Andrew Cuomo’s Non-Apology Is an Insult to Ladies
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On Wednesday, after a 3rd lady got here ahead alleging him of sexual misconduct, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held a press convention to situation an apology. “I now perceive that I acted in a method that made folks really feel uncomfortable,” he mentioned. “I by no means knew on the time that I used to be making anybody really feel uncomfortable.”
“It was unintentional,” he mentioned, “and I really and deeply apologize for it.” However Cuomo’s apology didn’t come throughout as an acknowledgement of any wrongdoing. It sounded just like the non-apologies of so many highly effective males who’ve been accused of sexual misconduct; an apology that concedes solely that ladies have emotions, however continues to worth the nice intentions of males over the precise lived experiences of the ladies they’ve harmed. The impression that one would possibly get from the occasions, as described in Cuomo’s assertion, is that he’s only a clumsy oaf who dedicated a collection of embarrassing fake pas—not a person who wields severe energy and affect.
The accounts by the ladies, in contrast, painting one thing darker: a sample of predatory conduct exerted over youthful girls in weak positions by one