto a cement planter, got on top of me and shoved his fingers down my throat to keep me from screaming. How I thought I was going to die and how I thought of my two young children. How I saw a police car in my right field of vision cruise down a side street and how I prayed with everything I had that it would turn left where I might be seen. How it did and how a police officer pulled my attacker off me, handcuffed him and had him in the back seat before I could even get up.
I cannot recall anything else that happened that year in any detail, but every second of those few minutes is still crystal clear to me and I expect always will be.
9
He is telling another lie. What is it, probably 4 or 5 now. I grew up in a town with a large Roman Catholic population and several rich and not so rich boys private high schools. Those ever so bad boys were famous for there drunken parties as well as their braggadocio concerning female conquests. Give me a break, he probably can't remember which incident it was. The least he could do is say he'd been drinking and can't remember. In a judge, we don't need a saint or a liar. We need an honest man.
7
This nomination must be put on hold until this allegation is thoroughly investigated. The Senate should not push this nomination through.
An article in today's Times about Dr. Ford is an eye opener. She is a leader in her field, a true scientist. Everything in her background indicates that anything she says is totally credible and believable.
And regarding Mark Judge.....that guy seems like an absolute train wreck of a person. And he was buddies with Judge Kavanaugh? Says quite alot about Judge Kavanaugh, actually; much more than the floaty, airy fluff that the Republican establishment is gushing forth about this nominee.
Dr. Ford should testify, and Judge Cavanaugh should respond to that testimony and also question Dr. Ford if he chooses to do so. But that testimony should be put on hold until after an independent investigation occurs to more thoroughly investigate this allegation in a non-partisan manner.
After the thorough investigation and testimony, the Senate should then have a chance to weigh that testimony in light of this weighty decision on whether to consent to Judge Cavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/us/politics/christine-blasey-ford-bre...
2
There are five female republican senators .
Do they have children or grandchildren ?
Do they care about giving a blank check to a Supreme Court nominee with such a not too limpid past ?
Brett Kavanaugh, being the sixth Catholic in the Supreme Court , might bring changes in women reproductive rights that would cause unlimited damage for decades to come .
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford is a woman with a conscience and her accusations of attempted rape by an hypocrite such as Brett Kavanaugh must be taken seriously.
That scary experience left an indelible scar in her memory.
I do trust her .
4
One 'tell' of men who think their smarmy behavior is above reproach is that they immediately cleave to the merest hint of a 'good ole boys' situation. They smirk, they use insinuation and humor to show how much they are aligned with the 'good ole boys.' I saw a lot of this from Kavanaugh at his hearing.
4
She has a vivid memor? Why did she have to call a college roommate to ask if she ever talked about it? Why can’t she remember where it happened? Her “vivid memory” seems to have been helped along by her therapist.
1
The incident Dr. Blasey experienced is almost identical to my own date rape, 40 years ago. At the hands of a 'nice boy,' who was t family, right address. Done in a dark basement while another 'nice boy' played "Amazing Grace" on a hammond organ upstairs. My 'nice boy' rapist went on to marry, work in law enforcement and local politics and be a proselytizing Christian. I saw him some 20 years later while he was putting up his campaign signs for local school board.
This current event is bringing up a lot of 'stuff' for me right now.
I remind my husband that we didn't have the term "date rape" back then. Rape was something done by a dangerous criminal in a dark alley. If you were a nice suburban girl you shouldn't be in those places anyway!
Boys were entitled to take, sexually, whatever they could get away with. Some were pushier than others. If you were a girl who had enjoyed making out, you were labeled easy and taken advantage of. Girls weren't entitled to say no. See how the word 'entitled' shows up here?
I am sure if anyone who know my rapist were asked about him they would support his spotless character. He's got the pedigree!
I have never wanted to confront or expose my attack or attacker. He already took my peace of mind, my sense of sexual trust and safety, my ability to become deeply intimate with my partners, caused me to doubt and blame myself for years.
I can never forget what was done, or forgive his casual selfish cruelty and violence.
4
I'm not surprised by this GOP effort to recruit a rapist as a judge in the highest court of the land, a perfect follower of our equally talented and genius President. He can surely help Trump in any case related to sexual harassment and rape and Trump might need that desperately in near future (besides help in so many other cases as we all know).
There is practically no Republican party. It's all Trump party. And it’s not any Democratic or liberal conspiracy. Many veteran GOP leaders and strategists affirmed that. Even former GOP senator and Former House Speaker John Boehner declared the same. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/31/john-boehner-republican-trump-...
Almost all GOP Congressmen lost all moral and intellectual compass to gather the courage to stand up against Trump's lies, hypocrisy and crimes. This is just another example.
4
THIRD TRY
Everyone remembers where they were on 9/11.
Why can't Blasey remember where she was when the alleged assault took place?
1
Did 9/11 happen to you in the form of a man forcing himself on top of you, covering your mouth so people couldn't hear you scream?
She remembers plenty.
If you read the comments, you will hear how common it is to remember the exact details of the assault and everything else disappears.
I remember knife, stocking mask, bedroom... everything in detail. Afterwards, al I recall is asking an officer if I could hold his hand.
I couldn't find that building if you paid me.
1
Not too vivid - no place, no time, no year.
I am a 55 y.o. woman. At 19, I had an encounter similar to Dr. Blasey Ford. No rape but a horrible encounter with some pretty explicit actions. Despite my failing memory, I can tell you what music was playing, what outfit I wore and how degraded and horrible I felt. For many years a wave of embarrassment and shudders would accompany any thoughts of the night. I cannot imagine how much worse it would have been at 15; I remained a virgin until 23 in part because of that terrible night. I understand people questioning what happened between teens 30 plus years ago is relevant to these hearings, but nothing ticks me off more than people espousing false or faulty memories.
4
I believe Mrs Blasey Ford. I was considered small for my age. I can recall vividly the times I was punched, beat up, jumped, spit in my face, when I was a young boy. As a forester, I remember vividly my close encounter with a cougar in the woods less than 8 feet from me as if it were yesterday, and it was 10 years ago. I can still hear the gurgling deep growl. These were all incidents where my life was in danger.
It's no mistake veterans have vivid recall and often significant reactions of their traumatic experiences years after war. Why would it be any different for Mrs. Blasey Ford? She described the incident as thinking she might die.
9
There are so many of us with stories. We have been the silent victims...until now. For too long women, children and men have been too ashamed or afraid to tell their stories. Why is it that men who sexually brutalize others are allowed to walk away and live a so called normal. If men were raped or assaulted as women and children have been I wonder if the story would be different? While the "Me Too" movement has opened the door to this ugly, horrific behavior there are those who would slam it shut again. I wonder how lenient and forgiving Senators Hatch and Grassley, among others, would be if they had experienced the degradation and trauma of being assaulted? Old men go home, young men do some soul searching and pray that your daughters and sons don't end up as victims. Right now I can't think of any other crime where being drunk is considered a legitimate excuse in a court of law. Sexual assault is a horrific crime and deserves to be acknowledged as such.
11
We have learned nothing since Anita Hill. This is exactly why victims of sexual attacks do not come forward. Kavanaugh shows no respect in his march toward a prize. We already have two Justices who were shoved down our throats.Lets not add another one.
13
The numerous comments from people who have been assaulted have absolutely no relevance to this case. Just because it happened to you and you remember it doesn't mean that Ford is telling the truth or has an accurate recollection of an actual event.
3
@No
Noone is saying that because it happened to them, it happened to Dr. Ford. They are saying that essential memories of this kind of assault do not fade.
5
@No, sorry, but there is certainly relevance. No one who has been sexually assaulted ever forgets, even though he or she may not remember the lesser details. The only question that IS relevant is whether how much weight a long ago event should have on the nomination of someone for the supreme court.
4
@No It also doesnt mean that Kavanaugh is telling the truth.
Oh - just once to have a down-the-middle presentation of the facts! Not going to happen here ..... It is time for our press to show strength - report down the middle, without spin, and let the readers decide.
I was 6 years old when my male cousin molested me. I remember what he said (his sisters wouldn't let him touch them and he was getting married so he wanted to know what a woman was like) and where he said it. Worse, I remember all the odd things I did as a child because of what he did. I am 66 now and I remember it all.
11
I don't doubt she remembers vividly the attack and believes it happened. People remember things incorrectly all the time. The fact is, her memories contain information only she and 2 other people can corroborate, and none of it is verifiable facts, such as the time or location of the attack. Her accusation is, in a word, unfalsifiable. There is no way for Kavanaugh to prove his innocence because there's not a single fact anywhere in the accusation he can point to and dispute with evidence, so if he wants to protest his innocence all he can do is flat out deny it happened, which ultimately just pits his word against Dr. Blasey's. Unless she has some hitherto unmentioned damning evidence there is no legal case to be made here, it's nothing but political theater.
2
@Joel-Really? Dr. Blasey upends her family life and opens herself and them to death threats, solely for political theater? I hope you'll read these posts to find out why this matters and is worthy of an FBI investigation.
2
It is utterly ridiculous to state that a memory of a sexual assault or even attempted sexual assault can't be remembered by the victim in excruciating detail after decades, no matter how old the victim is.
When I was in my early 20s I arrived at the Frankfurt, Germany, airport in the evening and then drove my car in the dark to a fairly isolated suburban apartment building where I lived at that time. It had a parking lot without any lights.
While still picking up my purse from the passenger seat, all of a sudden someone opened my left door. I looked over expecting it might be a friend also living there who had just arrived.
Out of nowhere there was a young, very pale looking man in black cloth and a knitted cap standing between the open door and my seat just a foot away from me. He held a downward pointed gun to my left shoulder, his pants were unzipped and he started to masturbate, never saying one word.
During what seemed to be an eternity my only thought was to get the gun away from above my chest. I then grabbed the fairly thin but longish barrel of the gun and started screaming as loud as I could and he ran away.
It was winter, and luckily I had lined leather gloves on, because his pulling the gun from my fist resulted in a deep cut of my gloves.
Up to now I can still picture that pale face and can recall every detail of that incident.
3
NYT: Please go to the readers picks column & print the stories of well remembered, long ago traumatic events. Male and female. Then have trauma specialists comment.
Maybe print them in the magazine as a front cover story. The IGNORANCE (outright denial) about how common traumatic/sexual assault is, how well it's remembered 4O- 50 yrs later & the many reasons people, especially women, don't tell anyone is UNACCEPTABLE.
The consistent realities reported in comments are that women, who were sexually assaulted and, in other ways, overwhelmed by physically stronger males, remember it. Decades later! And girls (& boys) have traditionally been very fearful of telling anyone or shamed or bullied into silence. For girls, the "double standard": one is "damaged", another is "virrlle".
Also, when people drink they may become louder and funnier, maybe want to dance or make out, perhaps become sentimental and like to tell old stories Or have sex. What they don't do is become violent or a rapist!
Alcohol merely dims the executive function, located in the prefrontal cortex (amongst a other effects) and allows preferred behaviors to surface uninhibited. The social norms & constraints of the super-ego grow lax. Image management, driven by a desire for approval, status, ambition, etc are no longer operative. In my mind, what people do when drunk is very telling of character.
The FFFF in BK's high-school profile means, "find 'em, feel 'em, #@*# 'em, forget 'em".
Enough is enough!
4
I find this all so very upsetting. These stories are brining back several memories for sexual assault that I filed away years ago. One in particular that upset me for years. A young boy in my neighborhood attacked my, jumping on me, forcingme to the ground and laying over me and painfully grabbing my breasts (violently) after I dared to touch his bike. I fought him off and ran home crying. Oh, I remember his name and where he lived. I am tempted to find him and confront him now as a grown woman. What he did was wrong and the act of an entitled male. His dad was a doctor and one of the wealthier people in our neighborhood. At the time I told my high school aged baby sitter and a neighbor to us both. She told me to forget it. There was nothing to do about it. Really. I heard this over and over again my adult life when I was abused by men at work, at school, in my dorm. I am not an exceptional woman. I am smart and assertive. This is what we were told-- don't say anything, it will reflect badly on you. What a joke. You know what? We are grown women now and we have not forgotten and we are not powerless. I run a foundation and have my own successful career. This is not going to be over for a very long time. It will be a time of reckoning for a very long time to come.
5
I have a vivid memory of being taken by the hand by the boy who lived behind my grandparents' home. He and a friend pulled me into their garage, where they pulled down my pants, poked and prodded my genitals and then pushed me out, telling me that they would kill my parents if I "told". I was no more than three years old; they were probably 8 or 10, which made them unimaginable older to me.
I remember the dust motes lit by the sun coming in the window. I watched them as they assaulted me. I remember the musty smell. And I remember being very confused as to why they would kill my parents over this but very sure that I would not tell because I did not want my parents to be dead.
I remember learning fast that boys had power over me, that they would and did take control over my "private areas" and that it would be very dangerous and pointless to resist.
That is a lesson that every American woman learns, most of us very early. We cannot stop the men who masturbate in front of us, who demand sex in return for advancement, who grope and grab, who furtively rub themselves on us in public or force us in private. We have to learn to navigate this because the alternative, reporting it, victimizes us again.
Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham and Orrin Hatch did this in public to Anita Hill and can't wait to do it to Christine Blasey Ford. They relish singling out and attacking these women, careful to deny them even the semblance of due process, to "win".
They're sickening.
4
I think the people who doubt the recollection, decades later, of an assault like this do so because at a deep level, the doubters don't really think the incident was all that serious. It just goes to show how ingrained and accepted the entitled, power-grabbing culture is among certain privileged sets of people (often male). If you asked these same doubters (or assaulters) how vividly they recall the birth of their children or their first election win or loss, decades later, I'm sure they could recount those events with a fair amount of detail. They're significant, of course! But being pinned to a bed in a locked room while someone muffles your screams and rips at your clothes with his friend egging him on? Somehow doubters think that's forgettable.
9
Memory? I fooled around a bit as a fifteen year old. I remember it perfectly 50 years later and my escapade was much less aggressive than the one under discussion.
8
Of course the assault memory is true--though Kavanaugh may, it's just possible, have been having an alcoholic blackout.
So a predator with alcoholism issues, not to mention all the other well-documented issues, is heading for the supreme court?
No thanks!
Thank you, Christine Blasey Ford, for your courage.
http://www.thecriticalmom.blogspot.com
11
It's a shame that Christine Blasey Ford has such a vivid memory of this alleged assault because waiting 35 years to say anything undermines her case. As a Democrat I'm disgusted by the 11th hour release of this information. Sen. Feinstein made a poor choice by not making this allegation known sooner. By waiting She's cut off debate on the issue because the Republicans really have no choice now but to move forward to a vote if they have the political will. That 's a big "IF" but politically the GOP doesn't have a better option.
2
@Dean-Yes they do, Dean What's the rush? They held up Judge Merrick's nomination hearings and stonewalled for a year. This is America. We deserve a full hearing and investigation.
4
Why is she unable to recall the year, let along the date, or the location, or how she arrived or how she left?
1
@Fred Smith
Logic, Fred. How the got tot the party and left the party; on which date it happened hardly makes her unbelievable as you imply.
Kavanaugh even said he was never at "that" party. How come that he talks about "that" party while supposedly being absent?
Traumatic events, and I had a few, albeit only one luckily failed sexual attack, can be played back like a movie in the victims head.
I unfortunately remember far too many traumatic events, including some way back into early childhood, while not remembering the time or date when they happened.
There is nothing more revolting than accusing a victim of sexual assault that the events they relay didn't happen. If only the trauma of sexual assault could be erased so easily. It is an insult to assault victims to make this accusation - and it could only be made by someone who was lucky enough never to be assaulted. I can still tell you what I was wearing, that the assault happened in evening and the terror that will never ever leave me. I can tell you how derailed my personal life was for years as a result. I can tell you that to this day - so many years later - not a day goes by that the effects of this incident are forgotten. But - I can't tell you what my assaulter wore, what happened immediately after I ran away or other things related to the incident. So what? People who have never been attacked need to stop criticizing those who have - and start being grateful it wasn't them.
7
I clearly remember an incident in first grade in which a boy said a sexually humiliating thing to me. I remember his name. I remember I was wearing a red and white striped top. He said, "look, her bosoms are splitting." We were standing in the hallway outside the classroom.
3
Where there have been false accusations of this sort, a little investigation has shown them to be implausible. Usually, the case fell apart in a month or two. Sure, the process was very painful for the accused. But, if Kavanaugh and his supporters believe in his innocence, they should welcome a thorough investigation that prove his innocence, rather than putting a besmirched Justice on the Supreme Court. And, of course, if he did, indeed, attempt to rape a 15-year old, he certainly doesn't belong on the highest court.
Without an investigation, how can Americans trust our justice system? America deserves it.
5
@SAO Exactly - all of these people who really so convinced her story was mistaken or false they would be supporting an investigation.
2
Not holding Kavanaugh accountable for something he did as an inebriated teenager is a mistake. Regardless of the influence of alcohol, the basic impulse to harm another person was there. There is likely a sense of superiority and entitlement that helps to ignore any kind of social or moral restraint. The stories we are hearing about his fairness to women who work with him may have more to do with his recognition of the current attitude about including women in the workplace. These stories are also an example of how flexible people are in behaving one way in some situations and quite another way in different situations, especially if they think they will not be found out.
6
@Barbara "superiority and entitlement"- yes.
Maybe it happened. Maybe it didn't. I have no doubt this the supreme Hail Mary, blocking attempt that it is.
Mrs. Ford's story is so weak, the only reason to bring it up at the last minute, was make the Republicans call for a time out. A lengthy investigation would only make Mrs. Ford look really bad. The Democrats just wanted a delay of game.
And the best thing to come out of this, is everyone's top wish. Trump has acted so "Presidential".
When does Woodward's book come out?
@Mike-Surely a well-regarded professional doesn't up-end her family and opens them to violent threats to participate in a "hail mary"? Get a grip.
2
@Mike Her story only sounds weak to someone who never suffered a sexual assault, and is hostile to victims of assault. If you and other who are so skeptical of Dr. Ford's account are so convinced she is lying why don't you support an investigation?
Think of your worst moments - when someone made fun of you in the cafeteria in 2nd grade, when your prom date threw up on your shoes, when your kid was in the hospital for the first time for an asthma attack. When you suddenly had to have your appendix out. I bet you can remember very minor details about important moments in life but maybe not the exact date or time the events took place. I remember what I ate for breakfast (half a very mealy peach) and what I was wearing (pine green corduroy Levi’s and an ivory 3/4 sleeve length Dean’s sweater with a white button-down Peter Pan collar with matching pine green piping) and who my gym teacher was (Mr. Cox) the day I was rushed from school for an emergency appendectomy in 1979. I remember the tremendous pain of the infection throbbing in my right flank, rising to excruciating levels when the car hit any bumps. and the way the back seat of the car looked (pine green pleather seats with a slight rip in the seam). How hot and itchy the sweater was. How I could not take it off because lifting my arms from my prone position was impossible due to the pain. How, after the surgery, one of the stitches on the incision site leaned the opposite way from the rest, and how I wondered if the doctor had made a tiny mistake. That was 39 years ago.
5
Maybe Kavanaugh and his friend who vouched for him don’t remember THAT particular incident because maybe there were many more. I doubt that it was an isolated, one time incident.
So then, there should absolutely be an investigation. This wouldn’t have been tried only once.
6
Many question whether drunken teenage "indiscretions" are relevant to Judge Kavanaugh's fitness to sit on the Supreme Court, the answer is a resounding yes. If the Judge had participated in a violent racist attack at 17 we would not be having this discussion. No one would claim that decades free from overt racist actions "prove" that he was no longer tainted by racism. Thankfully, the standards for judicial fairness are too high to allow the confirmation of a man who had exhibited overtly racist behavior even as a teenager.
