[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by GGG

So why did the team abandon him quickly
If he didn't remember these women why didn't his denile include that
If he did remember them why wasn't the she kissed me defense stated in the initial denile.
Why did it take weeks for all of this to come together?

Hah, it's amazing how the whole script is now flipped onto the accused. "If she thought she was assaulted, why not go to the Police immediately?" You'll presume the accuser is truthful despite evidence that she made false claims, but go looking for holes in the accused's version of events. Motivated reasoning strikes again.

I mean, it's entirely possible that he had no recollection of these events but wanted to actually make sure he hadn't done something while drunk and forgotten about it, wanted to get others' corroboration on record before attempting to defend himself in an atmosphere that, at least for many of the louder voices in the mob, presumes the guilt of the accused under the guise of "believing victims". Maybe he recognized that regardless of any denial he couldn't possibly forestall the downfall of his leadership bid, and instead turned his focus to this inevitable point when he launched a defamation suit - if it was that, it was probably very smart; musn't say anything of any real substance on record until you have a well-defined legal strategy in place. Really, there are many reasons why he would wait.

Or it could simply be this.

Originally Posted by Claire Berlinski

For that matter, isn’t anyone else a bit spooked by the ritual tenor of the confessions that always follow? The most profound mystery of the Moscow Trials was the eagerness of the victims to confess. What prompted them to say things like this?

Torture, of course, forced many of these confessions. But something more profound was at work. As Lavrentiy Beria said, “Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.” Every man, in his soul, feels guilty. The confessions we are seeing now have been dredged from the same place in men’s souls.

They are all confessing in the same dazed, rote, mechanical way. It’s always the same statement: “I have come to realize that it does not matter that, at the time, I may have perceived my words as playful. It does not matter that, at the time, I may have felt that we were flirting. It does not matter that, at the time, I may have felt what I said was okay. The only thing that matters is how I made these three women feel,” said Representative Steve Lebsock. Now that is a remarkable thing to say. Why doesn’t it matter what he thought what was happening? Why would we accept as remotely rational the idea that the only thing that matters is how the women felt? The confession continues in the same vein: “It is hard for me to express how shocked I am to realize the depth of the pain I have caused and my journey now is to come to terms with my demons and I’ve brought on a team of therapists and I will be entering counselling and reflecting carefully on issues of gender inequality, power, and privilege in our society and—”

For God’s sake, why are these men all humiliating themselves? It’s not like confessing will bring forgiveness. They must all know, like Bukharin, that no matter what they say, the ritual of confession will be followed by the ritual of liquidation. If they said, “You’ve all lost your ####ing minds, stop sniffing my underwear and leave me the #### alone,” they’d meet exactly the same fate. Why didn’t Bukharin say, “To hell with you. You may kill me, but you will not make me grovel?” I used to wonder, but now I see. Am I the only one who finds these canned, rote, mechanical, brainwashed apologies deeply creepy? Isn’t anyone else put in mind of the Cultural Revolution’s Struggle Sessions, where the accused were dragged before crowds to condemn themselves and plead for forgiveness? This very form of ritual public humiliation, aimed at eliminating all traces of reactionary thinking, now awaits anyone accused of providing an unwanted backrub.

Or hell, maybe you're right and he's lying. I don't know. I don't see much reason to assume so though.