--- In [email protected], "L B Shriver" [...] > If I may be permitted a small digression: the term "spiritual incest" cannot be correctly > understood by exactly parsing its constituents. It has a special meaning which applies > most clearly in the cult context. You have argued against its application here based on > your parsing, including the argument quoted above regarding the ages of the victims. > > Spiritual incest is a special kind of sexual abuse that takes place in institutional and/or > cult settings (Catholic Church, TMO). It is similar to the kind of abuse that takes place in, > for example, university settings where faculty take sexual advantage of students, or for > that matter, prison settings where guards take advantage of inmates. The "spiritual" aspect > of the term signifies the religious or cult setting. >
So you think that in this context, at least, MMY's secretaries are vulnerable because they are cult followers? > All such abuses have in common an asymetric power relationship between the perpetrator > and the victim. This is why they are all considered unethical/immoral, and why laws exist > to protect those in the weaker position. So, not one of those exploited females has felt sufficiently safe to "blow the whistle" on MMY? > > In the religious/spiritual/cult setting, the perpetrator often has more power over the > victim than the "traditional" incest perpetrator. A guru, for example, is often believed to > be: > > enlightened > spiritually perfect > divine (avatar, incarnation of God, etc) > all powerful (master of sidhis, etc) > > in addition to which, he/she may be fulfilling a parental role that the victim may not > even be consciously aware of. > > Another small digression: Many people have commented in this forum that they think > MMY's alleged infractions amount to "no big deal". However, for the reasons I have > referred to above, such abuses are universally condemned in civil society. > By definition, "abuses" are condemned in civil society. We still have not established that the incidents happened or if they did that they were "abuse." For there to be abuse, MMY's secretaries would have to be in the social position that you describe above. Were they? > This is the context in which our discussion is relevant. Your point about the ages of the > victims applies to "ordinary" incest, not the variety we are dealing with here. Age implies vulnerability. As you've pointed out, there are other measures of vulnerability. Which measures apply to MMY's secretaries and why? ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/JjtolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