However the all male members of the Republican Judiciary Committee majority do not see a violent attack on a woman as being in the same category. It is considered to be somewhere along a continuum of normal teenage male behavior, understandable and not indicative of bias against women. Or rather, indicative of a normal and acceptable bias against women. The Judge has gone decades without attempting to rape anyone so why should allow his potential for latent misogyny to bar him from being placed in the position to pass judgment on the rights of every woman in this nation?
9
Memory is actually horribly unreliable, especially after traumatic events. Rape victims have wrongly identified their assailants immediately after such incidents many times sending innocent people to prison (e.g. Ronald Cotton, Deon Harrell, etc.). Malcolm Gladwell has a great podcast explaining how our memories can evolve over time *especially* after traumatic events - with Brian Williams 'misremembering' whether he was in the helicopter being a classic example of this.
I have no idea whether Kavanaugh did what he is being accused of, but it is irrelevant. Democrats should pull any string they can find to keep Kavanaugh from taking a stolen Supreme Court seat with an appointment from a President who won a stolen election.
5
@John-Perhaps it would be worthwhile for you to review more of the posts and also note that Dr. Ford is a highly respected professional whose credentialed work and credibility rely on her accuracy and truth-telling.
3
@John It is not irrelevant, it is just one more egregious item on top of many others that show that this nominee should not be confirmed.
2
It now seems that one side of our national political debate feels that Judge Kavanaugh is guilty while the other side has the tendency to protect him.
This subject will bring out stories of abuse of women by men. Most(if not all) of the stories we read here are true.
The heartfelt cause of women does not mean that all men are guilty as charged. The rush to judgement as in the Salem,Mass.trials or the Senator Joe Mc Carthy hearings should give us cause to be careful.
Beware of the feelings of the times. It is not yet a fact that Judge Kavanaugh is guilty of this terrible act. Also our concern over Roe vs Wade does not make him innocent or guilty of what any one person remembers about Kavanaugh
37 years ago in some unknown house in a bathing suit with other guests not remembering. This is America(with its faults) but here, you are not guilty until proven so in the courtroom.
With all that, i hope Brett Kavanaugh is not put on our supreme court. But i still don't want him to be voted down by an angry group afraid of what he might or might not vote for.
Also the fact that men have abused women in our world, does not, in itself ,make this judge guilty of abusing a woman many years ago and with no witnesses, as yet.
The fact that you are angry and hear disturbing stories does not make you correct in your suspicions of Kavanaugh. That's why we have courts in America.
1
@M.W. Endres-The Georgetown Preparatory school during the era Kavanaugh attended as well as Mark Judge and Neil Gorsuch was known for heavy drinking/parties. Kavanaugh was the treasurer of the Keg City Club "100 Kegs or Bust". Surely that has some bearing in terms of Prof. Ford's account? And is worthy of an investigation?
2
@M.W. Endres
“The rush to judgement as in the Salem,Mass.trials or the Senator Joe Mc Carthy hearings should give us cause to be careful.”
I wish more people in this forum - including the author of this particular column - were mindful of this.
"If and when she does testify, you can bet that Republican senators will try to undermine her explosive claim on the basis that the memory of an event that occurred 36 years ago must be unreliable"
Dr. Friedman is himself unreliable by virtue of his reference to what he thinks Republicans will do. If he had kept his piece apolitical he might have been credible. Besides, the issue isn't whether Dr. Ford is capable of remembering events from long ago - it's whether they are capable of proof after so many years.
With this story dominating the headlines for days, surely any corroborating witnesses to Dr. Ford's testimony could come forward to help her out. If they won't do that now, what makes anyone think they'll answer questions - and expose themselves to national klieg lights - if the FBI comes calling?
1
I can attest that traumatic memories don't fade. I was sexually abused 53 years ago, and I still remember it today. It warped me emotionally, and affected all my future relationships, not just sexual or romantic, but all of them - my ability to trust was permanently damaged. As a result, I made choices that affected the arc of my life. Was I able to function? Yes. I got married, had children, built a career, and moved on, but that memory acted like a boulder in the middle of a stream, altering the current around it, and remaining immovable. It's still there. In essence, it's a "life sentence" for a crime I didn't commit. What should the sentence be for someone who causes such a memory. Is there a "statute of limitations"?
If Kavanaugh did do what's alleged, then he must be held accountable, even all these years later. Just because he was 17 doesn't excuse him. What if he had harmed or killed someone while driving drunk at that age? When you inflict damage or harm on someone that affects the rest of their life, you need to be held accountable, regardless of how old you are.
And coming forward, exposing this hurt that's still viable, takes courage, not to mention knowing that she would receive doubt, scorn, abuse, and threats. Trump expresses sympathy for Kavanaugh, but none for Dr. Blasey. Is anyone surprised?
10
@Kingfish52 so very well stated. Concise and to the point.
1
I am in my sixties and have clear recollections of sexual harassment endured in my youth by "polite" older "gentlemen"at work or the times I was inappropriately touched. I knew it made me feel sick inside but was too naive to tell anyone. I felt ashamed. I am so glad that girls (and boys) are more aware and are more likely to be able to speak up.
5
Thank you, Dr. Friedman. I am a therapist, and have worked with many sexual assault victims whose memories of these violent events were all too real.
4
Thank you for this article.
Forty years ago I was grabbed by a young man from behind in Geneva, Switzerland. It was early evening hours in plain daylight, but no one was around on a street people mostly drove by, not walk. There was no way to call the police or call for help, it happened so suddenly, he would have escaped.
I couldn't believe the audacity, I was shocked, outraged and felt assaulted and insulted. I still remember his cowardly face and hate him for what he did. Me too, I didn't talk about this to my colleagues, boyfriend or family at the time and only to just a few many years after.
That man knew he could get away with it and that is why he did it, or he was sick. I am still very upset about it and even if it were a small incident it left a mark on me.
I believe women, who come forward even 50 years after such an event should be heard. No one should get away with harming a vulnerable person.
5
What Dr. Ford is doing is nothing less than courageous. As a victim/survivor, I know that should the man who raped me ever run for public office -- at whatever level -- I wouldn't have that kind of courage to step forward. I can barely think about the trauma without feeling an overwhelming sense of shame and loss. I say that with no hesitation. I just couldn't do it. I can't imagine having the whole country discussing that part of my life. It would destroy me. Ultimately, she sacrificed her privacy, obscurity, reputation, and safety to speak out about this. She came forward when she did; it is not up to us to decide when she should have come forward. The strength of this woman is demands respect.
258
No matter how extensively this incident is investigated, we will probably never know what really happened at that gathering. One of the questions that should be brought up here is the fact that Ford is opposed to Kavanaugh’s political views - in fact there are reports that Dr. Ford claimed she believed revealing this incident was her civic duty. My question is what if Ford agreed with and supported Kavanaugh’s views, would she still have revealed this incident? I really don’t think so. It is widely recognized that memories of past events do change over time - false memories are a fact - just google it. Clinton herself had issues with false memory. The fact that Ford dislikes and detests Kavanaugh should be recognized before we allow ourselves to rely too heavily upon her memories.
1
@Maureen-Surely you can't be serious? If you read the accounts posted here and the research literature you would know these incidences never leave the victims. Sexual incest and assault victims can love their abuser, as actress Sally Fields reports in her new book chronicling the abuse at the hands of her charismatic step-father. Should admiration for an abuser minimize the abuse?
3
@Maureen This is a crock - a lot of the "information" on Dr. Ford's political activity is false (see the debunking article here in the NY Times today). the same things were said of Anita Hill and she was a conservative Republican when she accused nominee Thomas.
1
@Ann
If you read my comment, you would know that I did not challenge her recollection. Why are you pretending that I did? It appears to me that this Doctor revealed this incident because she opposes Kavanaugh’s appointment. I can speculate that if she actually supported Kavanaugh’s appointment, she would not reveal the incident. That is my opinion, and I am entitled to express this opinion. The material on false memory can be easily found on google - and there is plenty of it.
I had a similar experience in high school. I remember the event but not the name or face of the attacker. We all process trauma differently.
I have to wonder how many of the commenters on this thread who are accusing Dr. Ford of lying would respond the same way if it was their wives or daughters or even mothers telling the story.
4
Richard Friedman is twice wrong.
First, he assumes there was a sexual assault. But lawyers and judges know that women make false accusations all the time.
Second, even if Christine Ford has a searing memory of an assault that really did happen, assault victims get details wrong all the time. Important details.
The Innocence Project used genetic testing, for the first time, to establish guilt or innocence. For several years during the 1990's, it seemed like a convicted rapist walked out of prison about once every six months, with incontrovertible genetic proof he did not commit the crime.
Some women admitted they falsely accused the men. Other women were simply bewildered. They were sure the men they accused were their rapists, even though it was the DNA of some other men on their underwear.
What goes on in Dr. Frieman's office is one thing, but what goes on in a court of law, or in a Senate hearing, is something else, entirely.
31
@Haim: I would love to hear what the Innocence Project has to say about this in terms of whether there may be a correlation between the accuracy of one's memory and the period of time in which the assault took place. Additionally, wrong identifications are lower if the perpetrator is the same race as the accuser AND Dr. Ford knew Kavanaugh and Judge so the likelihood of her misidentifying them further decreases. Finally, where did you get your information about the frequency of women making false accusations?
4
@Haim For one thing women do not make false accusations "all the time" - 2-6%of accusations - stop using misleading information to make your case. Everything you say just makes it more important to have an investigation. unless, as you seem to imply because a few women are wrong about their assailants, no woman can be believed when she makes an accusation of sexual assault. This man is about to be confirmed to a lifetime post on the most important court in the country- it is only fair that we have a more accurate picture of what he really is about than we have at this time.
2
@Haim-What goes on in a court of law or in a Senate hearing? Surely Judge Kavanaugh would want all relevant evidence presented in any case he presides over. So why should his own hearing be any different?
4
I remember very clearly the circumstances, words spoken, and actions of being physically assaulted at age 15 by a classmate who beat me over the head with a blunt instrument. Many decades before Dr. Blasey Ford's attacker assaulted her. If someone shockingly grabs and assaults you at any age, the memory isn't false. It is as fresh and painful as the moment the event happened.
6
So what. The issue is a legal matter. Her word this happened *is not good enough*. There needs to be supporting evidence. We don't operate like Mao's Red Guard, with people sent to execution based on lobbed accusations.
@Dave
"Her word this happened *is not good enough*. There needs to be supporting evidence"
Why? Please provide the citation to statutory law or case law in support of your legal assertion. Thanks in advance.
2
Why wouldn Kavanaugh agree to participate in such a travesty of an unlawful, disrespectful, fact-hiding, truth-obscuring hearing???
A Supreme Court Justice should be the most ethical of our legal leaders, upholding - and demanding - the highest standard in following legal processes and procedures. Kavanaugh should not be complicit in this despicable political theater. But he wants this seat more than he respects the law.
If they didn't know it before, women everywhere now know - without a shadow of a doubt - how the GOP administration and Senators and House members feel about rape attempts, or a woman's right to choose, let alone women being equal in the eyes of the law.
Orrin Hatch, Chuck Grassley and Susan Collins are despicable and do not represent the will of the people. TIME'S UP.
7
Trust me — anyone who was sexually assaulted, no matter the assailant — would not forget it.
Only people who haven’t been harmed in this way would even ask.
2
I’m sure Mr Hatch at his advanced age is having a hard time remembering what America was like. He must be confused,after all it’s been 35 years.
8
@John hatch must clearly have dementia. That’s how this works
Sexual Abuse causes a psychological trauma. Let’s not forget those were the years in which people that were sexually attacked didn’t know what to do when it had occurred.
As a defense mechanism; they would block these terrible attacks from their memories. Those were the day in which men were the rulers.
1
Kavanaugh will get the appointment and this was go down as just another sleazy act that's been going on for about the last thirty years by the Republican Party to turn America into a one party ruled nation of dumbed down supporters like Trump's base who believe this Will Make America Great Again.
3
I am more than 20 years older than Dr. Blasey, yet I vividly remember being raped at about the same age as Dr. Blasey. These are not things that we forget.
If, indeed, Mr. Kavanaugh doesn’t remember that incident it is surely an indication of how insignificant it was to him. If so, it suggests he experienced no regret, which is another poor reflection on his character.
As for the relevance of the mistakes we make as teenagers, I will add the ultimate fate of my rapist. He became a policeman after high school. There is little doubt in my mind that he was a bad cop.
It was not a mistake I made again. I chose the places and people I went out with more carefully. I learned something from the experience because I regretted it. Mr. Kavanaugh apparently does not.
6
Does she remember being drunk herself? Are you kidding? We're investigating if a teenager drank too much and groped a girl in a bedroom she walked into 36 years ago? Really? And some call it rape? This man has led such a good life and has such a wonderful family but you want to smear him because she claims something nobody else recalls? Not her friends or his friends have any recollection of being at that party and hearing her complaints at that time. Please people lets be fair to this good man.
@miken
What's that a joke? "...this good man"? Tell that to Vince Foster's family!
2
@miken
He's not a good man. How do you know none of his friends have any recollection of being at that party? It hasn't been investigated.
Men, stop sexually assaulting people, and stop defending men who sexually assault women. I can't believe you people still need to be told it's not okay to grope people without their consent.
@miken All the reason why there should be an investigation.
You
Never forget even after 70 years every
Day it is. With you
7
There is a beautiful story in Philip Glass’s autobiography:
His mom who is a librarian gives shelter to a brainy boy who is bullied by people similar to Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge in Baltimore. She just lets him stay in the library after closing hours so that he avoids the bullies on the way back home. It works.
Decades later the same bullied boy runs to Philip Glass in NY. Philip is trying to make ends meet working as a plumber, mover, cab driver. The bullied boy now working for a copyright firm gives Glass the tip of his life by telling him to own all of his music and never let anyone talk him out of doing so. When Glass asks why he is being done such a favor, the man tells him that he owes it to the lady who saved him from the disgrace of being bullied.
Childhood scars remain forever. Neither Trump nor the evil enablers called the GOP politicians can understand this.
I hope the Times editors do an publish this comment.
4
Perhaps Dr. Friedman should read up on the following article:
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/false-memory-syndrome-
false-confessions-memories
The problem with Dr. Ford's narrative is that it lacks certain details. The other issue is that needs to be asked is what was a 15 year old, who evidently snuck out of the house, attended a drinking party at a house with no adults around and ended up in the bedroom with her assailant? Ask any veteran cop about the false claims of rape from young women involved in similar scenarios and how they were able to avoid arresting someone of rape on a false allegation. It happens. It may be happening here.
@Mike As I keep saying - that just means an impartial investigation by the FBI is needed - why are you critics of Dr. Ford so afraid of that?
And by the way - her account in no way has the elemetns of false accusations, quite the opposite. Vivid details of the actual attack, with blurry memories of the surrounding context, even the year is happened if it was at a young age, are all common in survivor's accounts.
2
@Mike The assailant was also at the same party in a bedroom. What's your point? Who cares how or why she was there? Who cares if she snuck out of the house? It does not justify rape. Consider what you are saying.
1
My brother and I were victimized by four teens when I was about 12 or 13, We were forced to walk along a narrow ledge on an RR bridge with about a 30 foot drop to a creek below and also threatened with castration. Many of the details seem like they happened yesterday. I couldn't tell you other significant details like what year it happened. Many other things from my teen years are completely forgotten but I'll never forget this incident.
5
I was sexually abused at close to the same age 45 years ago.
Although the person has past away, and thank goodness I took the right long road back, I still remember those terrible moments. They are hot ironed onto my brain. I blacked out several other details but not those minutes.
You never forget. The abusers sees it very differently, especially if he was drunk. They can move on until this happens.
It derailed my life for at least 5 years also. Made poor choices
Until I finally got help to heal.
It’s in my rear view mirror now.
Christine, I hope you get your chance and take it!
Be strong!
4
Since it seems that Republicans now and Trump and his supporters are incapable of looking at situations from all angles and, more importantly, applying a universal standard to all sides, i.e.: test the standard they are using to justify behavior and see if it works on similar situations only with, say, Democrats....let's reverse this for them. Let's say that it was Dr. Ford refusing a lie detector test, insisting that there be no independent FBI investigation, who has a history of lying before Congress and other committees, who has engaged in partisan political hackery, including using a vulgar term when referring a former US senator and Secretary of State, and was playing political games to rush through the process to get to her aims, and who has every reason to lie (again)....but it was Kavanaugh who had taken a lie detector test and passed it, who was demanding an independent investigation (i.e.: wanting the truth to be uncovered by professional and independent means), and who was saying there is plenty of time to look at this, and who had NO reason to lie....you think Trump, Grassley, et al, and Republicans would be calling HIM mixed up, a liar, the one they don't believe....?
In addition, a big issue here, which no one has mentioned, is that Kavanaugh is not only lying (clearly) but is assaulting this woman again (allowing her to be so), which makes him unfit, and does not have the decency to admit it and apologize, which someone fit for the SC would do.
4
Dr. Friedman, a psychiatrist, presents himself as an impartial expert in memory and discussed his experience and some data. His last paragraph is unfortunate as he is choosing sides and reveals that he may be biased.
Although the memories of some traumatic events may be accurate, they are not necessarily correct. There are many people in prison due to inaccurate or falsified account by victims or witnesses.
So called flashbulb memory is often inaccurate.
There is a good lay account as follows:
Konnikova M. You have no idea what happened. The New Yorker, February 4, 2015
1
@Emmie C Whom - I can see that this "inaccurate memory" is the new Right Wing talking point -- all the bots are out with it today.
As I keep saying - that just means an impartial investigation by the FBI is needed.
1
@Emmie C- Surely Judge Kavanaugh would want all relevant evidence presented in any case he presides over. So why should his own hearing be any different?
1
If the accusation were flat-out rape, no one would question that she'd remember the details clearly for perhaps the rest of her life. And we wouldn't need the Times to dredge up an expert (who, without the slightest doubt, votes Democratic) to tell us the shocking psychological insight that people recall traumatic events.
It's vague accusations like this one that, quite reasonably, cause people to ask how well the 'victim' remembers an uncomfortable event from high school, 30-plus years ago. If that was the last time she's ever been uncomfortable or even felt threatened, she's lived a charmed life.
@JRS Just because the attempted rape was not accomplished does not mean it was a "vague" account. The details she recalls are very vivid. As I keep saying - that just means an impartial investigation by the FBI is needed
@JRS-Apprarently so have you, if you would disparage someone's trauma. Worth your time to review the posts and get more familiar with this kind of trauma. Unfortunately, all too many of us have had similar experiences of being attacked and sexually assaulted.
1
Over 40 years ago, I was raped by an acquaintance. I don't remember the date of the assault, but I distinctly remember the location, and what my rapist said following the attack: "Now I know what it feels like to rape someone." We were both in our 20's, I was married, and when I went home, I scrubbed my skin raw. I didn't tell my husband because I was so ashamed. Marital intimacy was difficult for months afterward.
Unless you have lived it all, the powerlessness, the shame, the guilt, the recurring memories that last for decades, your "opinions" on this topic are irrelevant.
5
Marc Judge does not want to testify that he was not an accomplice
to what could have a bang rape of a 15 year old girl.
Why not? If Judge is truthful that he did not participate and witness
the attempted gang rape of Dr. Ford when she was 15,
why would he not testify to that under oath?
Since he is the only witness besides Ford and Kavanaugh,
he should be subpoenaed to testify and provide the necessary evidence to exonerate or incriminate Kavanaugh.
3
@David helluva thing, isn’t it? Kavanaugh’s best bud, who is the only purported eyewitness, could reinforce his bud’s position simply by testifying under oath, but he won’t do it. Perjury, a felony when the senate is the one lied to, is a powerful disincentive.
