Evan Urquhart

The Franken piece is confusing. Reporting has Franken's defenders saying he could be a mean arrogant jerk and had a longstanding habit of kissing women without asking, which made many uncomfortable- but somehow reaches the conclusion that the allegations were unfair/unfounded?

It seems obvious that if it had happened later in the #MeToo cycle, Franken would have gotten away with it. I guess reasonable people can disagree over whether that would have been a fairer outcome. It's certainly true that some who did worse were punished less.

Knowing all the lives and careers of women ruined by sexual harassment, I just can't muster any special concern for poor Al Franken and his clinical depression. I wouldn't deprive him of the empathy and concern of his friends and family, but he's not important enough to get mine.

I hardly know how to respond to this comment. Have we normalized the lack of empathy? Must we know firsthand about the ravages of depression, experience a family member shot in a mass shooting, unintentionally leave a child locked in a car to find her/her death... to care?