Thursday, October 19, 2006

This is progress?

oh, well. the sole remaining cool pillar of israeli society - army officers' right to sleep with as many female underlings as they can handle - has been unceremoniously politically-correctified out of existence. israeli president moshe katsav, who seems likely to be charged with the rape of two female employees, is the latest high-profile israeli leader caught with his pants down concerning, well, getting caught with his pants down. how the mighty have fallen:

A society built partly on the conscious effort to project an image of strength tended to overlook such harassment. In fact, a certain amount of male rakishness often added to a prominent man’s allure. The alleged womanizing by national legends like Moshe Dayan, for example, was considered part of their mystique.

But the ground is shifting rapidly under the feet of the current crop of leaders as a result of legal and societal changes. This week, the police recommended charging President Moshe Katsav with the rape of two former employees, the most serious criminal allegations ever made against an Israeli leader. And on Tuesday, Justice Minister Haim Ramon went on trial, accused of kissing a soldier against her will.

so, apparently, israeli society is changing. but lest we think that things have gone too far too fast, the Times is quick to mention one expert - Ms. Rina Bar-Tal - who "said she was hesitant to declare a social transformation in what was still a patriarchal society." Well, what better way to follow that introduction than with a direct quote from Ms. Bar-Tal? Glad you asked: “The law is there and the police abide by the law, and the infrastructure of our legal system is working...I see that as a very positive note.” oh, that makes sense. cause for a second i had thought a social transformation had been going on. am i the only confused by that combination of sentences? here's the whole paragraph for you.

But Ms. Bar-Tal said she was hesitant to declare a social transformation in what was still a patriarchal society. “The law is there and the police abide by the law, and the infrastructure of our legal system is working,” she said. “I see that as a very positive note.”

Nice.

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