Sometimes people tell the truth, sometimes they lie, and sometimes they get it wrong. I am old enough to remember Tawana Brawley and Al Sharpton’s definitive comment famously stating about the hoax “Whatever happened, you’re dealing with a minor who was missing four days. So it’s clear that something wrong happened.” Further, the strength of one’s assertion has little to do with facts. Dr. Friedman ought to be well aware of the research on memory. If not, he might consider how many people are adamant that vaccines cause autism and relate precisely when symptoms begin; or the now disproven belief, despite multiple testimonials, that sugar causes hyperactivity; or claims of people to be gluten insensitive with precise stories of symptom onset, amongst patients with no antibodies. Would Dr. Friedman also believe in alien abductions given the precision of anecdotes spoken about at ComicCon? These comments are filled with anecdotes, but multiple anecdotes are not data regarding the scientific thesis Dr. Friedman has proposed but not supported.
2
@LTJ-Let's say you're absolutely right. That said, wouldn't Judge Kavanaugh insist that all relevant evidence be presented in cases he presides over? How is this any different.
@LTJ nothing you said had anything to do with traumatic memories
1970, 48 years ago, 17 years old. We do not forget. #MeToo
6
We have encouraged the belief that being sexually harassed is the worst thing that could happen to you, that you have been damaged if you were harassed. This is old school religion where sex is dirty, it demeans people who experienced harassment and encourages them to believe they are damaged - they are not. Yes, bullying, violence, harassment are hard to forget, but Dr. Friedman's article does nothing to help people who experienced abuse to get past it.
2
@Gary
Being sexually harassed is very different from being sexually assaulted. I've been in both situations. I was sexually assaulted when I was 4 years old, over 60 years ago. I remember every second of it. Such an assault is not something that's forgotten, it's something the person has to learn to live with. I've also been sexually harassed a number of times and remember that also.
That said, those aren't the worst things that could happen to a person, and I don't think that's what people are saying. At differing levels, people are damaged in different ways by harassment and assault. Whatever the outcome, I'm encouraged that the lens of public review is somewhat sharper these days.
2
A family member by marriage very inappropriately put the moves on me when I was visiting this family after my college graduation. I won't go into the details about what happened. Like Dr. Blasey, I was able to end it before rape. I could not tell you the date this happened or why he thought I was an easy mark. I wasn't drinking. But I never told anyone about this, not even my husband, for years afterward. Women and girls didn't tell anyone when sexual assaults happened because they would be blamed. I guess things haven't changed since then. But I absolutely believe we are hearing the truth from Dr. Blasey. Please, senators, don't put a second sexual predator on the top court in our country.
9
The reason that Bret Kavanaugh may honestly have no memory of the assault is that assaulting women isn't considered important. Oops, I was drunk. Oops, I think you're pretty. Well, look how you're dressed, you tease, are the responses when pushed to have one. We have many, many very recent examples of light or non-existent sentences for these crimes, even when proven in a court of law.
I'd wager that most of the Republicans who believe "boys will be boys" don't see what the big deal is. Empathy is not their strong suit. They should begin by imagining themselves being raped and fearing for their lives. This is a crime of violence--not sex. Sex is just the weapon used.
Kavanaugh is not on trial for a crime, nor should he be now. But he is on trial to see if he should sit on the Supreme Court and influence the laws imposed on the females of this country.
5
Well said. Chemicals in the brain work to make sexual assault an indelible imprint on the victim's mind and memory. The same is true for the perpetrator of sexual assault, I believe. So when Judge Kavanaugh says the allegation is "completely false," that he has never done anything like this before, either to her or anyone, he is probably lying. He is saying this lie to the press--today, not 36 years ago. If he repeats this lie while under oath, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, next Monday, that would be ample reason to reject his nomination to be a Supreme Court Justice. All things considered, America can do much better than elevating this person to the Supreme Court.
3
@brian-there's also the possibility that as a teen presiding over the 100 kegs or bust club, he got stinking drunk on regular occasions and can't remember when he assault young women or who he attempted to assaulte.
Not an intellectually honest article. There are reputable studies finding that emotionally charged events tend to be distorted in memory. E.g., https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117140 ("especially when events have a negative emotional charge") Dr. Friedman surely knows of these studies. His failure to mention them suggests that he thinks his readers ignorant. It may well be that Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh are honestly telling the truth according to what they remember.
2
@Cynical Jack your study is not about trauma. They were using word lists (words like pain or hurt) to elicit “emotion” in their subjects. Your study is also confounded because the memory measure is very susceptible to educated guessing. Interestingly, they did conclude that children have better memories during emotional events. Blasey was 15
If a man came forward and reported that he had a traumatic memory that as a teen he was held down and sexually assaulted would we understand that as a 15 year old he was reluctant to tell his parents or his peers about the incident? At 15 he might be ashamed of being a victim and would keep it to himself. As an adult he is able to process the episode with a mature brain and when he saw the perpetrator of his assault considered for a position of supreme power, writes a letter to their rep in congress. He might not remember all the details of the event, but would he forget the incident? I don't think so.
5
@Zinkler
Case in point: boys who were abused by priests. This is not too difficult to understand. There are other issues with Kavanaugh that should give pause before the vote is held; e.g., a more thorough examination of his WH records would be valuable. This might be the most important thing these Senators ever do in their years in office.
6
The explanation by Dr. Friedman along with events related by other commenters here scream out for the veracity of Dr. Blasey's claims.
Even aside from that, the common sense of why a respected professional person would suddenly invent a claim such as this, setting herself up for the abuse and derision of know-nothings, makes no sense. She had to have lived it to be willing to put herself in that situation.
And as today's editorial states, since Mr. Kavanaugh flatly denies it now, his honesty and integrity are in question. And he is the one being considered for a Supreme Court position, not her.
More reason to vote anti Republican in November. Maybe they can then impeach Judge Kavanaugh.
3
Stormy Daniels came forward to tell her story. She remembers when and where, among other details. She doesn't have much to show for it. Except a payout. And a lot of free press.
1
Having a hard time believing Dr.Ford's accusation after all these years?
What about all the young Catholic boys who waited 40 years, and some , longer to finally speak of what happened to them at the hands of their highly respected Catholic priests?
These now adult men who had no witnesses other than their assaulters,were not only believed but were financially compensated for their pain.
So why is it so hard to believe this woman?
Who in this current climate would invite the FBI to do their job ,knowing full well if you make false statements to the Feds ,you will get prosecuted, convicted and serve time. Especially a woman with a family.
What's the difference in the credibility of the highly respected and sanctimonious Kavanaugh and of the highly respected and sanctimonious priests? Not much except the gender of who the assaulted are.
The inequality of the value of women and men continues.
11
I remember being molested at FIVE.
My father remembers bombs falling around him, and being unable to speak from he shock, when he was the same age.
Who forgets trauma?
9
Yes, it makes sense to question how anyone like Dr. Ford can remember Kavanagh as being the perpetrator. From similar life experience I can add that, for years after a sexual assault, I secretly begged to forget what happened. I also don’t remember many little details, but certain aspects were burned into my brain. To the point where they obstructed basic decision
-making. There was no way to forget or even put certain horrible memories aside for even a few hours a day. That’s what derails and impairs victims. Not to mention how they’re treated by persons in authority and the rest of society if they do decide to report the crime. That’s the trauma. You can’t manage memories of sexual assault like you would handle many other typical negative experiences because of how they impact the brain so intensely.
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@La Comadre
I almost drown when I was a child. My sister jumped in to save me. Talking about it with her years later, I realized I remembered some of the superficial details wrong, but I didn't get the terror and panic of going under wrong. I didn't get my desperate grabbing at her wrong. And I didn't get the gasping for air on the dock when I was pulled out wrong. Somethings you don't forget.
2
If Kavenaugh committed this assault and knows that he did so it might make sense for forgive him and not hold it against him BUT ONLY if he owns up to it and offers a sincere apology to Dr. Blasey.
Yes, we do make exceptions for mistakes made in youth, and yes, behavior in youth is not always indicative of the kind of person one will become over the years.
In the absence of an admission and apology I'd vote not to confirm him, not because I know the event occurred but because Dr. Blasey's accusation is convincing to me and because she has nothing to gain by making it. Kavenaugh has a lot to gain by denying it.
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@Mad-As-Heaven-In
Given that most teenage boys who get drunk do not also attempt to rape classmates, or others, I'm not willing to "forgive" a sexual predator who was 17 yrs. old at the time. His friend, Judge, had to pull him off her. He has lied about it. He also lies about his support of the Bush/Cheney torture policies; he claims he knew nothing about that. He wrote position papers in favor of those policies; they are archived. Trump won't release them; he wants a compromised loyalist on the Court, because he is terrified of Mueller's investigation.
3
@Mad-As-Heaven-In Attempted rape shouldn't be held against him? lol
2
@Mad-As-Heaven-In "exceptions for mistakes made in youth" holds true for indiscretions like shoplifting a candy bar or sneaking into your neighbor's swimming pool. Attempted rape is not a "mistake of youth"! At 17 years old, we know right from wrong. Heck, at 5 most kids understand the distinction. Kavenaugh, even drunk, at 17 knew assaulting a girl is not just wrong, but severely criminal.
Sexual assault and attempted rape are not remedied by "a sincere apology". Even before Ford's allegations, Kavenaugh has no business being a SCOTUS member. The GOP men of the senate judiciary committee have refused to release 90% of his background documentation. Could it be that other allegations of sexual assault are out there? What else are they hiding? Just say NO to Kavenaugh!
3
If emotional intensity is so important for imprinting memory, then why are first eyewitness accounts so unreliable in highly volatile or emotional situations? Many witnesses and victims of violent crimes disagree completely on all sensory memories of the moment. Likewise, soldiers next to each other in battle can have completely different recollections of critical periods in time. Could the author rectify his thesis with these well-known observations?
2
@James you answered your own question. An eyewitness is different than a witness
1
Thank you, Dr. Friedman, for your article. I completely understand how Prof. Ford may have gaps in between vivid memories. I was sexually assaulted 40 years ago, and I feared for my life. I still remember almost everything about the awful experience.
But how did my assailant get into the (stolen) car after he pushed me down onto the floor of the front passenger side? Did he climb over me? Did he walk around and get into the driver's side? Did he lock my door?
Even later that day, I couldn't remember that part.
5
I can't tell you what I wore exactly--I know I was in pyjamas, and that I still own them, but I don't know which ones. I can't remember how much I drank or even what I drank. I can't tell you the date, either. I'm someone who remembers and records everything with a strong sense of personal history and chronology, and I can't find this date on a calendar. I've spent years trying to triangulate it with no success. I remember crying on the floor and then being moved to a bed. Someone was on top of me, kissing me, and I couldn't move. He left. A different person came in later--I don't know how much later, I kept drifting in and out of sleep--and jolted my brain awake when his hand went down my pants. I remember, so clearly, my body and brain revolting and screaming at me, but nothing else would obey. My mouth wouldn't open. I couldn't speak. I was overwhelmed with fear.
I've spent years trying to deal with this. When I finally told a male friend about it a few weeks after it happened, again while drinking, his immediate reaction was "I'm so sorry that happened to you. Can I do the same thing to you?" without missing a beat. I've feared telling this story because there are times when I wonder if I made the whole thing up; nothing ever felt real. But then I get flashes of that fear, a whole-body sensation, and I know how real it was.
11
I have no doubt that Dr. Blasey was at a party 35 years ago and that something of a sexual nature, that she did not give consent to, happened to her.
But it has to be asked. Was she also drunk or stoned when this incident took place? Why does this have to be asked? Because the details are important here when we have so little to work with to determine the truth. If a hand was placed over her mouth was it the hand of an attacker trying to silence her, or was it the hand of a stupid boy who thought he was telling an equally drunk partner to be quiet? Hard to say from such a distance. Hard to say without knowing if both were stumbling drunk.
Todd Fox--She says she had one beer. The other two were falling down drunk. Just read the information, from several sources, and you will get the whole picture.
5
@Todd Fox it’s criminal sexual assault regardless. She says she had one drink for the record
3
@ChesBay
Judge, the witness and Kavanaugh's friend, wrote about all the drunken escapades in his book "Wasted". He needs to be compelled to testify under oath; if he still refuses, a warrant can be served. The GOP is not doing itself any favors with this farce of a Hearing. They are hoping to get another conservative ideologue on the SC to join Roberts, Alito and Thomas before they are voted out of office. There are still Superior Courts, Appeals Courts and State Courts. This a losing battle on many fronts.
I remember many incidents from my high school days which were almost 5 decades ago. I don't buy the line that we don't remember something that happened 36 years ago.
16
@Rev. Henry Bates
There was gossip about it at the time it happened; Dr. Ford's roommate knew about it when it happened. I believe Dr. Ford who moved on with her professional life until her attempted rapist came up for an appointment to the Supreme Court; then she acted. She didn't need to expose herself to the hate from fringe groups who also attacked demonstrators in Charlottesburg. She has had to move out of her home. This is what the GOP fringe right wing does; the GOP has given them the freedom to do this, either with silence or support for their votes. A minority Party who is losing voting power is now desperate to hang on, even if it means Hatch will abuse another woman as he did Anita Hill.
I was 13 years old when my friend's father sat next to me on the beach, began rubbing my back, and tried to remove the top of my swimsuit. I am now 47. I have never forgotten the man's name, his face, the color of the swimsuit I was wearing. I can still remember feeling completely terrified, confused and ashamed. I never mentioned the episode to my friends, my parents or anyone in my life. But even after 34 years, I can remember the details from that episode so clearly that it could have happened yesterday, and I will remember them for as long as I live. I understand why Dr. Blasey can tell her story now, because you never, ever forget.
22
As a retired police detective, I investigated dozens of sexual assault complaints and put dozens of men, and a few women in jail and prison.
I also cleared many men of the charges alleged when the evidence clearly demonstrated the allegations were lies. I recall one women claimed her husband sexually bartered her at home in Georgia during a month he was serving guard duty in the Korean DMZ. Unless teleporting is real, we used to call that a lie.
Let’s be honest, women - and men - lie all the time about what occurred between them.
The allegation that 37 years ago on teenager battered another teenager, an an unidentifiable location on an unidentified date is simply not capable of being proven.
Sorry folks - but sometimes even radical feminism must yield to common sense.
28
@John
Kavenaugh has not been arrested or charged with a crime either. So proving the allegation to the preciseness necessary to charge him is not applicable. He is however a candidate to sit on the highest bench in the country and Blasey deserves the right to tell her story to Congress.
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@John
There are others who could provide context and perhaps corroboration it they'd be allowed to testify. Let's begin with Mark Judge. He's written two books about his abdominal behavior, alcoholism, etc. If both men claim no memory because they were drunk, then they have no defense against Dr. Ford's claim. Furthermore, there may be other women who were abused by these men or their companions during that period. And one woman claims word of the assault on Ford circulated at school for days.
Do you dismiss the children who claim they were molested by priests decades ago? Most people and even judges and courts don't.
102
@Libby She deserves the right to tell her story to Congress. And as of the last report, she refused.
Under a certain way of thinking, ANY male who happens have some female angry for some reason (valid or not), or who may happen to look like someone who hurt her at some time, now is simply collateral damage, no questions asked.
I am not a Kavanaugh fan, but what's happening now raises other issues, which are every bit as troubling as that of putting the wrong person on the Court.
2
It was 39 years ago but I have not forgotten one detail about the assault, not one! It took an incredible amount of courage for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford to come forward and I wish her only the best on her journey.
18
The problem with her story is she doesn’t know when or where the incident took place???
It couldn’t be any more vague a story.
My understanding is that brain development peaks at around 25 therefore I reasoned that Kavanaugh's assault might be forgiven. Then I learned that he had cut off the woman's air supply. That is a step too far. I know of no one I know in my 74 years of being a male, who has ever been accused of that. It is a step too far.
6
@George Schwartze
Kavanaugh was older than 25 when he wrote position papers, now archived, in support of the Bush/Cheney torture policies. He is the consummate prep school insider in D.C. They never leave; they use their connections to get appointments. I lived there, worked for a political law firm; I met a few Kavanaughs.
I was 8 years old when I was first sexually assaulted, but I remember who it was and what he did and what he said.
The question isn't why does she remember, but is it credible that Kavanaugh would not? And being 17 years old is no excuse. As a judge it's likely that he has held a 17-year-old defendant liable for criminal activity.
And if Kavanaugh was a 17 year old from the hood (or an immigrant), charged with the attempted rape of a 15 year old girl, these same elite conservatives who are coddling Kavanaugh would be chanting "lock him up", not pushing him through for a Supreme Court seat.
44
A vivid memory of which she can recall no details. That makes sense.
A vivid memory that she is refusing to share under oath before the Senate. After she makes these allegations. That makes sense.
A vivid memory that has no corroborating evidence.
Being open to believing women and believing all women regardless of circumstance are two very different things, the latter being undeniably dangerous.
6
@Will She has given some very specific details and her classmates saw her change afterwards. She has not refused to testify but asked for an investigation and witnesses. The question is, if Kavanaugh is innocent why is he not calling for an investigation to clear his name (or a lie detector). The Anita Hill hearings had an FBI investigation. We are in worse shape than 27 years ago?
19
@Will You don't know whether there is corroborating evidence or not. The FBI investigation might bring some corroborating evidence to light.
Besides, I can think of lots of reasons why someone might be reluctant to discuss such a traumatic evidence with the United States Senate. Not to mention with Putin's assassins.
2
@Will: Ah, yes, another deplorable opinion full of lies about the facts. “She can recall no details”—Dr. Blasey remembers very specific details of her assault and describes them in her letter. Did you even read it? She is not “refusing to share them under oath”; under the FBI investigation, for which she has called, Dr. Blasey knows she would be under oath when she speaks to FBI investigators. And “no corroborating evidence?” Six years ago her therapist took notes about the exact incident. For general corroboration about the teen social scene at that time, Judge Kavanaugh’s friend own book and comments by numerous other individuals talk about the party culture and acts of sexual assault. (A reminder: is friend is refusing to testify under oath.) You are in no way “open to believing women” unless they conform to your personal perspective of what and how they are to respond to assault, and you compound that by also lying about the FACTS.
If you truly believe Kavanaugh’s statement that “No president has ever consulted more widely, or talked with more people from more backgrounds, to seek input about a Supreme Court nomination,” and if you believe he was telling the truth when, under oath, he denied knowing that information he received was clearly stolen from the Democrats, you are in no position to make any judgments about Dr. Blasey.
2
The frequency with which sexual assault has been identified as a behavioral issue or character flaw in people associated with this presidency is appalling. Their lack of sensitivity and grace serves only to demonstrate their ignorance.
I can attest that the trauma of sexual assault remains vivid in the memory for decades. I am a survivor of three assaults. One occurred 48 years ago. The others occurred 36 and 28 years ago at the hand of my former husband. I remember every detail of each assault. I wish I didn't, but I do. In 2006, a sexual assault counselor taught me techniques to manage my memories. I learned how to pull myself out of the memory whirlpool and refocus my thoughts onto the “now.”
I still use these techniques when the whirlpool threatens. And the whirlpool has occurred too frequently as a result of this president’s decisions.
This week, it’s the allegation that Judge Brett Kavanaugh assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in high school and that the majority of Senate Judiciary Committee members don’t think an FBI investigation is needed, that they can just blunder forward with a parody of a hearing, engaging in some sort of political gangbang.
The people the president chooses to support, the people who choose to support him– They are oblivious to the psychological havoc they impose on sexual assault survivors. Orrin Hatch's remarks and Chuck Grassley’s timeline reflect their ignorance of the realities of sexual assault and how survivors deserve to be treated.
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@Resist
"Political gangbang." Perfect expression for this crowd.
1
No question Dr. Ford did go through the trauma she reveals.
But, she was 15, he 17, from two different schools. How indisputable is her claim that it WAS Brett Kavanaugh and not someone else?
I wonder, after 36 yrs and many changes in her life, wife, mother, professionally successful career, was it worth for Ford to be 'tarnished' for life for , being brave, yes... but the price she is paying now?
@Kenell Touryan
Some people have courage and character. Some don't.
