Sexual Harassment and the Feminist Front

By Rush Limbaugh
Few of my Thirty-five Undeniable Truths of Life have stirred as much controversy and
outrage as Number Twenty-four: Feminism was established so that unattractive women could
have easier access to the mainstream of society.
Many have suggested that this statement is too rough, insensitive, cruel, and unnecessarily
provocative. However, there is one absolute defense of this statement. Its called truth.
Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes the truth is jarring. Sometimes the truth is the most
provocative thing you can tell someone. But the truth is still the truth. And it needs to be heard.
Likewise, for years Ive been telling you that the feminist leadership is basically anti-male.
Ive said this in many different ways on many different occasions. But no matter how many times I
have said it and no matter how cleverly I have re-phrased this message, skeptics abound.
Oh, Rush, people say, arent you going a little too far? Arent you overstating your case?
Well, folks, once again, I have to say it. The evidence that I was right all along about
feminismas with so many other thingsis now overwhelming
The people who define modern feminism are saying that normal male deportment is
harassment, near rape, abuse, and disrespect. These extremists, who make up the intellectual
leadership of the modern feminist movement, are attempting to make the case that any expression
of interest by a man in a woman is harassment. Inevitably, this is going to lead to several serious
problems.
First among those is that men will become fearful about making any advances. This
attitude will confuse men about what is right and what kind of behavior is acceptable. If no
approach is welcome, then women will, by necessity, have to become the aggressors. Men will be
afraid of crossing the line.
The second major problem with this trend is that it trivializes real sexual harassment, real
rape. When people are labeling everyday, normal, male-female conduct as sexual harassment, we
not only obliterate relations between the sexes, but we greatly trivialize true sexual harassment.
Harassment is now being so broadly defined by some that it entails behavior that offends or annoys
or interrupts your life.
The fact of the matter is that women have far more power than most of them realize. Its a
biological fact that males are the aggressors. We all know this is true. That means that the ultimate
powerthe power to say yes or nolies with women.
If consent is denied and the aggressive male physically forces himself on the woman to the
point of penetration, then you have rapereal rape. But this is the exception. Most men are not
rapists. But militant feminists seek to blur the distinctions. Lets look at date rape, for example. I
have a problem with feminists seeking to expand the concept of rape by adding such adjectives as
date and acquaintance. Words mean thingsEspecially in these times of hyper-sensitivity, it is
very important that we are clear in our word usage. This is even more the case when the word in
question represents criminal behavior, in some cases punishable by life imprisonment. This is
dead-serious, folks. Rape means rape. It either is or it isnt. It matters not whether it occurs on a
date or on Mars. It is my belief that the date-rape concept has been promoted by those whose
agenda it is to blur these distinctions. By calling it date rape, the intent is to expand the scope of
the very serious crime or rape, and to include within the category of rape behavior that certainly
is not rape. Please dont misinterpret my meaning. As a firm believer that words have meaning,
Im very careful to use mine precisely. I condemn the act of rape as much as any other human
being would. It is inexcusable. Confusing its definition by trying to expand its scope deceitfully will
only redound to the detriment of real rape victims. That is unconscionable.

Some militant feminists apparently harbor such animosity for the opposite sex that they
want to criminalize the process of courtshipthe old-fashioned chase. I have news for these
people: its normal for boys to pursue girls. Its natural for men to pursue women. This normal and
natural process, once called the fine art of seduction, is being confused with harassment. What
was once considered an important part of the process of finding a mate is being mischaracterized
as rape.
How should you channel normal masculinity and the aggressive nature of the male? Would
these women prefer men as husbands, or leaders of marauding gangs? That is basically the choice.
Because women can beand need to be-a great civilizing influence over men.
Do you realize that in some cities today men can be arrested for making a wolf whistle at a
comely woman? Now, Im not suggesting that this is the kind of behavior we should encourage, but
should it be criminalized? And what are the consequences of this sort of overreaction? The
consequences are manifold. Its no wonder so many men and women have problems interacting.
Rules and regulations like these are presumably meant to foster improved relations between men
and women, but their effect is just the opposite. What is being fostered is an adversarial
relationship between the sexes.
Take, for instance, the young star of The Wonder Years, Fred Savage. The then sixteenyear old was hit with a sexual-harassment suit by a former staffer of the show, Monique Long, who
claimed that Savage repeatedly asked her to have an affair with him andegads!touched her by
holding her hand. The lawsuit also charged that Jason Hervey, another actor on the show,
harassed Long during her two years on the show as a costume designer, at one point touching her
in a sexual way. Long, thirty-two, claimed she was asked not to return to the show because of her
complaints about the actors.
Have things gotten to the point where a man, or a boy, cant ask a woman out? Cant flirt?
Is it a crime to hold somebodys hand? Wouldnt a more appropriate response to questionable
behavior have been for this thirty-two year old woman to call the teenagers parents? Or even slap
him in the face? Is our society so confused now about relations between men and women that a
mature adult doesnt know how to deal with a flirtatious sixteen-year-old?