Judi — ‘Charlie’s chick barometer was way off’

So it’s no surprise that CBS dumped Charlie Rose. In this climate, they really had no choice. But of all the men who have been accused of horrible behavior, the one I feel most sorry for is Charlie Rose.

And I think it’s because Charlie is past his prime. He looked tired and weak, and as though he would probably be retiring any minute or perhaps if not, he would be face-planting on the gleaming glass table he sits at while anchoring the CBS morning show.

Charlie Rose, of all of the famous men involved in what I like to call the sexual witch hunt, seemed the most feeble, the most harmless, and the most hapless. Although Charlie did enjoy a great deal of success at his various TV jobs, he didn’t seem like a real Hollywood power player like most of the accused are. No, Charlie Rose didn’t seem to have any game whatsoever.

Even the acts he is accused of seem pretty lame. I mean, allegedly touching a woman’s thigh, or allegedly walking out of a shower with your robe untied? These seem like moves that most sophisticated women would scoff at rather than fear. Plus, Charlie’s a southerner. Probably the type of guy who thought that was the way to “court” a woman, albeit aggressively. And something in me makes me believe Charlie when he says that he thought that the feelings were reciprocal. I think Charlie’s chick barometer was way off and that he really thought these women were attracted to him. Which makes it even sadder.

These men are not doing anything a zillion other non-famous men do every day. They’re just trying to “get with” women in the ways they know how. Because that is their biology. Of course they show a lack of self control and proper decorum but that’s not a crime. It may be rude or inappropriate...the type of thing that a woman would slap a man in the face for years ago. But all of these men losing their livelihoods and careers over this is sad to me as well as a complete overreaction.

Let me be clear: I do not believe that any of the acts that Charlie Rose is accused of fall under the category of “sexual assault.” That term has become as overused as the term “abuse” nowadays: It can mean whatever the accuser wants it to mean. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t inappropriate. He was. And also kind of simple and pathetic. And, compared to some of the other members of the unfortunate club that he is now in, he was pretty unsophisticated.

So I’m not angry at Charlie Rose — just sad, nd wondering who the next victim will be. And when I say victim, I’m not talking about a woman.

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