Please read my friend Victoria Coates on the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, recent of infamy for, while fleeing justice for the sexual assault of a maid, being pulled off a flight to France by New York's finest; back at the high-class hotel, where this crime probably interrupted important thinking on the bailout of Portugal or Spain or whatever country is next, this spokesman for globalization showed his quality as a man.
The head of the IMF is scum
by Paul J Cella
Comments (17)
An attitude which has been attributed to the French intelligentsia and the rich and powerful, is a so-called 'sophisticated' or 'mature' complacency about their sexual peccadilloes. I don't know whether it's true that such an attitude exists, but if it does it might help to account for DSK getting away with it time after time.
Posted by Alex | May 17, 2011 2:29 AM
Couple things: First, this piece should include the fact that the goddaughter apparently has only now come forward concerning the attempted rape ten years ago. Don't misunderstand me: I fully believe her. It sounds right up his alley. And there are others who have spoken out about him independently. (The woman who said he groped her and that she'd never be in a room alone with him evidently came out with that in 2008.) But I think Coates may be a bit confused about when the goddaughter came forward.
Second, this seems to me like an instance of the "choice devours itself" phenomenon. The French called this man the Great Seducer, which an American would assume meant that his partners are all willing--at least willing in the end. Yet apparently there has been this whole history of his molesting unwilling women all along, and the French have turned a blind eye. So much for "choice." When it comes to sex and to one of their icons, evidently the left doesn't care much about rape, unwanted sexual groping, abuse of power, etc. (Shades of Bill Clinton.)
Third, wouldn't it be nice if there were no such thing as an International Monetary Fund? Then this man would maybe just be another dirty old French politician with a lot less power.
Posted by Lydia | May 17, 2011 10:26 AM
Thank you for that interesting take on this very sad story. The truth is, French politicians band together on such issues for a number of reasons:
1) Most are linked by the Freemason institution (very powerful, anti-clerical, and generally anti-Christian in France). It's an open secret that all the areas of power in France are deeply permeated by this network--protecting your fellow masons against legal charges in such situations is like protecting yourself. I don't know if that's the case for DSK; it was in many other occurrences.
2) No system of government since the monarchy has been able to unite the French people into one nation. This is a developed, wealthy country that's had 9 regime changes since 1789, and even more more if you count all the variations on the Republic from 1789-1804-- and this is after one dynasty reigned for 800 years nonstop, after 500 years of another dynasty, so it's not exactly a normal follow-up of history. The Republic is still fighting for its very existence! This is in part why the Christian values and the Catholic Church which united the nation under the King are so deprecated by the intellectuals.
Thus, there cannot be official condemnation of sexual licentiousness (by official, I mean by the mainstream media or by mainstream politicians), because any such condemnation would be a tacit agreement with Christian morals and would weaken the Republic. Historically, this is where the "complacency about sexual peccadilloes" that Alex refers to above takes root, masked in some Marxist contexts as the refusal of bourgeois values.
American views on the moral life of those who represent them and their nation are so refreshing to witness!
I apologize for the long comment, but I have just one more thing to add: it's illegal in France to print pictures of the accused in handcuffs, details of the charges, etc before the actual trial, which may explain some of the shock.
Posted by Jane | May 17, 2011 10:32 AM
Jane says:
This is a key point.
Posted by Alex | May 17, 2011 12:00 PM
The French Revolution is still turning, only at a very slow rate and in a moral vacuum. We need a resurgence of Christianity at the grass-roots level. Evangelists don't need to go to third-world countries to evangelize. Some countries ripe for evangelization make pretty good wines.
The Chicken
Posted by The Masked Chicken | May 17, 2011 12:49 PM
I don't know Mr. Strauss-Kahn. I have never laid eyes on him in person. He may well, in the future, be found guilty of atrocious conduct towards the complainant and maybe towards others. But, so far, he's innocent, and he's being treated shamefully. If he's found guilty, there will be plenty of time to criticize him and imprison him. But nothing has been proved yet except that the way this case has been handled so far is an embarrassment to this country.
