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6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

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Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the nature of sexual harassment, and the often power imbalance between the harasser and victim, naturally provides the harasser with all the advantages. That is correct in cases where harassment has occurred, yes. In cases of false accusation, though, the accuser has nearly all of the advantages. And it's not as if it never happens, either: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_accusation_of_rape#Estim... https://en.…

I see your points about false accusations, but how many false accusations cases involve multiple accusers spanning back years?

I don't know, nor do I need to. That's the point.

Serious accusations need to be tried in a manner that involves evidence, sworn testimony, counsel, etc., precisely because of their seriousness.

In the meantime, online conjecture by parties with no standing should probably presume innocence until guilt is found, because a mob mentality should be beneath us.

I know someone who was falsely accused of something serious–decades in prison type stuff–and the news coverage alone destroyed his business and put his family through hell.

Anyone who's opposed to capital punishment because it prevents the accused from ever finding justice should also be concerned about the effects the court of public opinion can have on someone's life, and err on the side of withholding judgement when, again, there's no reason for us to judge this person unless we have direct dealings with the individual and need to make our own estimations out of self-interest.

What's happening in this thread isn't about self-interest, it's about self-satisfaction. That's neither useful nor wise.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#253
post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whether you mean to or not you're trolling this thread hard. Please stop now.

Just out of curiosity, what about his comment is trolling other than it being a contrarian opinion in this forum?

That is sufficient to qualify here, unfortunately.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#254

Really glad to see people like this getting called out. Dealing with sexual harassment/assault from someone in power is the last thing you want as a female founder - you have a million other things you need to do to keep your startup afloat, and you don't want to rock the boat if it affects your likelihood of being funded. Feels like the valley is slowly but surely changing. And yes, I recognize that this hasn't been…

The sad part to me is that this is just the part of the iceberg that is visible above the surface. I've heard stories from several female founders/VC's (not naming names or specific details to protect anonymity) who have experienced repeated unwelcome advances even after it was made clear they had a significant other. That's not as egregious as groping (one of the accusations in this article), but that's still sexual…

> I've heard stories from several female founders/VC's (not naming names or specific details to protect anonymity) who have experienced repeated unwelcome advances even after it was made clear they had a significant other. That's not as egregious as groping (one of the accusations in this article), but that's still sexual harassment by the letter of the law and slimy as hell every other way.

While I don't know the details of what happened here, there's nothing wrong or illegal about approaching someone and I'm more than a little miffed that anyone would consider it necessary (or good) to make "unwelcome advances" illegal. Yes, even unwelcome advances to married women.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> repeated unwelcome advances even after it was made clear they had a significant other Repeated unwelcome advances are not OK even if the person is single.

I am the very close relative of two women in tech. One of my relatives was on the receiving end of repeated, unwanted advances over the last several months, none of which were reported to HR because she didn't want to destroy her career at the company. Last weekend she received an unsolicited, nearly naked photo from the same male co-worker. Needless to say, he is no longer at the company. This is sad on two counts.…

I mean, there's a line. If he hadn't crossed it yet, then he hadn't done anything that needed or deserved to be fired for.

That's why the line is there.

I have to wonder if the woman in question made it clear she didn't appreciate the attention? It could've just been an idiot who took her silence as implicit approval, playing coy, etc, causing him to escalate to naked pictures.

And I'm not saying it's her fault, but communication goes both ways. And like I said, he may have just been an idiot.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#256
post #43
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, I read that, but is it necessary to be publicly on the record? Couldn't the information be privately confirmed, protecting the women from retaliation and still allowing the case/accusation to move forward? It just seems like an unnecessary risk/vulnerability. Of course, there's also the fact that by going on the record you also encourage others to do the same, which is an immeasurable benefit.

I am one of the three women who went on the record with my name: Niniane Wang. I initially asked to be anonymous, but no reporter would publish unless they had named sources. I knew that Justin was continuing to harass women. Using my name was the only way to stop him. In other words, yes, it was necessary to be publicly on the record.

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Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just out of curiosity, what about his comment is trolling other than it being a contrarian opinion in this forum?

That is sufficient to qualify here, unfortunately.

and now dang is going to harass him in an attempt to get him off the site. Dang doesn't appreciate being called out for his bullshit.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#258
post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The past 24 hours have been the darkest of my life." - This is all about me, not the women. I've had a rough time and I want your sympathy. "I have made many mistakes over the course of my career, some of which were brought to light this week." - I'm probably a pathological predator but prefer to view my illness and/or poor character as a set of "mistakes" because that's easier on me than admitting I'm a piece of sh…

I'm curious: if you were somehow in his position -- and were now actually genuinely apologetic, were actually blind to your own actions, were actually sorry for the harm you've done -- How would you word your apology such that it couldn't be interpreted in this (self-serving, not actually sorry) way?

A man who is blind to his own actions cannot sincerely apologize for them.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This comment is a microcosm of 'ddoolin's point. Step back and read it a few times, and think about what you're saying: you've presented an alternative view from my own, so sexual harassment must be acceptable to you.

I agree my reply was not helpful, but there was a point I was trying to make: Sometimes people who are keen to defend harassers might do so because they exhibit similar behaviours themselves or hold similar beliefs and want to defend themselves. Here is an example from this very story: Caldbeck tweeted in support of Uber: "Also mob mentality w @Uber right now. Guilty before proven innocent on everything". I genuinely…

or they do so because they've gotten seriously tired of the unfairness of it all.

When everything becomes sexual harassment, how can you trust accusations of sexual harassment?

It's like when people use the word violence to describe words, or call it rape when a man says something they don't like.

How can you trust the allegations in that sort of an environment?

It makes those of us who are a bit more moderate start to distrust everything we hear in terms of these loaded words. I've said this many times, but when you start using these words for every little thing, you do a disservice to those who are ACTUALLY being sexually harassed, raped, etc.

I for one cannot wait for this hysteria to end. I obviously don't believe men should be sexually harassing women (or vice versa), but the current climate has gone off the deep end. Things that would be considered simply misunderstandings, ackwardness, and so forth are getting people (mostly men) completely lambasted.

Re: 6 Women Accuse Tech VC Justin Caldbeck of Sexual Assault and Harassment

#260
post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The sad part to me is that this is just the part of the iceberg that is visible above the surface. I've heard stories from several female founders/VC's (not naming names or specific details to protect anonymity) who have experienced repeated unwelcome advances even after it was made clear they had a significant other. That's not as egregious as groping (one of the accusations in this article), but that's still sexual…

> I've heard stories from several female founders/VC's (not naming names or specific details to protect anonymity) who have experienced repeated unwelcome advances even after it was made clear they had a significant other. That's not as egregious as groping (one of the accusations in this article), but that's still sexual harassment by the letter of the law and slimy as hell every other way. While I don't know the de…

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