1
@Kenell Touryan then the Republicans should allow an Investigation! You’d think an innocent man would demand one, too. Kavanaugh hasnt , why?
@Kenell Touryan
She knew who he was; the two schools socialized; these were rich prep schools. His friend, Judge, witnessed the assault and pulled him off of her. There was gossip about the assault in both schools; she was humiliated by an attack when girls protected their reputations at all costs. He is lying; he is of sound mind; his behavior as a 17 yr. old was not typical of all 17 yr. old boys, and he remembers what he did, as does his friend.
There is no doubt that some people remember some events in their past. However, not all people remember all events in their past, and not all details of whatever occurred, no matter under what stress it occurred. One cannot, and should not therefore, generalize, from psychopharmacologic investigations, or from any statistical observations, about any single specific asserted memory.
1
@ATMDPHD
You have not supported why you use 'cannot and should not' with any data which explains your assertion. I worked in science for 35 years and while I think I understand what you are trying to say. Nevertheless, I it a weak statement.
When someone acts recklessly, with indifference to the consequences, and does great bodily harm to anyone, the first reaction we feel is outrage and a desire to punish. There should be an accounting.
When some sets out to do great bodily harm with deliberation and does it, we feel outrage and a desire to punish. There should be an accounting.
According to our reactions emotionally, the accounting would be the same for both harmful acts. According to our reasoning of the harm done and why, we might require compensation for the first victim and significant acts to assure acceptance of responsibility, maybe even some criminal ones. For the second, we demand criminal prosecution for serious felonies, imprisonment, and even capital punishment. Zero tolerance would require both acts be handled according to the intensity of our outrage, felony prosecutions and the severest punishments, the same punishments, for both.
Ok, Dr. Friedman, then why is she so not vivid about where, when, how? Why is she unclear about how she got there or how she got home? You argue that she is vivid, but her actual memory of the event is anything but. You may be correct on the science, but I think you made the argument against her, because she lacks so many other important details, that should also have become indelible.
The experience of being sexually assaulted is what is seared in her memory. Obviously.
9
@TD the assault is the traumatic part in which the memories are enhanced. Getting there and getting home would actually be suppressed due to the enormity of the traumatic event during memory consolidation, which happens later. The assault is going to crowd out “normal” memory consolidation
2
@Steve
This is all convenient selection of information to suit the outcome. The notion that the assault cannot be made up for any reason, and it must be real because it is impossible to forget are complementary components. But if this is what happened to her, then other clear details would go with it, something, anything that completes the story. She has nothing but a name she chose and that of a second person who is a published author. The names of two others that the sloppy therapist recorded, well, they weren't actually there. Or maybe there are not two names easily accessed in the public domain, so blaming the therapist for including them is the best answer. Again, Dr. F may be right on the science, but that does not mean anything at all happened here. This does not eliminate the possibility that this is politically motivated. By the way, there are plenty of studies that show trauma victims lose track of important details over time, and this was carefully ignored, too. Unlike others, I have not made up my mind about what really happened. I know that I personally will never have enough information to have the full truth. I want justice for whomever deserves it. But those who already have certainty that this happened and know no more than anyone else are the people who frighten me.
I understand how vivid such memories can be; I'm a rape survivor. I reported (before any rape shield law), went through indictment, grand jury, and jury trials. I have vivid memories of those, too.
The assailant was sentenced to 6 months; I had two years of therapy and substantial medical bills it took me 5 years to pay off, plus life-long other effects which have remained with me.
That said, the existence of vivid memories does not qualify, and should never qualify, as actual evidence in a criminal case against an accused rapist. They should, however, prompt thorough investigation. While false accusations are rare, they do in fact sometimes happen, and a vivid false account can look a lot like a vivid memory.
7
@Jane Hunt
How can false accounts be vivid?
Attacks of any kind produce vivid accounts and memories if you listen and observe a person. "Vivid" has vitality that lies cannot grasp.
1
@Jane Hunt: Actually, witness testimony of what they saw and what they experienced IS evidence, and, just like all evidence, is evaluated by the trier of fact (jury, judge, committee, etc.) who will decide whether to believe the testimony or not.
I was a psychological consultant for 20 years at a VA clinic for Vietnam Veterans with PTSD. In those years I not once was referred a case where a veteran was experiencing exaggerated startle response, nightmares, loss of limbs, etc.
My take on it was that those with the classic PTSD symptoms knew why they would have recurring nightmares, etc. They were in battle and afraid for their lives, so what's not normal about that?
Instead, the problem for Vietnam veterans is that they had to carry that emotional burden of what they saw and did, and their fear, by themselves. The country didn't share it with them.
It is like this for rape victims. They know why they are afraid of dark alleys, etc. But when men "get away with it" and become Supreme Court Justices anyway then they can't rely on their community to take on the emotional burden of what happened to them and thereby reduce it for them.
Fast forward to today, for me. In one week I will have a 5-hour open heart surgery. I know there will be physical pain. But what I have learned from these veterans and from women I counseled who have been raped is that it isn't the physical pain that I will remember later. What I will remember is the fear......unless it is shared by my community.
So for these past few weeks my awesome wife has been sharing that emotional burden with me---we do fun things together, we do new things together, etc.
I hope I have helped some victims of trauma as much as they are now helping me.
37
@Dan i had open heart surgery in june. don't worry about the pain. they will control it. i was never in any pain, just uncomfortable and a little sore. the chest tube, which came out after a day, was a bother. i bounced back pretty quickly and i'm 68 years old. i wasn't at all afraid. i was at one of the best hospitals in boston.
7
@Dan
As a grief and trauma therapist in Los Angeles, thank you for you insight and accuracy in relation to this article. I hope your procedure goes well.
1
@Dan Thank you for your insight into shared, communal grieving being a way to integrate personal trauma. I think you are onto something here I had not heard before. When people are forced to cope with trauma in social isolation, coping turns into compartmentalization and the trauma remains free floating in our psyche, often detached from the where and the when, but never from the emotional impact... an impact that stays fresh and frightening no matter the time that passes. I am frustrated by people talking about this woman's assault in terms of memory. This is not a memory. The where and the when is a memory, but the assault itself has never been filed away. It is current. It is lived every day. Victims only wish attacks on their person could get finally filed as a memory. These traumas are renewed almost daily in our psyche and can only be safely relegated as "memory" when they have been acknowledged, honored and integrated. That can take a lifetime... and sometimes it never happens.
Please don't bandy about this woman's experience as some mystery of memory. A trauma like sexual assault is a current event in a victim's life.
As for your surgery, the pain is real- every time you cough, you have to hold a pillow, for a long time. The depression that follows is maybe the least discussed part of recovery. My husband had a triple coronary bypass years ago. It was a success, but what a journey for both of us! The depression...he barely remembers it, but I do!!
Good luck!
1
Of course it makes sense. A trauma like that, unless there is a severe injury to the brain, is etched on a person's memory center forever. What also makes sense, sadly, is for women to repress such traumas for a variety of reasons. Dr. Ford should be commended for her courage, especially in view of the fact she and her family have come under unspeakable threats. One can only hope it will be worth it.
21
What Dr Friedman doesn’t address is the propensity for people to take on flawed memories after a traumatic event, and “remember” those as vividly as the true memories.
In the aftermath of 9/11, several prominent neuroscientists started a multi-year project to track people’s memories of the events of that day. The major facts of the attack are repeated by the media to this day, and everybody remembers those. But for personal details, such as how someone first learned of the attack, people’s accuracies faded to little more than 50% within three years. But their confidence in these false memories did not fade. Read the article published in Scientific American on 9/6/2011.
I think it’s very likely that Dr Ford is being truthful, but I also think it’s very likely that she has a lot of false memories about the incident, possibly including the identities of the people involved. Yes, this should be investigated. But without corroborating evidence, it would be tragic to set the precedence that one person can completely derail another’s career with a simple allegation. This isn’t about being fair to Brett Kavanaugh. It’s about protecting us all from false allegations.
7
@Rick
Were ALL the people interviewed at the scene?
There is a huge difference between having empathy for your best friend who was raped and you being raped. Your perception of the rape and its aftermath is very different. Of course. Comparing that to the 9/11 tragedy is an exercise in comparing apples and oranges.
1
@Rick then let’s have an Investigation! And clear Kavanaugh’s name! An innocent man would demand an investigation to get at the facts! Kavanugh isn’t demanding one, why?
1
@Rick You cannot equate 9/11 with sexual assault. The destruction of the twin towers was horrifying for all who witnessed the event and they could have false memories.
Unless you have been sexually assaulted as I was when I was a child, you cannot understand the damage done to one's psyche when a man hurts you in a sexual way. You take on the shame and guilt that should belong to the perpetrator, and you remember the event throughout your life. I'm 75 and I was assaulted when I was 5 years old. Nothing has shaped my life more than those events that occurred back then. I have never had a successful relationship with a man. You cannot even imagine the pain I have suffered.
As with most things, it’s the lying and cover up that should derail the Kavanaugh nomination. Given the identity and admitted history of the third person in the room, Mark Judge, the real issue should be how inebriated Kavanaugh was that night. He may have no memory of the incident because he had consumed so much alcohol that he was in a blackout.
The real questions should be did Kavanaugh have a history of excessive alcohol consumption during those years, did he experience blackouts? And if so, will he own up to the possibility that such an act could have occurred while he was in such a state?
In an ideal world the question would become should such a man sit on the Court that decides the fate of laws that effect all Americans? And if he refuses to entertain the possibility of an attack on Dr. Blakey, what does that say about his character and knowledge of human nature?
27
Funny how you assume he's guilty.....of something......maybe he blacked out......whoa....he must be an alcoholic.....how often does he drink until he blacks out.....we can't have an alcoholic in the Supreme Court. NO ALCOHOLICS ON THE SUPREME COURT.
"The real questions should be did Kavanaugh have a history of excessive alcohol consumption during those years, did he experience blackouts?"
The problem is that Senators are not experts on alcoholism, so they are unqualified to be asking questions like that. Indeed, this whole episode exposes the inadequacy of the judicial confirmation process.
As Anita Hill suggests in her Times OpEd, there needs to be an investigation by experts:
"The details of what that process would look like should be guided by experts who have devoted their careers to understanding sexual violence."
Anita Hill: How to Get the Kavanaugh Hearings Right
By Anita Hill
Sept. 18, 2018
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/18/opinion/anita-hill-brett-kavanaugh-cl...
@Cheryl C
Totally my thoughts all along. He doesn't remember because he was drunk - and that's the reason for Kavanaugh's denial. Thank you!
I'm inclined to believe Dr. Blasey and not believe Brett Kavanaugh. But I don't think we have enough real evidence to legally accept her account and disregard his story. Further, I seriously doubt we are ever going to get any legally reliable evidence of what happened (or didn't happen) in that room 30 years ago, even with further FBI investigation. Perhaps Dr. Friedman could also address the concept that human beings hate uncertainty and make up or assume facts to avoid living in a state of uncertainty. So many people who have commented on this story seem to "know" more about the circumstances of what happened than Dr. Blasey herself claims to know- and I "know" that doesn't make any sense.
8
@Rabid Rabbit
Subpoena his friend, Judge, and put him under oath to testify about the incident he included in his book, "Wasted". He was there, and saved Dr. Ford from an actual rape by his drunken friend.
I remember quite vividly the day JFK was shot, where I sat in that 2nd grade Catholic school, the row near the window, 2nd seat from the end, how the crossing guard told the principal, Sister Consileo, how she came around class to class, red faced and in tears, once to say he had been shot, a second time to tell us he had been killed. How class was dismissed a few minutes later. I remember my walk home, talking about it, and getting home to find my mom and grandma riveted to the tv. I remember many details from that weekend as well. This was nearly 55 years ago. I'm guessing many others have memories of that day even more vivid. I'm guessing a traumatic event like an attempted rape also causes the brain to remember it in ways much different than an ordinary day.
22
@Bruce
Then you remember more details than Blasey Ford. She doesn't remember the house, the host, other people names, beyond the one's she wanted to accuse. She can't say how she arrived or departed. You remember your seat, your walk home, etc. As vivid memories go, yours is. Hers is far from it.
4
@TD very different things. People keep conflating eyewitnesses with victims. Their memories will be different because of the salience of different facets of the event to them. Victim’s memories are locked into to the person victimizing them...who they are and what they are doing. The surrounding events not so much....
@TD
Sigh. I was assaulted 8 years ago, I don't remember the house, everyone who was out with us before the house, the name of the cab company that took me to the house, the exact date, what he was wearing, the lay out of his house, the specific neighborhood that the house was in....
For the second assault, I don't remember the exact date, the house, what I was wearing, what he was wearing, whether we took a cab or walked, the names of all the bars/restaurants we went to earlier in the night, what everyone ate for breakfast the next morning....
Am I lying?
Come on. How many college/high school parties did you go to without knowing who was hosting? I'd be hard pressed to tell you who was hosting house parties I went to 5, 10, 50 years ago under most circumstances.
While past character may be relevant current character is far more important. Judge Kavanaugh has categorically denied the claims including stating he was not at the party. If these denials are false it speaks profoundly to current character. A credible investigation should be conducted to determine if Judge Kavanaugh's denial can be falsified. Judge Kavanaugh has an opportunity to demonstrate his character by calling for such an investigation himself.
14
It's nice to see every ëxpert” trotted out as long as they agree with the NYT's already decided position.
4
OK, if you were making something up, would you request that the FBI investigate?
13
I was abducted and raped by a stranger when I was 6. I did not report it because I was embarrassed and could not find the words to explain what happened. Despite being 63 I remember EVERYTHING. The smell, the crunched leaves my naked body laid upon, the Sunoco gas station in Fairview Park, OH on Lorian Rd, where he worked and asked me to look for his lost puppy, the cigarettes he smoked that he used to torture me and told me not to tell.....I remember his face to the point I could ID him in a line up. I buried for years and until my own daughter reached that age, it came flooding back.
11
@Liz
I’m so sorry this happened to you. It is shocking and so sad to read how many of us have suffered sexual violence and how this administration is sending us to those dark memories.
When I was in college in the 70's I was raped by an ex boyfriend. I opened the door to let him in my apartment so we could " talk". I was taken by force with a lead pipe held to my throat and never reported it. I honestly thought I was responsible because I should have anticipated that he was going to do something terrible to me. I will never forget anything about how I felt that day andfor the many years afterwards. You never really get over it and I have never told anyone the details including my husband. I believe her and I don't think "boys will be boys". We have to stop making excuses for violent sexual assault!
30
@Df "Boys will be boys" is very simply some Americans' way of having "Freedom without responsibility" - a sickness pervasive in today's society.
1
@Kelly
I went to H.S. with a few hundred teenage boys. I would remember if any one of them were accused of rape; it would have been all over school. This assault event was indeed all over the school where it happened; there was plenty of gossip about it. Finally, most teenage boys do not commit rape after drinking too much. In fact, most all do not. Kavanaugh has a character flaw which includes lying. He also lied about his support for torture under the Bush Administration; his position papers are now archived, with Trump denying access. This guy already has a post on the Bench, unfortunately. Keep him where he is.
This is NOT "fake news". Just as global warming is happening and the moon is NOT made of green cheese and the earth is not flat we pass through stages of development based on age. You go, dude.
1
Two seats out of nine on the Supreme Court occupied by individuals accused by credible victims of sexual abuse are too many.
33
I experienced sexual assault as a 4 year old, and then again at the age of 11 from my three brothers who shared me with their friends. I know very well what I lived through -- night terrors, nightmares, regression to infantile behaviors, fire setting; and, after the second second as a 11 year old, suicidal ideation, cutting myself, later suicide attempt and about 20 years of therapy. I have just started therapy again at the age of 67! I am devastated to be reliving this again and again during this horrible political nighmare in this country. We need to address this as a country. What, and who, to we value in this country? I do not see women as a priority, and I absolutely hate this!
15
Let's take one step back, and think about what future opinions Mr. Kavanaugh might render, if confirmed, on cases that impact gender.
And let's also consider that the Republicans are going to ram his confirmation thru in a hurry before the elections - on top of the year-long refusal to consider the nomination of Judge Garland.
I think you would have to be a borderline idiot to assume that there aren't going to be problems down the road.
18
@Turgid
The GOP, already a minority Party relying on gerrymandered polling Districts, will end up like the Whig Party at some point. Irrelevant and powerless. They are already losing young women, many young men, and almost all minorities. Not to mention their purchase by the powerful Koch brothers. It is only a matter of time; even old timers like the corrupt McConnell can't stop this; it is much like the rolling foreclosures which tanked small independent banks under Greenspan's watch. We have barely started to recover from that.
She could've remained anonymous and written a letter to the NYT. There is no upside for her here while Kavanaugh is looking pretty lousy, debt, binge drinking, refusing abortion to a teen who he said should live with her mistake. We have to live with Clarence Thomas Massive Mistake let's not double it.
24
Who do we want our Justices to be?
"Lotsa guys did stuff like that ..."
Do we want Lotsa guys?
"Well, at least he didn't Rape her."
Do we want at least he didn't rape her?
"After all he was just 17 ..."
Do we want Roy Moore in his 30's?
"Besides, he was drunk."
If he was driving it's a DUI even if he didn't hit anything. But assault is OK?
A Supreme Court Justice ... for life.
Who do we want our Justices to be?
A considered decision by POTUS and the deliberative chamber: the Founders clearly demanded only the best. There are scores, hundreds, perhaps thousands of other, better choices. If he withdraws he still has a good job.
"He is a vote against indicting sitting presidents - even if they are criminals."
OH! ... well at least that explains why y'all have hidden much of his record and want so desperately to rush this through.
Reminder: November is coming.
35
It seems pretty much everyone is willing to believe the memories of adult males who were teenagers when they were abused by Catholic priests....without questioning "where they were" or "what they were doing"...
17
I think the author may need to read more recent studies on memory and court room recollection. Here is a good one:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183265/
Just because you have a PHD does not make you an authority. Do your homework before writing an opinion that is not substantiated in more recent research on this very topic.
5
@stevemr03 your reference is consistent with the authors conclusion. They state that stress increases memory of the central gist of the event but decreases memories of components peripheral to the central gist. Pretty much describes blasey’s account. You probably should have read it first
1
New York Times, are you not embarrassed by this contrivance? Mr. Friedman claims "scientific" certainty for a theory about memory that itself overthrew previous "scientific" theory about memory and trauma. He concedes, at least, that the formerly accepted idea of "recovered" memories is bunk. He cites a single "study" of dubious worth. Then he proceeds to condemn the wholly separate idea that impulsive acts committed when young and intoxicated might not be a definitive indication of adult values and character. I am not fan of Kavanaugh, but neither am I a fan of specious, selective reasoning.
5
The corollary to a woman who’s been assaukted is a man who does all he can to forget, denying the incident over and over in his mind until that becomes his truth.
6
43 years. He is dead. I am glad.
15
For me, it was 54 years ago. He too is dead and I was glad and relieved when he died. I know what he did to me; I wonder what he also did to my (deceased) sister, his wife.
I didn't read the article, but I'm pretty sure I know "Why Sexual Assault Memories Stick"................
9
I wonder - but not too much - what Dr. Friedman's political leanings are and how much they influence his so-called expert opinion.
5
It isn't so much that a drunk teen tried to rape a girl...or even that he quickly covered her mouth which could have resulted in death. No it isn't that at all since he obviously grew out of those tenancies.
-->
No the problem is his flat out denial while under oath. Should a base liar be allowed to make sexual and voting and plain living decisions for all of us for the rest of his life? No.
11
Women vividly remember not only rape attempts but even more “casual “ sexual aggression. The boss who leaned over me when I was at a sink doing prep work. Said he was going to grab a blueberry I was washing but reached into my shirt and grabbed a breast instead. The guy at ballroom dance classes who would pretend to be clumsy and “accidentally” graze the full back of his hand across breasts or buttocks. The drunk at a bar where I was a waitress who broke a beer mug against the head of a guy I was talking to. Because I stopped going to his table after he tried to grope me. I remember exactly how each happened. All of these happened 20-30 years ago. I even remember what I was wearing although I can’t always recall what I wore to a normal event last year or even last week.