Posted by Andy | May 17, 2011 1:00 PM
I don't know of anything the police have done that has violated his rights as the accused. They are collecting forensic evidence. Good for them. That's what they are supposed to do.
Moreover, at least one other complaint _and_ his reputation and title were already out there long before this.
Posted by Lydia | May 17, 2011 1:05 PM
Ah, correction to my correction: The young woman who accused him of attempted rape in a previous incident actually _did_ discuss make her allegations, in some detail, on a show back in 2007. Presumably for legal reasons the show bleeped out his name every time she used it, but I gather there has been no shadow of a doubt as to the identity of her alleged attacker. So this is _not_ just something she's coming forward with now. What's she's doing now is reconsidering bringing formal charges, which her mother talked her out of ten years ago. (Stupid mother.)
(Yes, I read the Ben Stein article from which "Andy's" entire comment is an unattributed quotation. What's with that, anyway? If that's the Ben Stein I think it is, I'm sorry to see him making such a weak argument. I mean, really weak. "If this guy is really like this, how come he's never been charged before." "This is about the have-nots resenting the haves." "People in his type of position don't usually commit this type of crime." And a few other equally feeble claims. And _no_ recognition of independent claims against him by other women. Wonder if Stein thought Clinton was also falsely accused maliciously by Paula Jones.)
Posted by Lydia | May 17, 2011 4:51 PM
Right on, Lydia, in catching that Stein regurgitation. The section where economists are held to be men of great virtue really was nauseating.
Posted by Paul J Cella | May 17, 2011 5:37 PM
Does this scandal lead to any serious possibility that Marine Le Pen might have a serious shot at the French presidency?
I always thought her father was pretty bad news, but I'm not so sure about her.
Posted by steve burton | May 17, 2011 7:54 PM
As a general observation on the DSK affair: Politicians repeatedly claim that their suitability for public office should not be judged on how they conduct their private lives. They want the trust of the people who elect or appoint them, but reckon that their private lives - no matter how 'irregular' - ought not to be subjected to public scrutiny.
Posted by Alex | May 18, 2011 1:47 AM
@Steve
I'm not sure it changes much for her; those who would have voted for DSK probably would now vote for President Sarkozy or whoever the centrist candidate may be. I'm not sure any other socialist can become a serious contender.
MLP does have a serious chance at the presidency--she is hugely popular, and the media is finally starting to recognize that her party is legitimate. As to whether she's good news... that's another question. From what I know, her beliefs are, to say the least, muddled. As a side note, I liked her father.
@Andy
There is a tiny chance he's innocent in this particular case. However, there is no question that it's in character. His behavior has been an open (OPEN) secret in Paris, just like the mayor's homosexuality, and a couple of (ex-)ministers' pedophilia. Daniel Cohn-Bendit and other high-profile characters actually wrote editorials in Libération in the late 60s-early 70s calling for the legalization of pedophilia. One of my friends had very improper advances made on her by a close friend of high-ranking UMP leaders-- she was 15 at the time. I do hope that the DSK case will finally allow French journalists to do their jobs. France still has a self-avowed pedophile as a minister for goodness's sake!
@Alex and Lydia
Completely agree.
Posted by Jane | May 18, 2011 4:33 AM
The story is sounding vey suspicious. It is looking like a set-up.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/imf_accuser_in_apt_for_hiv_vics_oZmUkbtouJ14RHw1434HvJ
Posted by Mal | May 18, 2011 11:57 AM
I made the point elsehwere that if he is indeed innocent, then maybe he should tell his defenders to shut up when they imply the guilt of the chambermaid. Here is his buddy Henri-Levy laying the groundwork for the “She had it coming!” defense:
Posted by Scott W, | May 18, 2011 12:38 PM
I have no doubt this guy is scum, but this time, the so called facts are odd.
Posted by Mal | May 18, 2011 12:42 PM
Scott, that's not just a guess. I recall reading that his lawyer has actually given pretty clear indications that the defense _will_ be "consent." Which must mean that the DNA and other physical evidence is decisive.
Posted by Lydia | May 18, 2011 12:58 PM
Like I said odd
Posted by Mal | July 2, 2011 7:41 PM