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[BorkBorkGoesTheCode]

I mentioned the other day but the gerrymandering that went using the census data from 2010 has kinda fucked us over, so we need to make sure to keep bringing this issue up before the 2020 census leads to some nightmarish scenario in which the gerrymandering becomes so intense that it produces an eldritch summoning grid and allows That Which Gibbers Behind The Darkness to enter our universe and Feed.

Wouldn't that improve the demographics?

[Max™]

What, the gibbering horrors feeding, or pushing to get redistricting performed in a less insane fashion?

[Sheb]

So, if Pence drops out, Trump wins but the Senate is held by the Democrats, who do you think they would vote in as VP? I'm hoping for Biden myself.

[Folly]

Wanting to grope women = normal.

Thank you for self-identifying as a sexual predator, new guy.

By most definitions, the term 'grope' does not imply either consent or lack thereof, and therefore should not be be assumed as offensive or predatory.

The fact is that most people are instinctively driven to procreate, and to make excessive physical contact to facilitate that procreation. I'm not trying to make any judgement on whether such inclinations are good or bad, I'm simply stating that they exist within a majority of individuals. I'm also not making any judgement regarding individuals who fall outside of this category, except to point out that they are statistically in the minority.

Humans are also generally social by nature, and as such it should not be considered unusual for them to discuss these impulses in comfortable settings, occasionally with embellishment. Donald Trump talking about making aggressive advances on females is not particularly unusual among virile males, and as long as it was just talk then there is nothing particularly insidious about it.

When we are discussing a man who is proposing racially-biased actions which would affect the livelihood of millions, I maintain that a bit of locker-room talk from 10 years ago should be of relatively minor concern.

[birdy51]

The nature of most human beings being drawn to procreation is admittedly an underspoken element in society. I shall give you that point.

That said, Trump isn't just talking about exploits. He's talking about and admitting to exploitation. Groping and touching anyone inappropriately is never ok. Pursuing a romantic relationship with another man's wife (or vice versa) is never ok. Manipulating someone else for the sole purpose of sexual gratification is never ok.

Two people doing what they want when the lights are off? That's fine. But forcing yourself on anyone else physically or emotionally is reprehensible.

[Sheb]

So, apparently, the RNC is suspending the Victory mail effort on Trump's behalf.

[Starver]

Like, hello, we've got problems here on Earth to solve before indulging in this nonsense.

https://xkcd.com/1232/

[mainiac]

By most definitions, the term 'grope' does not imply either consent or lack thereof, and therefore should not be be assumed as offensive or predatory.

Well google tells us:
"feel or fondle (someone) for sexual pleasure, especially against their will."

[Folly]

Groping and touching anyone inappropriately is never ok.

Doing anything inappropriately is by definition unacceptable. However, when it comes to sexual contact, appropriate is somewhat loosely defined. Prior to being told 'No', appropriate is typically judged on a case by case basis and tends to be weighed heavily on the emotional response of the perceived victim.
In the specific instance Trump described, he did not give any reason to believe that his advances went beyond what was appropriate. Later in the tape he described much more inappropriate actions, but those were described as things he could probably get away with, not things he had actually done or had any intention of doing.

Pursuing a romantic relationship with another man's wife (or vice versa) is never ok.

This statement supposes a sanctity of marriage, which is very much an artificial construct our society inherited from religious institutions of questionable ethical background. The fact that cheating is so commonplace and divorce so frequent casts more than a little doubt on the reasoning behind exclusive monogamous relationships.
In any event, stating that pursuit of a romantic relationship with another person's partner is never acceptable completely ignores that possibility of a scenario in which all parties have given consent, which is not entirely uncommon.

Manipulating someone else for the sole purpose of sexual gratification is never ok.

I would argue that there is nothing implicitly wrong with pursuit of sexual gratification; it's a completely natural impulse, and when done safely, is mechanically harmless. Emphasis on mechanically. There are of course emotional concerns, but those are the responsibility of each party to evaluate for themselves before giving consent.
As for manipulation, that is an extremely broad term. Almost everything we do is a manipulation to some degree. Saying that manipulation is wrong is like saying that living in modern society is wrong.

[smirk]

We're the "alternate universe" for other universes to say "In some universe, Donald Trump ran for President and nearly won..."

For the next 50 years a staple of science fiction is going to be "what if Trump had been president?"  Just like a staple of science fiction is "what if Nazis won WWII?"

Eurgh; I hadn't even thought of that. There's no getting rid of him. He's dug into the national conscious now, like a tick. I hope at least we get a decade or two of reprieve before it becomes a common story element.

[Reelya]

Groping and touching anyone inappropriately is never ok.

Doing anything inappropriately is by definition unacceptable. However, when it comes to sexual contact, appropriate is somewhat loosely defined. Prior to being told 'No', appropriate is typically judged on a case by case basis and tends to be weighed heavily on the emotional response of the perceived victim.

Righto, so it's ok to grab ladyparts in public, coz you weren't 100% sure she'd say "no". Unfortunately, a lot of people, including lawmakers and police, have a different viewpoint. And if we're keeping it to Trump, he was definitely on the inappropriate end of the scale.

I also disagree with you on the connotations of grope. Grope in the basic sense means to grab at something in a haphazard way. In the sexual context 99% of the time it's used to mean inappropriate touching, i.e. opportunistically touching someone in a sexual way. Turning around and saying "well 'technically' grope could be a good thing" is a spurious argument, because that's playing semantics, is completely tangential to the discussion, and is clearly ignoring the actual meaning behind words other people are using.

[misko27]

...

For me the thing that really annoys me is that you are so wildly off-topic AND determined to convince everyone that what Trump said wasn't so bad, which is clearly a losing battle since even people who Trump personally insulted like John McCain didn't retract their endorsements until this. Acknowledge and accept that you are a minority both here and in general, and that what Trump said, at the end of the day, isn't nearly as important as the fact that people are actually taking it seriously for once.

[mainiac]

I have a growing sense of horror as I am starting to think that Folly is not being misunderstood...

[Reelya]

Folly's argument on the word "grope" is sort of like this

"Bullying is a bad thing"

"No it's not. Technically the word 'bully' can also mean 'dashing; jovial; high-spirited'. So clearly it's completely incorrect to say so-called 'bullying' is a bad thing. Perhaps they were just jolly, have you even considered that?"

[smjjames]

Folly's argument on the word "grope" is sort of like this

"Bullying is a bad thing"

"No it's not. Technically the word 'bully' can also mean 'dashing; jovial; high-spirited'. So clearly it's completely incorrect to say so-called 'bullying' is a bad thing. Perhaps they were just jolly, have you even considered that?"

Your link isn't actually a link, just letting you know. Also, that's the archaic definition.