12
I remember every single detail about my rape 19 years ago. (Also, when did we ramp down the power of that word to “sexual assault”?). I can tell you how the room smelled, how he smelled. I still cannot abide the smell of a man’s sweat. Luckily, for me, I have a very understanding and accommodating husband. Luckily, for me, I actually had the support of hospital staff and police.
Regardless, it is a razor-sharp episode of my life. Forget the details? Not likely - it revisits me in my nightmares.
I weep for myself, for Dr Blasey and, mostly, for our country.
21
Only a woman who has been raped can know, feel and understand the horror of these experiences. NO man, however well informed he may think he is, can understand or appreciate the devastating negative wholeness of this experience which is why Grassley, McConnelL, Graham et al don't get it. I applaud StillHere. I too am a victim and like her was fortunate enough to marry a man who has all the qualities that define "goodness" and none of the traits that I associate with white male supremacy, sexism or racism. If humans were valued more than politics we probably wouldn't need this dialogue. @StillHere
1
Mark Judge, Kavanaugh's prep school drinking companion, has reported drinking to black-out, and that a "Bart O'Kavanaugh" passed out after a party...possibly the very party Kavanaugh attempted rape on a 15 year old. Kavanaugh either knows he did this, or he knows that he can't be sure that he did not do this; either way he's lying when he makes a categorical denial. He also lied that he didn't know that emails he received had been stolen from the computers of Senate Democrats when he was working for the Bush White House. Two major lies...not lies about embarassing ...disqualify him from the job, even if the original deeds did not...which they do.
18
This is going to be graphic. I was 4-5 years old when molested by my uncle. He was an alcoholic, unemployed and lived with my grandparents who were my caretakers while my parents worked. I remember how he whistled to get me in a room where we were alone. I remember how he made me shut my eyes or wear a stinky handkerchief. He used pencils to penetrate me. He made me lick him. I remember opening my eyes and seeing what I now realize was a condom. It had a picture of a man and woman kissing on it. He promised to take me to A&P and buy me all the Golden Books I wanted if I didn't tell anyone. He never got the books and I told my parents everything as we left my grandmother's house. It was snowing and I sat in the dark in the car a long time while my parents went back inside to confront him and my grandmother. My mom came out and said it wouldn't happen again. After that he made menacing gestures at me (cutting gesture across his throat, etc) every time I saw him but my grandmother was still my caretaker. I lived in terror for years. Once I heard my parents whispering that he had been arrested for exposing himself to 2 girls in the park. I wondered about the girls. Nothing was ever said again about this by my parents. He died when I was about 10. I confronted my mom about this when I was 42 years old. She cried and was angry at me, saying "You were supposed to forget all that!" So all you memory doubters, I can remember and I was very, very, young.
27
Hello women!
It's time to break the spell.
Grassley and his ilk believe they can grab power so they do.
I believe they cannot grab power and invite you to believe the same.
6
Have you ever been assaulted and forgotten it?
13
Claiming that nobody can remember from 30+ years ago is only one of the many ways the Ghastly Old Patriarchy will try to defame her. They'll also claim that if she ever dated even 1 man (besides her husband - if she's married) that she's promiscuous. They'll also claim that her professional field, Psychology, is replete with crazy practitioners. The fact that the FBI refuses to do look into her charges says everything about what the Repugnant Party is all about.
10
Except her memory is hardly vivid, suggesting a liar.
3
@Princess Leia WRONG. Dr. Ford, remembers. Kavanaugh should demand an Investigation so he can clear his name and get the truth out! He isn’t calling for an investigation. Why?!
@Princess Leia … suggesting who lied? Her, Judge or Kavanaugh?
@Princess Leia: Her memory is amazingly vivid as to the actual assault. And you are no princess.
To all of you doubters of Dr. Ford, what is your alternative narrative? That she is some sleeper agent of the Democrats who has been waiting for 36 years for Brett Kavanaugh to be nominated to the Supreme Court at which point she would upend her comfortable life in order to railroad him? Who's delusional here?
19
That this was a recovered memory that only came to her in therapy 30 years later to explain to herself why she has various psychological problems. It's actually extremely common. The memories are almost always false.
@JerseyGirl let’s have an Investigation. Heck out all the facts! You’d think IF Kavanaugh was innocent he would be demanding an Investigation in order to clear his name! Why isn’t he?!
@JerseyGirl this is not a recovered memory. She remembered the event from the time it happened. “Recovered memories” are “recovered” later through counseling
Mr Kavenaugh needs to take a lie detector test. Hasn't anyone suggested that yet? At least his victim took one and he needs to. He lied on his application for school aid to college and to the present that he was a women abuser so he needs to pay back lots of money.
5
Thank you Mr. Friedman for this article.
10
@Kim
Yes , thank you from me also. I wonder why mental health clinicians have been so silent regarding not only this issue but many that have been infecting our socio/political climate today. I feel that saying they have not examined the suspected individual in their own office is a copout.
One need not make a DSM diagnosis, however withholding knowledge from the public is not acceptable in my view.
3
Question? Let's say instead of Dr. Ford, a man had come forward to say that he had been a teenager walking to his car at night when a 17-year old drunken Brett Kavanaugh, whom he knew from school had punched him, stolen his wallet and keys, and made off with his car on a joyride? And his wife and therapist corroborated that he told them the story 6 years earlier.
And that he wanted to now share this to give information on the character of a potential Supreme court nominee.
Would we say "Oh he probably got the perp wrong" or "Gosh you know, things happen and maybe he made that up, or misremembered it?" Or you know .. so many boys just punch people and steal cars when they're growing up... Its no big thing!
No. We would investigate it. Because the victim is a man?
Because somehow theft and assault is clearcut when rape is "fuzzy"?
Why would car theft be considered to be worse than attempted rape?
Theft only steals your possession. Sexual attacks steal things which take forever to replace: your freedom, your sense of safety, your happiness, peace, trust, confidence...
34
sAZ...
In a month, a novel that I researched and wrote over three years, "Insufficient Evidence," is being released. It opens with a client describing her rape to a therapist (which is painfully close to Dr. Ford's experience, no big surprise as it is the experience of too, too many young women who are raped in social/party/alcohol involved contexts). Subsequent sections cover exactly what you describe -- how people who are raped are suspect in a way that no other victims of a crime ever are. Something to add: many people think that the stats for false reporting for rape are close to 50% when they're the same as any other crime (3-5%). When alcohol is involved, it is used to excuse perpetrator's actions (impairment, so not criminal) and turn the lens on the victim (almost like this is what happens when you drink... so victim accountability or complicity.)
2
@s
Good point that I have not seen made before.
The Latins used to say: in vino veritas
2
Today's GOP... poised to add a second sex offender to the Supreme court.
Today's GOP voter... willfully ignores this, and continues to vote for Party over Decency
9
It would be the crowning act of hypocrisy in this rushed lifetime confirmation charade to subject an honorable woman to a show kangaroo court inquisition before sanctimonious elderly white male partisan lifers who have predetermined the outcome—a metaphorical stoning of their victim.
How could this possibly reflect well on the USA?!
27
What happens if the Dr, her therapist, her husband, and their attorneys just show up the circus in D.C. unannounced on Monday?
3
I support Ms. Ford... however, I have a hard time understanding why she went into a bedroom with two stumbling drunk teen boys.
3
@Discerning When you're in college, dorm rooms and bedrooms are usually the only places you can call your "own" and have parties. Weren't you ever in college? All social and study related work took place in these rooms. They didn't have private "social rooms" in dorms like they do now. You were lucky to get a shared room or still lived at home, with your bedroom being your own semi-private domain.
2
@Discerning - how do you know she went in with them?
It always telling that question is about her but seemingly never about why one who would trap another in a room, pin a woman to a bed, try to undress her, or cover a woman's mouth when she tried to scream.
1
@Discerning If I'm remembering correctly, she was looking for a bathroom and got pulled into a bedroom by the young men.
4
Pseudo-scientific piece.
Liberals are trying to weaponize psychiatry to demonized Judge Kavanaugh. Articles like this do not help to bring a good name to the field. Author has written a partial truth to influence the readers. If 'vivid memories' is the only symptom of sexual trauma, I wonder why " Inability to recall key features of the trauma" is included under the definition of PTSD in DSM-5?
4
@Hassan She is being castigated for the “inability to recall key features of the trauma”. Congratulations! You proved his point
1
@Hassan
Dr. Ford recalls the specifics of the assault; she knows and identifies the person who assaulted her; he was a drunken 17 yr. old who had to be pulled off her by his friend, Judge, who will now have to testify under oath; if he refuses to testify after receiving a subpoena, he will have an arrest warrant put out on him.
@Hassan then Kavanaugh should demand an Investigation so he can clear his name and the truth come out! An INNOCENT man would demand an investigation! He hasn’t why?!
I hope there’s room here for everyone to bare every trauma life’s brought them. Let’s get Obama to kiss them and make them go away.
1
I feel rage about the arrogant and ignorant condemnations by white, old GOP men! What is wrong w our county? When I'm not furious, I'm despondent.
12
@Dolly Patterson
Hatch attacked Anita Hill in order to discount her testimony to put a Scalia clone on the SC. Now he will attack a professional woman who has no reason to upend her life to testify against the appointment of a lying Catholic ideologue on the SC. She told her roommate; she passed a lie detector test; she went through years of therapy. She has a good professional position; she doesn't need this for any reason other than to expose a man who assaulted her when he was a drunken 17 yr. old, and she was only 15. This is the guy who wrote position papers supporting torture in the Bush/Cheney Administration. If Trump wasn't desperate to get a compromised loyalist on the Court before Mueller's investigation is complete, he would not be pushing this particular piece of damaged goods on the SC.
Will the NY Times be presenting regular "Opinion" pieces on Cognition, or only when sexual assault accusations are made against Supreme Court candidates?
4
How will this affect Kavanaugh’s judgement, should he be confirmed, in future Supreme Court cases that might involve rape?
9
I was 8 years old when I was assaulted. I was held down by a couple of classmates -- one held his hand over my mouth-- while the meanest one digitally injured me. Another of the boys just watched, and he was supposed to be a friend of mine. I still remember every detail, even the dust motes that were floating in the diffuse sunlight of that little room.
That incident changed me forever. I am now very introverted, and I have major trust issues with men. If I had been sophisticated enough to think of suicide in concrete terms, I believe I might have tried to kill myself. It took me years to tell anyone about it -- I just couldn't. It was too intimate and terrible.
The Republicans are very, very wrong about this. She will NEVER "get over it." How dare they insist that she be interrogated about her trauma in front of their wicked, arrogant faces! She should not have to suffer through such an ordeal, not ever.
33
I am 68 year old physician still practicing medicine. I had an adolescent male baby sitter from age 6 to 9. During those 3 years, I was repeatedly sexually molested by him. His name was Richard. I remember him and his genitalia with all the details. I never told anyone. My parents never knew.
191
Excellent article by Dr. Friedman. I am a psychiatrist and know and agree with all he says. I also want to emphasize that if indeed Kavinaugh had been drinking alcohol alone could have impaired his ability to store memories that he could remember. The responsible thing for him to say, which he has not clearly said is “I cannot confirm or credibly deny that the incident happened”. That he didn’t say something like that reminds me of all of his evasive incomplete answers during the hearings. I fear that like the president who has nominated him, his narcissism prevents him from being aware sometimes that he’s lying or evading
9
@Ron Clark
He might not remember, but Dr. Ford does. Her former school roommate remembers that night, and what she was told by Dr. Ford. I discount a letter signed by 65 women Hatch had at the ready, as if he was anticipating this farce. Hatch also used intimidation against Anita Hill when she testified about Thomas. Hatch is an old Republican conservative. McConnell is a younger political corrupt conservative. He stalled Merrick Garland for 14 months; now he wants this Catholic ideologue to be rushed to the SC; Kavanaugh also believes in complete and total Executive power, and torture if that is what the Executive wants done.
I am writing to say that most women don’t share their stories of rape or sexual assault with anyone. Dr. Ford’s experience is not unusual. I was raped in my sleep by a Notre Dame football player in his dorm room when I was 21. I was a virgin. I was awoken by a sudden, excruciating pain and severe bleeding. I didn't realize what had happened at first. He busted through my panties and left them in shreds. His only comment was, "Oh, I didn't realize you were a virgin! I'm going to get killed for that blood on the sheets." That's all he could worry about - begin caught with blood on his sheets.
I never told a soul, not even my friends during a 10 hour car ride home huddled against the backseat door praying I wouldn't bleed to death. I was terrified.
Like Dr. Ford, I no longer recall the details of the experience. I don’t remember which dorm I was in, or the room, or the date. All I recall is the experience, who the man was, the extraordinary pain and fear, the terrifying ride home, and bleeding for days afterwards. And the scars.
This man is a well-known businessman and community leader in Austin, TX today, married with kids. I have no intention of outing him. My point is that it takes a lot for a woman to come forward. Or to even mention these stories in polite company. I am in my 60s now. That football player gifted me with my first sexual experience and it scarred me for life. Thousands, perhaps millions of women have stories like mine and have never said a word.
318
I am exceptionally touched by the sadness of your story. As an ND grad from about your time of your being there, I can only extend my sincerest condolences for what happened.
1
"... in his dorm room ..."
That's the sort of detail that hurts the credibility of victims. You *really* need to explain why you were sleeping "in his dorm room".
@Karen-Sad for your horror. And there's a very good possibility this young man also did this to others.
1
Kent Jackson, standard speaker newspaper wrote an article, rewiring of the brain. It was about three people I worked with, 78,7,23 year old. I improve -reading, and manuscript and cursive writing in nine hours. Till today no one can believe it.
Rewriting the brain requires, it stays with you. People will look for an excuse, forget it, deal negatively, deal positively, and that is part of Reeiring the brain.
When I was two or three my parents had to put us in an orphanage. I can still draw you the "dormitory" I was in and precisely relate specific incidents, 70 years later. She remembers. You would too.
9
When you are sexually assaulted, there are certain things you do not get “mixed up” about. The most important being who did it to you. I was sexually assaulted and emotionally abused by my high school boyfriend and there are details - like what he was wearing, the music that was playing at the time and what the weather was like - that will forever be seared into my brain. Once he took me to his friend’s barn to look at their horses and threw me to the ground and assaulted me in the hay. I remember the details of the inside of the barn so well I could draw a perfectly accurate depiction of it to this day. However, if you asked me to locate that same barn I wouldn’t have the first clue how to get there.
Thank you for this scientific explanation for why this happens.
206
I was baffled that nothing had been made of the lasting psychological imprint of a sexual assault while being blackout drunk is considered a mitigating excuse by establishment partisans. Then came Dr. Richard A. Friedman's excellent article explaining "Why Sexual Assault Memories Stick." I am now a 75-year-old woman and can vividly recall every detail of seeing the look on my attacker's face as he lay in wait for me and followed me
Into a dark alley on my way to my apartment when I was a student in Taiwan in the early seventies. Only my scream after I wrestled free of him saved me from a worse fate. For decades I had a recurring nightmare of being attacked from behind and being unable to scream. I would wake up trying to scream and numb with fear. I always knew the source of this nightmare, which I last experienced about 4 months ago, and would just get up, clear my head and walk off the numbness. No, I'm not "confused or mixed up." I remember, just as Christine Ford does.
1
I was sexually assaulted when I was 15 by three guys on the back of a school bus, two of which were brothers. The older brother was a football player and behind me. He pinned my arms behind my back and covered my mouth with his hand. His brother unzipped my top and pulled my bra down. Their friend started pulling my pants down, made fun of the state of my pubic hair, and before he could go any further I got lucky with where I kicked him. I have never forgotten and am convinced that if I didn’t get lucky I would have been raped. I never told anyone because I not only was afraid of what would happen at school, but my father is incredibly racist (the brothers are black) and a gun nut. So I have lived with this for years. I have heard that the white friend has become a heroin addict, but one brother is a well respected fireman in that town and the last I knew of the football player he has been successful.
My whole point of this is that you don’t forget something like this. I absolutely believe Dr. Blasey. There is no reason for her to want to upend her whole life other than to speak the truth. In her situation, if one of my attackers were to get the same opportunity as Judge Kavanaugh I absolutely would say something.
204
In my first job after college, I entered an elevator with one young, smiling man already in it. As the elevator started going up. the man rubbed up against me from behind with his erect penis. I didn't know what to do and quickly ran off the elevator at its next stop. I never reported it as i was young, embarrassed, and frankly, didn't know what to do. Now, almost 25 years later, i can still vividly remember that man's face, and the shame and fear i felt when he assaulted me. I know now that that was assault. Sexual assault. If i knew then what i know now, i would have reported it. So I completely empathize with any woman who has been sexually assaulted by a man and was to afraid to report it. It takes a lot of courage to come forward. No woman would risk their credibility, their career, the safety of their family, to make up a story about sexual assault if it were not true. It's sad that our society, and the majority in government, believe Dr. Ford is lying, and are making no effort to even investigate further. The treatment Dr. Ford is receiving is proof positive why most women are scared to come forward and report sexual assault.
21
Well said. I am just an ordinary person. But I too have many #metoo traumas in my memory. Wish I didn’t, but there ya go, I do. I was told to shut up, grow up, and throw up. Men are like women, some good, some bad. Most men I’ve known would never at any age do what the few have done to violate me physically, emotionally, and sexually. I will never forget their faces though the dates, times, and places may fizz as Time elapses. I forgive them but sure as heck wouldn’t want them appointed to SCOTUS for their lifetimes.
14
A number of studies since 1994 have shown that memories are not fixed but malleable and that the memory process is reconstructive over time. Reflection on past events, emotional feelings associated with them and input from others can alter what we recall from memory.
What is remembered is real for the one who remembers - so real that one can easily pass a lie detector test because they are responding what is real to them - whether that memory is factually correct or not.
This isn't a condemnation of Dr. Ford but a warning that memories, even vivid ones originally encoded at a time of stress are regenerative and malleable.
For a quick and not to technical introduction read:
"The Neuroscience of Memory: Implications for the Courtroom", Lacy and Stark that can be found at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183265/
Here's the abstract:
"Although memory can be hazy at times, it is often assumed that memories of violent or otherwise stressful events are so well-encoded that they are largely indelible and that confidently retrieved memories are likely to be accurate. However, findings from basic psychological research and neuroscience studies indicate that memory is a reconstructive process that is susceptible to distortion. In the courtroom, even minor memory distortions can have severe consequences that are in part driven by common misunderstandings about memory, e.g. expecting memory to be more veridical than it may actually be."
5
@Bill That might be true when you are recalling the face of a stranger, but she knew Kavanaugh. She cannot admittedly remember the date or exact home she was in. Her memory wasn't suppressed, she recalled it and it troubled her from the start. I respect and believe the writer of the Times article.
6
@Bill Memory may be hazy, facts are not. Pain, fear, bleeding are real and provable. I want no innocent man to be accused as strongly as I want all sexually molested women to be believed, which is why it is important for qualified, competent individuals to hear this case not a bunch of self-invested, arrogant white males who themselves may be guilty of sexual harassment. Why do you think McConnell refuses to publish the facts on Senators misbehaviors? Let's get the real truth!
1
@Anne
There are numerous studies which explore both the malleability and reconstructive nature of memory, including memories encoded during times of stress and trauma.
Part of the problem in cases like this are that any mention of the possibility that memory is malleable is instantly perceived as an attack on the person reporting the memory. "Are you saying she's telling a lie?" It's not a lie - it's just what's remembered.
None of us reading the reports and denials, or at least me, has any real knowledge of what occurred between two high school kids. My only point in the post is that getting at the truth, if that's even possible, needs to rely on more than just memory and condemning someone because their memory doesn't match the memory of someone else is very problematic.
