I didn't expect this reaction, but right from the start of the Stormy Daniels interview on 60 Minutes last night, a knot formed at the pit of my stomach, and a feeling of nausea and discomfort came over me. It was odd, for not much new material was revealed in Ms. Daniels' interview with Anderson Cooper. At the same time, though, there was no mistaking that near vomit-inducing sensation which had seemingly taken over my body throughout the duration of the back and forth.
I think one reason for this unanticipated reaction is the fact it's starkly different to hear and see a person talk about a traumatic experience than it is to simply read about it in a newspaper. This is why viewing a documentary can possess greater sway and power than an autobiography regarding the same individual/event, because we get to actually see and hear people's stories and emotions. Reading about how a person cried uncontrollably doesn't tend to impact us as much as actually seeing and hearing that person bawl their eyes out. Similarly, in last night's interview, I could actually see and hear Ms. Daniels' fear on full display.
Outside of my unexpected emotional reaction to the interview, here are some other things which stood out to me:
1) Whether he did so intentionally or not, Anderson Cooper seemed to expose our culture's rampant sexism when it comes to such stories. Many have called out the adult film actress for, on three occasions, signing documents which suggested the affair between she and President Trump never took place. To them, this makes her uncredible, since she's now saying the documents she had signed weren't accurate. What makes her any less credible than Donald Trump, however? In his first year in the Oval Office, there were 1,000 documented lies spouted by Mr. Trump. That's roughly 3 per day. His attorney, Michael Cohen, paid Ms. Daniels $130,000 in hush money to keep her from sharing the alleged affair story. Not only that, but the porn star also passed a lie detector test which revolved around the alleged sexual relationship she had with the president. So, let me get this straight, a man who, directly or indirectly, paid a woman $130,000 to keep silent about an alleged affair, and who lies at least 3 times a day is more credible than the woman who was paid the hush money, passed a lie detector test, and has been caught contributing to a falsehood on just 3 occasions? If that's not sexism, I don't know what is.
2) I don't hear many people talking about this, but one thing which stood out to me about the interview was when Ms. Daniels said she never wanted to engage in intercourse with Mr. Trump, but that the sex was consensual. She also seemed to at least partially blame herself for putting herself in a bad situation, basically saying, "That's what I get." How can sex be consensual if one of the two parties doesn't want to engage in it? This very response she gave last night came across as eerily similar to many sexual assault and rape victims. They initially blame themselves; think they could have done something to have prevented the occurrence; and basically self-blame. Based on what I saw and heard last night, it seems to me that, while Donald Trump didn't physically force himself on Stormy Daniels and make her to engage in intercourse with them, for some reason, she felt pressured/obligated to do so.
3) It may one day be called the threat heard round the world. Regardless if one believes Donald Trump had an affair with Stormy Daniels or, in the case he did, whether or not it was immoral to do so, the alleged threat placed on the adult film star's life has to send shivers up and down your spine, especially when a child was literally in the picture. Allegedly, after placing her infant daughter in the car, a man looked at the child, back at Ms. Daniels, and said, "Beautiful little girl. It'd be a shame if something happened to her mama." While I respect Anderson Cooper, when he asked, "...and you took that as a threat?," I wanted to blare out, "Even a deaf person could hear that was a threat!"
4) Donald Trump and most of those in his circle appear to know less about our government and legal system than my 5-year-old Siberian Husky. Another area many ardent Trump supporters have bypassed with regard to the interview was when it became clear campaign finance laws may have been violated. Assuming for a moment Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money, whether or not Donald Trump paid him back may be irrelevant. As a matter of fact, reputable (and Republican) attorney Trevor Potter even said the odds of Mr. Cohen getting into legal trouble are greater had Trump not paid him back than if he had done so. Since the White House has contended Trump never reimbursed his attorney, these comments carry with them an increasing degree of intrigue.
Stormy Daniels' 60 Minutes interview was a nauseating, discomforting experience for me to sit through, but that has to pale in comparison to what Ms. Daniels has had to endure, and based on what all I witnessed in last night's episode, it'll likely pale in comparison to what Trump and his inner circle will have to endure in the days, weeks, and months ahead. While the law may not always be on the side of truth, the truth appears to run contrary to Donald Trump, which will make it all the more difficult for the law to be on his side.