For a very recent article see this link:
https://theconversation.com/the-real-you-is-a-myth-we-constantly-create-...
I'm male. I was a victim of a sexual assault by an older man. It was over 40 years ago.I was sixteen-years old. I was hitchhiking to my girlfriend's house when the man offered me a ride in his car. I VERY CLEARLY remember the man asking me to pull down my pants and then squeezing and rubbing my thighs. I clearly remember the expression of ecstasy on his face and that he wore glasses but I don't remember his face. I couldn't recognize him in a line up. I don't remember the car model or what the interior looked like. I do remember the assault.
6
Finally, facts on trauma--if we are to believe the Senate wants to preserve our republic and not create The Sleaze Court, Republicans need hearings with experts in the field, witnesses and impartial FBI reports. Grassley and his ilk are know-nothing, and uninformed--speaking publicly like typical, " blame the woman who dares accuse a man, " dolts. Now in the 21st century, there are facts about assault, trauma, character and even experts who find evidence about alcoholic histories and behaviors.
Kavanaugh already gave sketchy answers; let's try some thing new--- truth! Also, remedial courses for senators on basic facts of assault, abusers, survivors, long term effects of trauma and typical character issues of abusers should be mandatory!
The Republicans raised Hell about Al Franken and he was dismissed, fast---assault is worse---and yet Kavanaugh is somehow still there??
11
@andrea lyn
Truth begins at home. Republicans did NOT raise hell about Franken. Franken was run out of Washington on a rail by six or seven Democratic female Senators without waiting for a hearing before the ethics committee .
I was molested in a public library in my neighborhood when i was 13. I know where i was sitting and that I was reading a copy of People magazine with Brooke Shields on the cover. I don't recall the month. it was 37 years ago. i do recall the scary man who rubbed his exposed penis on my arm. I remember he stained the blouse I was wearing, which was a blue and green plaid with a collar. I threw it away. I remember every detail of being raped at 14. I was molested in a movie theater when I was 18. I don't remember the theater but I know which movie was playing. I had to see it again because I had to leave early. I've been flashed four times. Again, I remember the details. I filed a police report after one incident because the man followed me from the bus into the subway.
7
"... People magazine with Brooke Shields on the cover. I don't recall the month. it was 37 years ago."
A Google images search for "People magazine cover Brooke Shields" found that issue: August 10, 1981.
As Friedman explains so well, some memories fade and others are vivid forever. I was the victim of an attempted sexual assault when I was a boy, maybe 12 or 13. It wasn't even traumatic and still I remember it imperfectly but oh so well more than fifty years later.
I was collecting on my paper route and a customer engaged me in small talk, then showed me some Playboy centerfolds and tugged on my zipper. I said, "gotta go,” and was down the stairs in a flash. I said not a word for many years and then just because the topic came up in passing. I don’t remember the customer’s name, the address, the precise year, month, or address, but there is not a shadow of doubt that this happened. That the event did indeed occur is unassailable.
Had I been overpowered and held down, my mouth covered by a hand to muffle any protest, terror and trauma would have accompanied a vivid and unforgettable recollection.
Those who downplay or discount the experience Blasey recounts speak through a haze of boys-will-be-boys misogyny, refusing to see how utterly horrifying an experience like this must be and imagining the trajectory of Kavanaugh’s ascent too important to be disrupted.
13
I remember when the neighbor boy, babysitting, forced me to perform fellatio - to this day I've never told anyone (until this note) but asked my parents to never have him babysit again and he never did, Although 65, remember it with a horrible vividness including his name. I was probably 7 or 8.
As MANY people have pointed out, Kavanaugh's acts at age 17 have been credibly reported - if true, highly disturbing - but his lying about it is more germane. I've watched numerous confirmation hearings (Thomas, Alito, Roberts, Gorsuch, Kagan and Sotomayor) and always found the person to be fundamentally decent, even when I disagreed with their politics. Not so this man. Well before these allegations arose, it was painfully clear to me that Kavanaugh was evasive without discretion and lied repeatedly, routinely, and not always skillfully, all the while adopting an "I'm so sincere" mien that made me mistrust him even more. Worse, when invited by a supportive Republican senator, he was smug and sent a clear "good old boys network" nod. These allegations aside, I recognized that this man would not make a trustworthy babysitter let alone an associate justice of the Supreme Court, a conclusion I didn't even consider for Thomas, Alito, Roberts or Gorsuch.
219
“He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.”
Whose memory inserted the word “attack”? Are we to be led to believe a young drunk horny Kavanaugh was intentionally trying to physically harm or injure her? There’s no perspective in any of these discussions since #MeToo has declared all men as evil predatory monsters by virtue of their penises. Humans really need to try and find another way to mate. Maybe test tubes and swabs. That sounds pretty erotic and will sell lots of sex toys and black lacy undergarments.
2
@John Doe The correct word for the experience she describes is "attack". No one is saying all men are guilty but the ones who grope, molest and assault, are. Lastly, this is not about "mating" - at least it is not for well socialized males. Sexual violence is about violence.
1
@John Doe They locked the door, covered her mouth and pinned her down. Hence, the word attack.
1
@John Doe methinks John Doe doth protest too much
I was fifteen, taking a train from
Grand Central to visit a friend and her family in Westport, Connecticut. A silverhaired man in a three piece navy blue suit sat down in the seat next to me, placed his briefcase across his lap and opened it to a display of pornographic photos that I could clearly see. I could also clearly see his penis grow erect under his trousers - the first time I'd ever seen that a penis could move on it's own. I have never forgotten one detail of that experience and now, I am 60 years old. On a first date in college, my date asked me to come up to his apartment which I naively did and once there, told me to give him a hand-job. I thought this was maybe what men liked even if I didn't and was I too shy to refuse. I left feeling dirty and ashamed. I have never forgotten every detail of that experience too. And I have others to recall, yes, still at my age, that I wish I could forget. Shall I go on?
18
Thank you Dr. Friedman for your explanation of memory. Your article clearly demonstrates why just having a "he said, she said" hearing, without any other context, would be completely wrong. To investigate Dr. Blasey's accusations fairly and completely, one would need to hear not only from other potential witnesses but also mental health professionals specializing both in the affects of trauma on the brain as well as normal adolescent behavior. To do that properly would take time. The recent statements of Senator Grassley, Collins, et al, clearly show that they don't have an interest in getting at the truth here. All they care about is getting a conservative on SCOTUS before they lose power. If Kavanaugh is confirmed without a real exploration of Dr. Blasey's allegations, his presence will be a stain on the Supreme Court.
17
@MRW
Scalia left an indelible stain when he used a typo in an old Superior Court Decision to define corporations as individuals. That was Citizens United. So, GE is on the same level of "free speech" as I am. However, I don't have the financial resources which GE has.
@Linda Miilu the worst part of that is that the concept of incorporation was developed so that legally corporations are not people. That is the whole point and the legal definition. I am just waiting for someone with big bucks (Soros you listening) to sue a corporation as a person citing citizens united as precedent. Obviously, it would have to wait for a Supreme Court where the majority understand and abide by the law
As someone whose body and psyche were exposed to multiple sexual assaults as a young person, I was instantly struck by the image of the young woman with the hand covering her mouth. I have, unconsciously covered my mouth for over thirty years and only recently caught myself and reversed the impulse. As a result, my mouth tingles with anxiety many times a day and when I saw the image I wanted to lie on the floor and sob.The irony is that the hand that originally covered my mouth was not my own, yet my psyche has absorbed it as if it were. The mechanism by which memory creates imprints of such events is complex and often counter-intuitive. Thus everything Dr Friedman lays out and parses so thoroughly in this concise article, rings true not only to my own experience but to that of the many others I know who have lived alongside a similar legacy. Slowly, I believe, the culture, as a whole ,is absorbing the etiology of traumatic experience and its aftermath in lives that are often well-lived despite, but whose toll must be respected as with any chronic condition.Dr. Blasey is speaking her truth. What happened to her did not happen in a solipsistic vacuum. There was an actor and someone whose personhood was acted upon. Period.
150
One other thing: since Republicans seems so concerned about and endeared by Kavanaugh's daughters (more like using them as political weapons, as usual), someone might want to tell them that, the only message his daughter are getting here is that, should they be assaulted or harassed, they will be raked over the coals, called a liar, receive death threats, trashed even by those who are supposed to be representing you in the US Senate, and that it is safe to just stay silent. Nothing has changed.
260
@Virginia-The other message Kavanaugh and his wife and supporters need to consider is that if he gets to the Supreme Court--each and every time his name appears in the news from now on--he will be reminded of his faulty confirmation process and these charges. Each and every time.
My sister's husband assaulted me when I was 15. It consisted of getting in bed with me, groping, dirty talk, etc. I remember every detail of this incident with great clarity and I'm now 65.
166
After my first summer driving lesson through a driving school one hot, hot July, the instructor leaned over and put his hand between my legs and massaged the very top of my inner thigh.
"You did a great job today!"
The next day I told my mother that I decided not to learn how to drive. A boyfriend taught me two years later. I gave up years of freedom because I thought somehow this was my fault.
And this is just one of my stories. A next door neighbor, an uncle and a date. I wish men could understand how rampant this is and how it scars.
19
On most things, I am very anti-Trump. I have a daughter, and I have read the victim’s story. It pains me to read about how much turmoil was inflicted upon the victim. I respect your viewpoints as a psychiatrist. Unfortunately, you are wrong on this case. The man was 17 years old, and he caved into his most banal desires while drunk. It does not reflect upon how the man will behave in his 50s while non-drunk [He will report to work in a sober state]. He has markedly different viewpoints than I do, but this was not the battle to pick. God Almighty, his conscience, or possibly even a court of law may catch up to him regarding his actions on that night. But he should not be denied the chance to serve on the Supreme Court.
25
@Zaffar K Haque, this man is up for the highest court in the land, for a lifetime tenure. There are only 9 people who get to do that at a time. We can find another qualified person who does not have a potential blemish of this magnitude in his or her background. I say on to the next candidate.
6
@Zaffar K Haque
You've missed the larger point Zaffar. It's also very much about the current-day lies, the lack of accountability, and the willingness to re-victimize the accuser.
5
@Zaffar K Haque, most people who misbehave while intoxicated own up and apologize after the fact. He stubbornly refuses to do so, or even to admit to the behavior. That means either the allegation is untrue, he was so drunk he doesn’t remember (in which case he should just admit to THAT and apologize), or he’s just a lying liar hoping to get away with it. Given how disingenuous he’s been in his other responses during his confirmation hearing, I’m leaning toward “lying liar.”
5
Confabulation is when a person creates a false memory. Was this the guy? Was is a bad dream?
Or it could be that she became frightened over being groped by a stumbling drunk boy.It is odd that it would interfere with her sexual maturation to such a degree. But parochial schools and a strict Catholic upbringing is much like being raised Hasidic. A child raised in that ethos might blame herself and then lock down emotionally and sexually.
Or it could be that a fifteen year old is not as ready for sex as a seventeen year old. And what a seventeen year old girl, with more sexual experience, might shrug off as sex play, could be terrifying to a fifteen year old with no sexual experience. I have seen an older man try to seduce a young teen. All his invitations for hot tubs and special attention went right past her. She didn't understand at all.
As for this allegation. I think it's politically motivated. No corroboration by any one. A party that wasn't. Four boys and two girls in a house without parents, drinking alcohol, is not a party.
4
@Analyst
Your response is extremely disturbing. While comments reflect that you doubt the veracity of Dr. Blasey's account of what happened, for you to complete your remarks with what is or is not a party, makes me wonder what is motivating your denial of this. I find this letter to be creepy.
5
@Analyst
The political motivation is to keep a lying Catholic ideologue who has defended torture of enemy combatants under Bush/Cheney, and who committed rape at the age of 17, old enough to know better, off the Supreme Court. His friend, Judge, wrote about it in his book "Wasted". Don't you think that the Scalia, Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch Justices are enough to inspire some political motivation to keep another corporate shill off the Roberts Court? I do.
3
Politically motivated? You think she cares so much about who is on the Supreme Court that she’d turn her whole life into a living hell? Really?
4
CA 18th District....Silicon Valley.......controlled by old-school politician Anna Eshoo.....some 20-30 years running the district the OLD way...the 20th century way......effectively preventing the very change she dis-ingenuously claims to promote. She is desparate to cling to POWER...unchallenged power......effectively holding Silicon Valley hostage to an obsolete world view. Christine Russell, a Silicon Valley pioneer, more so than Anna Eshoo, who is little more than an once effective career politician.....is challenging Ms. Eshoo. Ms. Russell proposes real CHANGE....what Ms. Eshoo has only provided lip-service to for so long.......Ms. Russell is much more in tune with the adjustments needed for Silicon Valley to continue growth and prosperity. Ms Eshoo only proposes stagnation. Ms. Eshoo cynically claims Trump is the problem.....clearly ridiculous.....Fear Mongering.....scaring supposedly independent thinking entrepenuers into dumping money into MS. Eshoo's war chest for survival. Christine Russell for Congress Nov6, 2018.....Finally.....
I think Dr. Friedman makes some good points, but it's worth noting that their applicability assumes the very thing that is at issue, the truth of the claims involved. "But you will almost never forget who raped you.... There's very little chance that ... Dr. Blasey is 'mixed up' or 'confused.'" Leaving aside the fact that no one is saying that anyone actually raped her, what Dr. Friedman is saying is that, if a traumatic event occurred, then the memory of one will be reliable. But could something not quite so traumatic have occurred and the memory of this been distorted into a representation of a traumatic event? Dr. Friedman does not address that question, and, given what else he says, it is a possibility that this does nothing to rule out.
4
@Mark So tired of men who try to explain away what happened. Face it--he did it. True victims of trauma don't lie; don't exaggerate over the years. If anything, we distort what happened down into something lesser and less painful, so we can get on with our lives. Maybe you should ask a man who was molested by a priest as a boy, and you'll begin to understand.
@Mark you’ve never experienced trauma. It doesn’t work that way
1
i was sexually assaulted by a man i knew slightly when i was almost sixteen. he was thirty-eight and picked me and a friend up while we were hitchhiking to neighboring town to visit the friends girlfriend at work. this was 1966. not unusual to see kids hitchhike. we had a small bottle of rum,, he had a bigger bottle and a fawn colored chevy impala convertible. he did to us what guys like that do to young boys, and when the car ran off the road he pointed and said go that way. naturally we got picked up by the police and taken home. next morning i was up at the police station answering questions...didn't i know he was a homosexual? Me...what's a homosexual? cops pressed charges on him. the judge directed charges against us. he appealed and by the time for that trial came around we weren't talking. he got away with it. i drank alcoholically for the next fifteen years and nearly killed myself with drugs. lucky for me i got sober and had one of those good will moments when the psychiatrist told me, at age thirty, it wasn't your fault. my friend and i never talked about it. he died several years ago. i ran into the cop who questioned me in 2012 and told him what that night did to me. i don't blame him for anything..he was very compassionate in his questioning, but obviously he knew something about the perp's MO, as did my mother. life in a small town. i remember everything about that night, right down to Sweet Talking Guy playing on the radio. i am truly lucky to be alive..
10
When someone tries to rape you, it's hard to forget any details. It's been decades for me, but I could tell you everything. Do you think it is uncommon? I know it's not.
15
The following issues also merit consideration re memory processes and remembered events.A "process" is best understood as an ongoing, predictable, relatively permanent pattern which generally is observable and measurable.An event,such as a sexual assault, and not,for example, a planned "social event," is unique, unpredictable or totally explainable.Dr. Friedman describes "how" the body's chemistry, interacting with human psychological processes, may/can sear traumatic outcomes into our memories. Forever.PTSD.The article"suggests" a direct,complicated, cause and effect.The memory process also can function as a human survival tool. I met a man in Israel marked with an A and a number; signifying he survived the Auschwitz concentration camp.He has no memory either of being there nor of how he survived the Holocaust/war years. Denial, and repression are well -known words used to try and understand what is describable but not necessarily understandable.Nor objectively measurable.SHE remembers as part of her trauma.Whether her memory is a cause and effect chemical outcome, is associated with, but not caused by ITs release, or occurs without adequately understanding its pharmacological actions, or HIS not remembering (was the THEN youthful, NOW-judge, traumatized) is irrelevant re this event. Whose memory is to be trusted? Based on what? In our WE-THEY daily violating-enabled culture.Will the NOW semantic-rapist, life-threateners, be investigated by local law enforcement? FBI?
This whole thing is a sham. She doesn’t remember where she was, she doesn’t even remember what time of year it was or who she came to the party with. Also, her therapists notes differ from what she is saying now. Just another shameless attempt by the democrats to derail Mr. Trump. Most fair minded poeple see right through this ploy. Nice try.
3
She remembers it
Other classmates have now posted that they heard about it at school. That is typical of an occurrence like that in high school
Kavanaugh does NOT want an FBI investigation
She does.
Lying to the FBI is a felony, carries a possible 5 year sentence, and would be an impeachable offense.
It is obvious who is telling the truth and who is hoping they can keep lying for 6 more days and convince 51 traitors to put a lying, gambling, dissembling sex offender on the highest court in our country, all out of obedience to the worst individual to ever (illegitimately) hold our highest political office
31
If Dr. Ford succeeds in derailing Kavanaugh's election to SCOTUS she will be feted as a feminist heroine, her picture will be in magazines, there will be interviews, a book for sure, maybe a movie. A P.R. person could not have done a better job of getting here this publicity.
Have you people already forgotten the case where the woman accused a guy of raping her, got him convicted only to find out years later that it was another guy who somewhat resembled the guy she was absolutely certain was her attacker?
3
@disappointed liberal Then let the FBI investigate!
@disappointed liberal She already knew who he was and knew his name when it happened.
It seems to me that some people forget that we are entrusting the future of our countryʻs law to someone for the rest of their life. They have immediate tenure. They will not be up for reconformation ever again. Putting someone in that kind of life-long position is different from, say, even electing a president. Imagine that you personally were going to be judged by this man. Would you feel good vabout it?
12
@Robb Kvasnak
No.
Of course the allegations are credible. It’s terribly cynical to suggest otherwise. Are there honestly no conservative women judges worthy of a supreme court seat? How about a moderate woman judge? A conservative black woman judge? Why ram this judge Kavanaugh through? I don’t see anything about him to make him a “must have” on the court. And now he’s damaged goods. I mean as long as Mitch was going to steal a seat or two how about nominating someone at least interesting or distinguished in some way other than being part of the Republican conservative establishment. Booring.
6
Friedman: "As a psychiatrist I know something about how memory works."
Then Friedman should have explained that alcohol can inhibit memory formation, which would explain why "Kavanaugh has vigorously denied the charges" -- he simply cannot remember the incident. Senators should ask Kavanaugh about his history of alcohol use.
Here is the abstract of a 2004 paper on alcohol and memory loss (called a "blackout"):
"Alcohol primarily interferes with the ability to form new long–term memories, leaving intact previously established long–term memories and the ability to keep new information active in memory for brief periods. As the amount of alcohol consumed increases, so does the magnitude of the memory impairments. Large amounts of alcohol, particularly if consumed rapidly, can produce partial (i.e., fragmentary) or complete (i.e., en bloc) blackouts, which are periods of memory loss for events that transpired while a person was drinking. Blackouts are much more common among social drinkers—including college drinkers—than was previously assumed, and have been found to encompass events ranging from conversations to intercourse. Mechanisms underlying alcohol–induced memory impairments include disruption of activity in the hippocampus, a brain region that plays a central role in the formation of new auotbiographical memories."
What Happened? Alcohol, Memory Blackouts, and the Brain
by Aaron M. White, Ph.D.
July 2004
https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-2/186-196.htm
3
@CWV
Was Kavanaugh drunk when he wrote position papers supporting torture for Bush? Those papers are archived; Trump refuses to release them.
@CWV a blackout does not relieve him of legal culpability
The fact that Kavanaugh violently sexually assaulted Christine Blasey with an onlooker, his drunk pal, Judge, suggests that he wanted approval or acceptance by him, but it was Kavanaugh who covered her mouth, and physically attacked her.
Her memory rooted in trauma is credible, but Kavanaugh’s denial is not. How he can consider himself a good Catholic or judge without having a sense of morality, or conscience is beyond understanding. He needs a good confession about his past sins instead of victimizing the victim.
12
I'm not surprised by this GOP effort to recruit a rapist, a perfect follower of our equally talented and genius President.
There is practically no Republican party. It's all Trump party, as per many veteran GOP leaders and strategists. Even former GOP senator and Former House Speaker John Boehner declared that.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/31/john-boehner-republican-trump-...
It's crowded by opportunist and/or corrupt politicians and businessmen to promote their own interest- almost exclusively, who have no ideology, no morality/ethics and no desire for public.
Even Republican idol, Reagan would be considered a communist in Trump's party.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chapman/ct-perspec-chapman-tr...
8
Forty years ago I was out walking at a time when the town's night lights were coming on. A man stopped me and asked for a street address; I told him he was on the wrong street. He poked my ribs with a knife and ordered me to get in his car. I screamed NO! and hit him. He stabbed me twice and ran away.
8
Of course it makes sense to have memory of it. Talk to all the adults who were children when victimized by priests. GOP should punt on Kavanaugh-- and I have a suggestion for replacement--MERRICK GARLAND
19
Professor Blasey’s account of Kavanaugh’s attempted rape is discredited by Senate Republicans because it allegedly occurred decades ago, with Senator Hatch even personally disparaging her as being “mixed up”. I have some questions for these white males who equate the mere passage of time with the loss of any credible memory. Why has the Catholic Church accepted and paid multimillions to settle the sexual assault claims of thousands of aging adult men who allege that they were the victims of pedophile priests years in the past? Additionally, why have numerous states extended statutes of limitations for sexually-based misconduct to permit those claims to proceed by adult litigants for criminal behavior that occurred during their minority?
10
Is the issue with Kavanaugh that he did this awful deed while drunk at a party in high school...or...that he won’t admit to it and ask forgiveness and consideration based on the life he’s led for the past 30 years?
Christine Ford has done a courageous thing by coming forward but here’s the hard political truth. Unless she is a “first domino” in a cascade of additional accusers who together can attest to an ongoing pattern of abuse over many years it’s hard to see how he won’t be confirmed.
He hasn’t been part of her life but there are good reasons for her to think that there MUST BE others. All significant #metoo cases have started with a single person coming forward. Nobody has stepped forward yet.
I will say this, the man whom I have always thought would have been one of our greatest presidents, Robert Kennedy, practically beat another person to death in a barroom brawl while a student at Harvard. He was an extremely tough and pugnacious young man who transformed himself over time.
Would THAT have disqualified him from Supreme Court consideration? My lawyer spouse says “yes”.
3
50% of the reaction here is being driven by personalizing/catharsis, 35% by boneheaded Trumpian denial, and 15% by reptilian anti-Conservative political bias. Everybody needs to take a deep breath and put themselves in the shoes of those they disagree with.
PS: If you think you've got the killer response to this, just remember that you have no idea of my experiences.
1
@Charles Becker
The shoes of those who are calling women liars when their traumatic memories are laser focused on some aspects of their assault and blurry on other details are just too full of stench for my feet. This administration is causing many people to remember and relive the horror of their sexual assault. Recounting them here, a relatively safe space, is brave. I hope the many who are disclosing here know that I support them and wish them healing and peace. As for the creeps, I hope you reflect on the pain you are causing and not put yourselves in position of power.
I am 73 years old and still remember a time when I experienced a sexually threatening situation at age 10! Nothing happened physically, but still remember to this day being the only girl waiting in a small side room with 8 boys around my age, to appear in a church production. "Typical" boy comments were made, including "We could rape you and no one would know!" Nothing happened beyond the words---but it still haunts....
17
@Patricia Smith
It was a very cloudy day, so it was dark where we stood under a small grove of trees. Me and boys around my age, a few more than we usually hang out with. One boy asking me to take off my pants. I can recall so clearly their intent faces and that realizing that they were circled around me. I bolted. Nothing happened beyond the words—but it still haunts...
I’d like to ask every man: If you were attacked and sexually violated, how quickly would your experience be forgotten? In a month? A year? Five years? Ten? Twenty? Or, perhaps, never?
16
Women never forget. Men don't get that. The assaulter's character is clearly evident. I am certain that Ms. Ford is not the only victim.
18
@Patti
I am a man. I remember.
I remember my aunt assaulting me for years when i was a small child.
Since we're making blanket, gender-biased statements here, how about this one: Women don't get it that boys make up over 1/3 of child victims, and women make up over 40% of their abusers ( and 20% of girls' abusers).
1
Let's hope a senator asks Kavanaugh if this has been a traumatic week and will he remember it the rest of his life.
Then ask if Dr. Ford could possibly still be reemembering a traumatic experience of many years ago.
i would coach Dr. Ford to take a stand by citing the Senate panel that she sees in fr ont of her: 21 senators that include 18 men and 3 women; that some of them have publicly said they do not believe her, though have never met her, and have demeaned her. Furthermore, that she reserves the right to call them out if she experiences them demeaning her now.
This can be said in a gentle but firm tone and manner.
It will still be a circus but she will have modeled for women senators how onecan deal with these men.
13
me too.
Thanks, Dr. Blasey Ford. Hang touch.
My rapist when I was 20, met his fate by the hand of a larger power a few years later, I learned, so I felt safe from him..
Yet 40 years later, a smell, or song, can trigger its memory - and his name, his voice, the exact feelings
of being held down, his words, my tears, my words. don't know the address.
When will men understand these consequences? maybe thats what 'me too' will help to do. A rape or attempt, whether drunk or young, on a 15 year old girl, indicates deep seated sexism/racism, and surely not a trait for someone entrusted to decide law for the governed of our country.
12
@brae
I am a male victim of a sexual- abuser aunt throughout my early childhood.
Until METOO makes room for victims like me, and condemns monsters like her, it can never fully take the moral authority it seeks. METOO needs to stop speaking only in terms of female victims and male attackers. 1/3 of child victims are boys. 40% of their attackers are female.
When will women understand these consequences?
2
@Jojojo.
Thanks so much for this obvious point I missed, inadvertent but so important.
I agree with you, and would amend by saying when will perpetrators understand ?
Thanks for making this the conversation....truly and my best wishes to you.
Actually, little of what Dr. Friedman suggests is accurate.
Fantasy, jealousy, envy, and a host of other teenage emotions are more apt to shape and distort memories of a distant past, particularly when the recollection is vague at best with conveniently, only a name recalled. This calls into question the veracity of the accuser referred to as victim and the motivation which is becoming clearer each day.
Dr. Friedman also has stepped in quicksand by not stating behavior Judge Cavanaugh was alleged to do as he painted a graphic picture: “put his hand over a girl’s mouth to silence her.: I believe that is slanderous and Dr. Friedman may now lose his license to practice due to such recklessness.
Dr. Blasey is not a victim. She is a well-rehearsed operative of the Democratic party who is attempting to delay the confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice. That is now clear as is the convenient hoax this me-too charade is attempting to capitalize on with the complicity and duplicity of Senator Feinstein. Dr. Blasey’s choice of lawyer and stalling have made this apparent.
3
@Grant
Republicans have a well-rehearsed reaction to the audio/visual tapes of Trump's bragging about groping women. It is called genuflecting. It is okay for a Republican to grope and deny it, even in the face of evidence. Soon the sound of hob-nailed boots with such a double-standard of sheepish followers.
@Grant actually, 3 names have been recalled now. She has not mentioned one (was at the party, not involved in the assault) publicly but he got wind that he was outed and wrote a letter to Grassley declaring that he would not testify about the party that didn’t happened at which he wasn’t present. His rationale for doing this was to keep his name out the public. Trump certainly attracts the mental powerhouses
Fifty years ago I was physically (not sexually) assaulted. I do not remember some of the details about location, time, date, etc. but I remember every detail of the assault and the fear.
Because of what happened to me and what I remember about it I have no doubt that Dr. Blasey Ford is telling the truth about what happened to her. Being fuzzy on details that long ago means nothing. You don't forget stuff like that. It's like remembering where you were when Kennedy got shot or the Twin Towers fell.
16
As the late Peter Jennings so succinctly put it, in a special aired after the Kennedy-Smith incident, rape is a choice. I can hear GOP fathers now, giving their sons "the talk": If you get the urge to sexually assault a girl, make sure you do it when you're in high school. That way, it doesn't count.
11
I have absolutely no doubt that Dr. Ford remembers not only Kavanaugh's hand over her mouth, but the crush of his body, the image of his looming face and the smell of alcohol on his breath.
Where it happened is irrelevant. That it harpooned is.
16
@jhbev
Folks, welcome to jhbev's America where accusation is equivalent to guilt. I don't want to hate women. Stop making me do it!
1
@Ian Maitland
I don’t want to hate men, but gosh, lots of them have done horrible stuff and it is upsetting to see them in the White House and Supreme Court.
@Ian Maitland
We don't care who you hate. The accusation is based on a known assault, described at the time to a roommate. The school gossiped about it, so it was widely known. Years of therapy and a passed lie detector test are not "nothing burgers". No one is making you hate any other person(s); that is your own personal decision.
I remember when a boy in my fourth grade class knocked me off my bicycle on the way home from school, pushed me up against a tree, and began punching my developing breasts with his fist. I can still see the green of the season, still feel the bark against my back, still endure the pain and humiliation of that moment. I was ten. I remember when the spouse of a colleague pressed his drunken hand on my breast, then traced that hand the full length of my torso and into the space between my legs. I was 22 years old. I never said anything about either assault, yet I remember. These things happened in the early 1960's and early 1970's. I remember that women weren't encouraged, nor empowered, to speak of such things. I remember that "boys will be boys" was the cultural standard, even if the boys were grown men. Only recently have women gained some agency over their bodies, either sexually or in terms of their biological function to reproduce. We have to get this right, people. For the sake of men and women, boys and girls, the unborn who will inherit the earth we make.
12
Dr. Friedman, how can you guarantee that those memories are real under the circumstances described by these year book entries?
http://cultofthe1st.blogspot.com/2018/09/why-christine-blasey-fords-high...
2
"... how can you guarantee that those memories are real under the circumstances described by these year book entries?"
Do you expect anyone to accept images from an obscure web site as authentic? You appear to be spreading fake news. Try to find a reliable source instead.
@Rosalyn the “circumstances” you refer to are not specific to Blasey. They are ruminations of whoever wrote those sections of the yearbook. This is sophistry of the worst sort and is beneath you
I believe Christine Blasey Ford’s account that Kavanaugh assaulted her 30+ years ago. Assaults like this happened all the time. Kavanaugh doesn’t remember he assaulted Blasey Ford because he was likely in a drunken blackout. I experienced similar assaults through high school and college. Sexual assault and rape were the norm, what young drunken males did, disregarded as “boys will be boys” behavior. Young women were blamed and silenced.
The summer before our junior year my girlfriends and I attended a high school bonfire party. JB, a tall, popular senior approached me, smiling, drunk, swaying, and suggested we find a quieter place to talk. We slid into the backseat of a nearby car. But JB didn’t want to talk at all – he instantly and roughly began gabbing, groping and pushing me, tearing at my clothes. I was in danger, certain JB would rape me right then and there. Fortunately, I escaped.
Fast forward 40 years. After exchanging emails with the sales representative while online car shopping, I received a follow-up email from the auto dealership owner – JB – touting his dealership’s superior customer experience. Clear memories of that high school party 40 years earlier hit me like a ton of bricks. I am certain JB would not remember me, what he did to me, or anything about that night. Exactly like Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh.
13
It does not take a stretch of the imagination to categorize Kavanaugh as a sexual predator. No one should forget that. A sexual predator who robbed a fifteen year old girl of her innocence and personal feelings of safety and security for a lifetime.
16
Yet NO ONE questions the thousands of MEN, who are coming forward decades after their alleged assaults by priests.
30
@JM If multiple women were accusing Judge Kavanaugh then we would be in a completely different situation today. There is a difference between one accuser with no proof or corroboration and multiple accusers.
I was sexually assaulted by my much older cousin while he held me in a chair on his lap and surreptitiously assaulted me. I remember his arm tightening on my stomach to keep me there while everyone walked around the house. I didn't call out, I tried to get away and I never told. I remember EVERY detail but I can't tell you who was there, the date, the time, the smell of the dirty chair. i believe her! I was ten years old when this occurred, I am in my sixties now. I remember!
24
We remember also good memories that are emotionally laden.
I remember my first kiss like it happened yesterday. I was 15, and while she was the same age, she had a little more experience than me.
I can summon the moment up in my mind and feel the feeling of surprise like it was yesterday.
9
Let's also remember this is not a criminal case. No beyond a reasonable doubt standard is required. Judge Kavanaugh is basically being considered for a job promotion.
Both Democrats and Republicans agree that he meets all the technical requirements to be a Supreme Court judge.
But do we want a justice that may have committed a felony and gotten away with it sitting in judgment of others?
17
@drspock No, this is not a criminal case. Does that mean that there is no reasonable standard by which we should judge others? Should any accusation without proof be enough to disqualify a person? Beyond a reasonable doubt may not be the metric but there does need to be a metric. If there is no presumption of innocence then we are all guilty and none are qualified.
1
@John letting the FBI investigate would go a long way to finding corroboration for her charge...or not....but.........an innocent man would demand an investigation to clear his name
At age 13, while waiting alone in the hall of my music school for my piano teacher, a man came out of the stairwell and exposed himself and masturbated in front of me.
I thought he was going to kill me and I was literally too scared to scream. The long hallway of this old school was deserted, and I had no way out since he was blocking the stairwell.
I've been in some dangerous and even life-hreatening situations in my life since, but I have never been paralyzed with fright like that.
As a shy, inhibited child, I couldn't find a way to tell my stern mother what had happened. I refused to go back to that prestigious school. I went to lessons with a neighborhood teacher, and I worried for years that the man would somehow find me and kill me.
Now, decades later, I cannot recall the exact date this happened, or what I was wearing. The idea that somebody defending the man would try to discredit my recollection makes me sick.
Kavanaugh's attempt to restrain her and keep her from screaming is true criminal behavior; had his friend not stopped it, Kavanaugh would have continued, and perhaps intensified or finished the attack.
I hope that Kavanaugh's daughters take a long look at their father, because who he was then, he still is now. There is a name for people with no conscience.
188
@Trista
I am 81 years old. I had a similar experience when I was 6 years old. I remember.
11
Kavanaugh’s behavior was mean and he was deliberately making her feel helpless under his control. If anyone had done this to me or anyone close to me, I would have wanted retaliation. But once the girl fled, that was over. There is no evidence that he repeated this behavior. Was it serious enough to take away his rights as a citizen and to incarcerate him? If it was criminal, it would seem so.
In our emotional experience the reaction to any emotional trauma is to remove that experience from having happened and that includes removal of the people responsible. That is what is required to feel free of it being repeated according to our feelings. Our reasoned consideration tells us that trying to resolve it that way would lead to worse results.
54 years later, I don't remember what the man looked like. I know he was in a white car. All I vividly remember is what he "showed" me and what "he did" I never looked at his face, I remember fleeing down one path or another that led to my backyard. I don't remember which path. But this happened, haunted me, affected me and it took me until Roy Moore to start to deal with "IT".
25
Ms. Ford took a polygraph test and passed.
I expect the same from Mr. Kavanaugh.
Only then should the Senate deliberate on the nomination.
15
@Frank J Haydn,
Polygraph tests are notoriously unreliable. All they really tell us is whether or not the person being examined is nervous about something - maybe their mendacity being found out or just that even though they are telling the truth the test is scary. Conversely, a person who is comfortable that their made-up story is OK is apt to "pass" the test.
That is why we need the FBI to gather whar evidence there is.
1
When I was small I went out alone to collect Halloween candy in our close-knit, safe neighborhood. I was attacked by two strange teenagers, knocked down, and my treats were stolen. Every Halloween that scene plays over and over in my head in slow motion. I remember every minute detail. It feels ridiculous now, considering it was a minor event that happened decades ago, but there's no escape.
Sexual assault would have been a million times worse. It may have been a 'nothing' event to Dr. Ford's aggressor, but it harmed her for life.
24
I am 74 and remember in astounding detail all the times I was sexually assaulted, particularly when I was a young woman. The clarity is remarkable compared to the vague memories of other things in my life at the time.
By the way, I have never told anyone about any of them. I knew that I would somehow be blamed, and I felt ashamed of the encounters, even one that involved a stranger on a dark street.
33
@Nancy I'm 63 and I remember the details of the assaults I endured, too. I have other vivid memories of things that happened over the years but have long forgotten the non-essential details.
I was just thinking about this a couple of days ago, how it's the things that are the same as any other day are not worth remembering but the parts that are out of the ordinary stick--whether they're good or bad. Good to know there's actual science to explain why this is.
10
Some think that several people in a major car accident may recall different details. Therefore, her recall is totally faulty. But, the car accident victims remembering different details does not negate the fact that a one-on-one encounter with a person in a traumatic manner remaining as a vivid memory.
The flip side of the coin is how easily can fake stories of this magnitude be made up. An expert investigator can flush the facts out. So, her invitation of an FBI investigation can have disastrous consequences for her if she is making up these stories.
If a woman under other circumstances claims that someone attempted to rape her, even scared her that she may be accidentally killed, do we call her in front of a jury and allow the members of the jury ask her questions? We don't, without proper investigation by the law enforcement agencies. Why are we even entertaining the same idea for this woman?
Why not call her "bluff" and start an FBI investigation? Without that, the members of the committee become the proverbial the prosecutor, the judge, and the jury.
16
@Cemal Ekin
The FBI investigates Federal crimes, not State criminal behavior. Now that Kavanaugh has lied about a past event, and is about to be seated on the Supreme Court, this accusation needs to be investigated on a Federal level. Of course, Trump would have to request that; and, he won't. Trump is facing the possibility of a Grand Jury indictment for financial wrongdoing, Russian loan connection, etc. He wants someone loyal to him on the SC. He has already attacked the Atty. General whose job it is to represent the interests of the U.S., not the President. He is not Trump's personal attorney. Trump reminds me of Louis XIV who claimed he was the State. Trump was not elected by a majority vote; he was elected by a gerrymandered Electoral College in key States Clinton neglected to campaign in, big mistake which cost her 77,000 EC votes. Trump confuses his personal financial problems with the U.S. government financial status. We are already facing a potential trillion dollar deficit due to corporate tax cuts. We do not need the current farce facing a questionable SC appointment. The current Administration is a daily farce.
4
@Linda Miilu: Just FYI, the FBI would be involved in doing a background check, not a criminal investigation. They did it on Clarence Thomas when he was put forth. Funny how at that time everyone (Republicans and Dems) thought it was the proper procedure and there was no push back about it. The GOP should truly be ashamed of themselves, they do not stand for anything good anymore.
@Shawnthedog's Mom, a background check would be perfectly fine. My use of metaphors of judge-jury-prosecutor might have given the wrong impression that I am asking for a criminal investigation. No, just an investigation to present the facts to the Senate committee. Yes, most of the committee members have a background in law but they also have axes to grind.
This entire situation is disturbing on so many levels. Is it really appropriate for federal law enforcement agencies to spin into a frenzy based upon a single 35-year old accusation? On the other hand Ms. Ford's description of what occurred is very serious. As someone who hopes Kavanaugh's nomination fails, I just wish she had come forward much sooner. It would've prevented his rise through the Justice Department, probably derailed his current federal judgeship and would've been much more easily investigated.