I think one reason for this unanticipated reaction is the fact it's starkly different to hear and see a person talk about a traumatic experience than it is to simply read about it in a newspaper. This is why viewing a documentary can possess greater sway and power than an autobiography regarding the same individual/event, because we get to actually see and hear people's stories and emotions. Reading about how a person cried uncontrollably doesn't tend to impact us as much as actually seeing and hearing that person bawl their eyes out. Similarly, in last night's interview, I could actually see and hear Ms. Daniels' fear on full display.
Outside of my unexpected emotional reaction to the interview, here are some other things which stood out to me:
1) Whether he did so intentionally or not, Anderson Cooper seemed to expose our culture's rampant sexism when it comes to such stories. Many have called out the adult film actress for, on three occasions, signing documents which suggested the affair between she and President Trump never took place. To them, this makes her uncredible, since she's now saying the documents she had signed weren't accurate. What makes her any less credible than Donald Trump, however? In his first year in the Oval Office, there were 1,000 documented lies spouted by Mr. Trump. That's roughly 3 per day. His attorney, Michael Cohen, paid Ms. Daniels $130,000 in hush money to keep her from sharing the alleged affair story. Not only that, but the porn star also passed a lie detector test which revolved around the alleged sexual relationship she had with the president. So, let me get this straight, a man who, directly or indirectly, paid a woman $130,000 to keep silent about an alleged affair, and who lies at least 3 times a day is more credible than the woman who was paid the hush money, passed a lie detector test, and has been caught contributing to a falsehood on just 3 occasions? If that's not sexism, I don't know what is.
2) I don't hear many people talking about this, but one thing which stood out to me about the interview was when Ms. Daniels said she never wanted to engage in intercourse with Mr. Trump, but that the sex was consensual. She also seemed to at least partially blame herself for putting herself in a bad situation, basically saying, "That's what I get." How can sex be consensual if one of the two parties doesn't want to engage in it? This very response she gave last night came across as eerily similar to many sexual assault and rape victims. They initially blame themselves; think they could have done something to have prevented the occurrence; and basically self-blame. Based on what I saw and heard last night, it seems to me that, while Donald Trump didn't physically force himself on Stormy Daniels and make her to engage in intercourse with them, for some reason, she felt pressured/obligated to do so.
3) It may one day be called the threat heard round the world. Regardless if one believes Donald Trump had an affair with Stormy Daniels or, in the case he did, whether or not it was immoral to do so, the alleged threat placed on the adult film star's life has to send shivers up and down your spine, especially when a child was literally in the picture. Allegedly, after placing her infant daughter in the car, a man looked at the child, back at Ms. Daniels, and said, "Beautiful little girl. It'd be a shame if something happened to her mama." While I respect Anderson Cooper, when he asked, "...and you took that as a threat?," I wanted to blare out, "Even a deaf person could hear that was a threat!"
4) Donald Trump and most of those in his circle appear to know less about our government and legal system than my 5-year-old Siberian Husky. Another area many ardent Trump supporters have bypassed with regard to the interview was when it became clear campaign finance laws may have been violated. Assuming for a moment Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money, whether or not Donald Trump paid him back may be irrelevant. As a matter of fact, reputable (and Republican) attorney Trevor Potter even said the odds of Mr. Cohen getting into legal trouble are greater had Trump not paid him back than if he had done so. Since the White House has contended Trump never reimbursed his attorney, these comments carry with them an increasing degree of intrigue.
Stormy Daniels' 60 Minutes interview was a nauseating, discomforting experience for me to sit through, but that has to pale in comparison to what Ms. Daniels has had to endure, and based on what all I witnessed in last night's episode, it'll likely pale in comparison to what Trump and his inner circle will have to endure in the days, weeks, and months ahead. While the law may not always be on the side of truth, the truth appears to run contrary to Donald Trump, which will make it all the more difficult for the law to be on his side.
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