5
@KCF
She wrote a letter to Senator Feinstein who kept the letter secret, because she did not want to expose the writer to a public Hearing. Now that will eventually happen, I hope Feinstein listens carefully to a professional woman who has upended her life to make a sexual assault by a potential appointee to the SC public. Odd that Hatch had a letter signed by 65 women who had no real knowledge of the event in question. Hatch also attacked Anita Hill; we ended up with a Scalia clone, Thomas. Now this old man wants another even worse Catholic ideologue on a very conservative SC. This is known as packing the Court.
Remembering vividly does not mean accurate identification of someone not well known. Memories are distorted over time. That is well established by scientific research. There have been too many men sent to prison who were identified with 100% certainty by sincere victims who were later cleared by DNA for us to not all know that.
5
@KBronson She did know who he was when the incident occurred so this puts it in a different category altogether.
1
@KBronson
This doctor has therapy records, a description of the event given to a close friend/roommate, and a documented lie detector test. I believe her memory is quite clear on a traumatic sexual assault which occurred when she was a teenager. I would remember being assaulted when I was in H.S. And, sexual assault in H.S. is not comparable to the murder convictions you reference. FYI: girls who have been assaulted are loathe to make the assaults public for many good reasons. A potential appointment to the SC of a man who sexually assaulted her when she was 15 and he was 17 and drunk, now lying about the event, is reason to come forward. His friend, Judge, pulled him off her. Judge wrote a book about prep school drunken behavior, "Wasted"; he should receive a subpoena and be forced to testify under oath. We can do better than this man; the fact that Trump wants a loyalist on the SC when he is facing a possible Grand Jury indictment for financial transactions with Putin and Russian oligarchs is reason enough to not appoint Kavanaugh. Remember that Obama was denied his appointment of a respected Superior Court judge, Merrick Garland, stalled for 14 months by McConnell. Why the current rush?
Research also shows that memories formed under emotional strain are often embellished and not accurate vis-a-vis details.
3
The concept of having a traumatic incident etch into your being is not foreign to me. I remember every time a math teacher molested me in the 1970's. I know we were in a car,,, A small car but I don't remember the type or the color. I remember the room in the middle school... not sure I could find the room now if I wandered through the school today. I remember the roughness of the carpet of the apartment... but not sure I could find the house if my life depended on it. I think you have to go through something like this to understand how the mind works.
167
@whobie3, great post. Some details are irrelevant, others are indelibly imprinted on the memory, so true. I don't remember the date, or the exact address of his home. I was dropping this guy off from a party (his wife had left early, and we all agreed that, as it was on my way home, and I hadn't been drinking, I would provide a ride). I just remember the unwanted attack, tongue shoved down my throat, the hands groping, and clothes ripping. It was lucky I was the driver. I leaned on the horn. I was asked by a lot of people why I decided to leave my graduate program and move to another state, far from family. I had to. I never told anyone that I had been attacked by the chair of the department and had to leave. In the late '70's, we couldn't talk about these things.
1
I've known combat veterans to 'hit the deck' when a helicopter flew by, or to leave their feet, break into a sweaty panic upon a loud sound, 20,30,40 years after combat. The minute details of traumatic memory are virtually hard-wired into parts of the mid-brain, known in trauma therapy as the 'survival brain.' Details of the traumatic event exist for decades, often until the end of life. Proper treatment can help an individual make great strides towards recovery, but the memories aren't 'exorcised' from the brain. This piece is a clearly stated primer on trauma memory by Dr. Friedman.
22
Speaking from personal experience, I am 100% certain of the truthfulness of Dr. Ford's memory of that terrifying, teenage evening when Mr. Kavanaugh attacked her. Eighty years after my mother intentionally abandoned my four-year-old self as a form of punishment, I can still see the incident in my mind as clearly as if it happened yesterday. And I can still feel the terror.
The critical question for Republican Senators is not whether Ford is telling the truth -- she is -- but whether they want to put a man lacking moral character at any age on the Supreme Court for life.
37
@AML Your 100% certainty is a belief not a fact. Should that be the standard that we judge people by? Should we expect no evidence, no proof, and no corroboration? I don’t personally think that my belief either way is pertinent. It’s what can be shown and proven that counts, not my opinions or experiences. My and others opinions and are biased to experiences and how each of us see the world. There has to be a higher standard.
1
@John
Years of therapy related to the humiliating sexual assault suffered at the age of 15 by a drunken 17 yr. old is evidence of the trauma. A description of the assault shared with a roommate was given at the time; there were rumors of the assault circulating at the school. A lie detector test was taken and passed. Finally, why would a successful professional woman subject herself to this current adversarial Hearing, given the Anita Hill farce, unless she believes that Kavanaugh should not be on the SC. I agree with her; we do not need another Catholic ideologue/corporate shill on the Court; we already had Scalia/Thomas/Alito trio who identified corporations with individuals and thus given the same rights to free speech. I can't afford the same level of "free speech" as GE has.
I remember vividly the two times I was sexually attacked almost 50 years ago. It has affected my life ever since. I knew back then that men, like my two brothers who were police, would say 'it was my fault' or that it was all in my head. In fact, years later at a family reunion one of them claimed 'date-rape doesn't happen', and even then it was traumatic for me to speak up and say he was wrong.
In my retirement, I still will not allow myself to be (except for my husband) alone in a room with a man--not a doctor or lawyer or even a US Senator.
Blasey Ford must be heard.
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@Jane
I am sorry. I believe you and stand with you. This is why women remain silent. We are blamed. Or called liars. Men get a pat on the back for their conquest, and we are labeled as sluts.
9
Although I do not remember names well, I do remember the name of the scout master who abused me when I was 13 or 14. It was in the basement of a church (which church? don't remember). But I remember the assault as clearly as Dr. Ford remembers her's. She is totally believable.
41
At what point should men be held accountable for such behavior? Rape has been a dirty secret at many Ivy League schools that went co-ed in the '70s.
Incredible that those institutions prevailed upon women not to "ruin the reputation" of their fellow students, rather than consider the impact on the victims.
27
@PW2
Aren't we holding priests accountable decades later? All the accusers were children, many quite young.
1
@PW2 Covering up date rape on elite campuses is still very much in play. Betsy Devos's policies have made plain that male students are to be protected.
1
Her memory is irrelevant. What is not irrelevant are her actions - she did not report it, she did not preserve evidence. We have a memory and nothing more. That is simply not enough. If this kind of "evidence" was enough to destroy a man, no man is safe.
7
and what about women? when will women be safe? the domestic violence centers and rape crisis lines are full of those who are not safe. and that's just the women who dare, dare to speak up and try to get help. Justice? what woman believes she'll get justice. Witness the behavior of the white men in Washington right now, bullying a woman who has dared to say what happened to her. No man is safe? Not a single woman, not one woman friend whom I asked if she was ever abused, harassed, assaulted, or raped -- not one -- didn't have a story to tell.
When, George, will women be safe? When will men make than the standard and the principle?
1
@GeorgePTyrebyter No one is suggesting he be destroyed. The issue is whether he be promoted to the highest court in the land. He is not entitled to this promotion.
1
@GeorgePTyrebyter If her memory is irrelevant then no woman is safe.
1
My father's brother committed suicide as a young adult. He likely had learning disabilities and was unmercifully bullied. He also was a talented musician. A few years before his death, he stopped talking. For as long as I can remember, I have a vivid memory of he and I sitting on the porch, talking to one another, while he played his Sears Roebuck guitar.
A year before my mother's recent death, she told me that she would never have married my father if she had known he had a brother who committed suicide, likely from mental illness. My memory is as vivid as ever, but can't possibly be true.
2
Friedman is cherry-picking a few selected studies to support the conclusion he's decided he wants. To do that he deliberately ignores an enormous amount of scientific evidence accumulated over decades showing that memory for long-past events is extremely unreliable. The work of Elizabeth Loftus and her colleagues has demonstrated all the ways that our memories are malleable, influenced by self-interested editing and social pressure, prone to confabulation and story-telling. Julia Shaw's lab has replicated and extended these findings in many ways. In her book "The Memory Illusion" Shaw states flatly: "Any event, no matter how important, emotional, or traumatic it may seem, can be forgotten, misremembered, or even be entirely fictitious."
You have to suspect that Friedman is well aware of this research and has decided that he just doesn't want to mention it, because that would be inconvenient for his ideological biases in this case. That he would pose as some sort of expert on memory while contriving not to mention the main findings of decades of memory research is plain intellectual dishonesty.
9
@Paul: you seem to be the one "cherry picking".
2
@Paul
1. Loftus's and related research typically focused on either introducing minor details (e.g. color of a shirt) that were not relevant to the main event, missing an event that would normally be noticed because focus was elsewhere (e.g the gorilla in the basketball court) or incorporation of details that were forcibly suggested by others when the memory is incomplete. None of these apply to Dr. Blasey's case. She never forgot the incident, and she certainly never forgot the attacker. No one had to suggest to her to reconstruct the event to figure out who did it.
2. You use the quote from Shaw (whose work I am not familiar with) "Any event.... can be forgotten" to imply that memories are typically highly unreliable to the point of falehood. If you believe this interpretation of the quote, then you would never accept police testimony in trials as evidence, as they are more likely to be incorrect than Dr. Blasey's reports. Are you willing to give up witness testimony in courts in general? Or is this an excuse that because sometimes reports are incorrect, and you don't like this one, you get to claim this particular one is false?
3. If anyone's memory is likely to be faulty, it is Kavanaugh's. If Blasey's description is essentially accurate, he was quite drunk at the time. He might not have remembered clearly what happened the next day, and he did not place a huge significance on the event, he would likely have totally forgotten the whole thing by now.
1
The memories DO remain, and vividly so. It was over 60 years ago that my aunt's molestation of me began, when I was a small child. I recall attacks very clearly.
METOO has been very helpful in letting victims feel less isolated, less alone, less guilty and ashamed.
I hope that more males speak up, and that women show support for the male victims, including those whose attackers were/are female. This has not been the case with Asia Argento's accuser, the NYU prof's accuser, and elsewhere. It would be a shame if METOO lost its moral authority because some women refuse to acknowledge that men can be victims of sexual assault, and women can be sexual abusers.
12
@Jojojo thank you for sharing.
1
Except Dr. Ford does not remember this alleged assault in detail. She does not know the day, the time, what house the alleged assault occurred in, nor who exactly was there. Strange isn’t it. Maybe a blatant political motivation is the driver. Try to apply Occam’s razor in your logic.
2
@Mark V Did you actually read the article?
Think about the nature of your own memories from childhood. You don't say how old you are but even if you're a young adult and not well into middle age or old age, fragments of memory will stand out. We remember the unusual stuff that happens to us but not the everyday, routine stuff.
I remember being at my first dance in junior high and a boy named Bob Bennett asked me to dance. I, being quite socially awkward at that time in my life, punched him in the stomach. I immediately regretted it. I do not remember a thing else about that evening, not what I was wearing or how I got there or how i got home or who was in the immediate vicinity. I do remember being gossiped about at school for a few days after. I also remember that Bob and I got to be good friends later despite it. He was a nice guy.
Again, it is the unsual stuff that sticks in our memories, not the stuff that is the same as any other day.
2
@Mark V
She told her roommate at the time who has now verified the account. The assault was talked about in the school shortly after it happened. Other students knew about it. She spent years in therapy. She has upended her own personal and professional life to keep this man off the Supreme Court where there are continuing appeals to the Roe v. Wade Decision. We do not need another Catholic ideologue on the Court. We do need to see the position papers he wrote concerning torture and Executive privilege written when he served under Bush. Apply Occam's razor to your biased opinion of a respected professional woman.
Logic? Logic would tell you that the person who took, and passed, a lie detector test and is demanding an independent investigation by the FBI, who told her husband an therapist about it years ago, and who has placed a friend of the attacker's, not of hers, in the room, is the one telling the truth, NOT the person who refuses to take a lie detector test, who does not want an FBI investigation, who has lied at least four times that we know of to Congress and other committees for his judgeships, who has shown misogynistic tendencies toward females join the past, including calling Hillary Clinton "The B word" and holding a pregnant teenage girl hostage and denying her her legal right to an abortion. You seriously wonder who is lying here?
The mere fact that she recalled not only Kavanaugh's attack, but also the presence of Mark Judge makes her claim more believable.
Both Judge and Kavanaugh should be investigated, as well as Blasey-Ford's claim.
The Senate is not going to do the right thing, but I am sure the press will have the answers before Monday's hearing.
12
Fifty five years ago I was assaulted, held against my will for six hours. Against the advice from my lawyer friends, I reported it to police, had a physical exam by a male doctor. I had bruises. There was a hearing and that judge (the only man who believed me) referred it to a Grand Jury.
Two rapists abducted and threatened to kill me. To this day I remember every second and every detail of that assault. During the whole business of taking them to court I saw not a single woman - no doctors, police, therapists ..no women. All the people on the Grand Jury were men. The only man who believed me was the judge who referred the case to the Grand Jury.
The rapists waived immunity and testified I'd done a dance. They had good, aggressive lawyers. After the Grand Jury dismissal I was warned so leave the matter alone or I might be in real trouble (these, it turns out, were mob-related guys). Others later told me these two had been accused of this before (not mentioned to the Grand Jury, of course).
Harassment was common, every day, back in the early sixties - women dealt with it..(hat pins, spike heels). Grabs, gropes, nasty remarks - one forgets...very different from assault.
23
@Bev
I am sorry. I believe you and stand with you. I remember being molested at age 3. I remember being sexually assaulted at age 17. I remember being raped at age 17. I remember being nearly-raped at age 21. I remember being raped at age 54.
I remember being blamed, and being silenced.
6
Nobody should be allowed to escape conviction by being allowed to threaten anyone with further crimes. Any system that allows that is no longer working. There are times when we must risk ourselves to save ourselves. The only way to have justice and to protect the vulnerable from predators is oppose them and take a chance of being harmed by them by doing so.
Excellent article and argument needed from an authority with credentials.
Some traumatic events get repressed but the mind stores everything, it is an exceptionally large data storage facility, so the info never get erased. (We just have a problem with data retrieval from time to time and especially when the brain ages.) What doesn't get erased is the impact and the aftermath of the traumatic event.
This was an incident that took away her control and her ability to defend herself while under physical attack and she reports what saved her was the fact that Kavanaugh's friend Judge literally jumped in on the action causing them to all fall from the bed in question.
10
Now, it seems the issue is not what Kavanaugh did as a judgement impaired 17 year old, insofar as that behavior is not predictive of how he would comport himself as an adult.
Rather, it's whether he will lie about it under oath.
10
@Frank J Haydn In consideration that we don’t know what happened or if he committed the act then we also have no factual basis to know if he will have committed perjury. It will be a matter of opinion.
1
@John
The fact is that she reported the assault to her roommate at the time, now verified. The fact is that the whole school was talking about it, other students knew about it. The fact is that she has had years of therapy to get past that assault. The fact is that she has told her husband about the assault. She has taken and passed a polygraph test. None of this is a matter of "opinion".
@John The professor took a polygraph and passed.
I would expect nothing but the same from Mr. Kavanaugh.
The Republicans are very, very wrong about what can and cannot be remembered. As a 66 year old female, I can clearly remember what happened in a doctor's office when living in the Bronx as a 6 year old. This was in the 1950's before it was required that someone else be present during a child's physical exam for paperwork to attend school. I can remember a brown plaid jacket, the sunlight of late afternoon, a stale smell, and an older man's face with his eyes closed as his hand explored between my legs. Things and laws were different then but it's still very possible "to remember." So, to the senators convinced it can't happen, you're wrong. It really is possible to remember an event long after it took place.
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@appleaday
You clearly remember all of that from the 1950's . How on earth is any investigative body supposed to investigate this alleged act when Blasey cant tell us when, which party, or at what house? Are they supposed to track down all of her classmates and ask them if they were ever at a party where Blasey and Kavanagh were in attendance 35 years ago?
You could remember your terrible incident, but could you remember every party you ever attended and who was there??
@Sports Medicine
Yes, they should track down all students, teachers, and administrators who were in school with Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh. Anyone who's ever gone to a high school or college reunion knows how today's databases make it easy to track people with the push of a button. Also, the discussion is about a particular party where a particular event occurred and not "all parties." The FBI can easily easily investigate this.
We keep having this discussion over and over again. People who have never been traumatized accuse a person who has of lying because they don't understand how a traumatized person might act.
Kids who were abused by priests didn't come forward for years; women who were raped don't discuss the trauma. But when asked to testify, the very fact that they buried the event and processed it years later in therapy makes them out to be at best mistaken and at worst liars.
And the trauma of not being believed (let alone crucified, if the accusation is against a public figure) opens the door again.
It is a wonder to me that anyone has the backbone to ever try to turn in someone who has assaulted them. Don Quixote had a better chance of vanquishing the windmill than a woman has convincing a group of older males that she was traumatized and assaulted.
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Does this mean that she should be able to tell us when roughly the party occurred, where the party occurred, who else was at the party, whether she was drinking and if so how much, how she got home, and whether she told others immediately thereafter about what happened?
And is her response as an adult to what she describes as an attempted sexual assault unusual for a woman with a doctorate in psychology? She describes an assault where she feared being raped. But she was not violated, which seemingly lessens the psychological impact of what occurred.
@Richard
Like so many others, and as a highly educated person, I do not remember dates and times but I remember with excruciating detail the man, the act, the response. I can see the scene as if I was having an outer-body experience. I suspect that trauma does that to people. It doesn't make it any less real.
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@Cathleen
I am sorry. I stand with you.
@Richard
She WAS violated. Being sexually assaulted, overpowered, pushed down, and nearly-raped is a horrific violation.
I was nearly-raped at age 17 by an 18 year old who was drunk out of his mind, bigger and much stronger than me. He grabbed me, twisted my arms, pushed me down, groped me, tore at my clothing. I escaped. And I remember. He likely does not remember me, assaulting me, or anything else about that high school party.
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The ethical question in this case starts with the alcohol. We do not condone driving while drunk. Why then do we condone sexual assault while drunk? Upstanding people do not consider alcohol an excuse for behaving irresponsibly. What is wrong here is the entire culture of getting drunk and having sex which permeates our youth culture. Kavanaugh, as a teenager, had the choice of engaging in that culture or not. Whether he actually sexually assaulted Blasey or not is not the issue: the issue is that he clearly comes from a culture where that is considered normal. If he were an ethical man today, he would withdraw his nomination, much like Senator Franken resigned. In doing so, he would signal his regret for having once partaken in that culture against women, much like how Franken did. Like in the Franken case, whether that behavior was once normal, is irrelevant: it is not desirable behavior today. Kavanaugh would then uphold his reputation, earn our respect, and raise our view of the Supreme Court.
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@Bayes
Exactly.
Thank you for delineating the difference between Republicans and Democrats. One is not in government to do public service, the other is in government only to do public service.
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@Bayes
I have a hard time with the idea that there were all these clueless parent who had no awareness of the fact that their kids, many of whom probably just learned to drive, were attending parties on the weekends with lots of booze and no supervision.
With all due respect to the psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatrasters, I doubt that memories of traumatic experiences of several decades ago can always be reliable. If not, how can one restore the truth, if at all?
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A message to Brett Kavanagh:
I object in every way to your putting yourself forth for a job funded by my tax dollars. If you were qualified to serve the public, you would not insist on putting us through this. Go away.
A longer message to any Senator considering voting for Kavanagh:
Read this article, twice. Do you understand now that we will not forget the trauma you are putting us through with this nomination?
Your actions remind me of one of the worst parts of being assaulted: the terror of not feeling protected, of feeling helpless. But the comments here should tell you that hundreds of thousands of us have found our courage at last, thanks to Dr. Blasey.
Working against you and your ilk in November has now become part of my healing process. It could not be more clear that my real protection can only be found in the voting booth.
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Congress will confirm him, and there will be terrible repercussions on women’s rights - and whether or not women deserve to be heard at all.
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