Toni
Contributor
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2011
- Messages
- 22,597
- Basic Beliefs
- Peace on Earth, goodwill towards all
My position is that no one at 19 is fully adult. My position is opposed to the draft with possible exceptions during some wartime emergencies and then, it should be focused on those older than 21. It might amaze you to know that women also serve in war zones and are doing so right this minute. Maybe you've heard of Tammy Duckworth? There are many thousands ( at least 200, 000) of other female service members and vets, many serving now in combat zones.In the beginning, I don’t think she knew it was a fraud or a con. And I think as time went on, she didn’t know how to dial things back or deal with the pressure, including pressure from the man who was sleeping with her and who may or may not have been controlling her to a great extent. Yes, legally she was an adult but her brain wasn't.Indeed. Holmes was selling a fraud, and she knew it.When I first read of her proposals, I realized immediately that this 'technology' was a fraud. And I'm not that smart.
So your argument is telling us she is not mature enough to know better? A 19 year old man could be drafted and off fighting a war somewhere.I’m not entirely certain that she knew it was a fraud. She dropped out of college at 19 to pursue this start up. Her background was entirely insufficient for her to know it understand the science behind her idea. No doubt she is extremely bright but at 19, even and maybe especially very bright 19 year olds lack the maturity, in part because they lack experience but also because they lack brain maturity that allows for more sound judgement. It is very likely that Holmes was very bright, very easily flattered, naive, arrogant and totally 19. I can see how she could have become very easily caught up in this heady combination of a professor encouraging her and telling her how brilliant she was and how rich she would become. In the beginning, I don’t think she knew it was a fraud or a con. And I think as time went on, she didn’t know how to dial things back or deal with the pressure, including pressure from the man who was sleeping with her and who may or may not have been controlling her to a great extent. Yes, legally she was an adult but her brain wasn’t.Indeed. Holmes was selling a fraud, and she knew it.When I first read of her proposals, I realized immediately that this 'technology' was a fraud. And I'm not that smart.
The feminists need to make up their minds how society is supposed to view women. OTOH, they will wholeheartedly agree with you Holmes is not responsible for her actions. And then when it suits their needs will then tell us out the other side of their mouth how we should not treat women like children.
Feminists want it both ways.
I think you skipped the part where I said that her young age and to a certain extent, gender, helped explain but did not excuse what she did.
Just like I'm sure you've conveniently forgotten every single time I've written that a male accused/convicted of a violent crime should not be charged as an adult under the age of 18 and frankly, probably not under the age of 21, at a minimum.
Yes, I know that lots of older teens unfortunately and even more unfortunately younger teens and pre-teens are in circumstances where they are faced with no option but to act in adult capacities despite still not being fully legally adults, much less actually having an adult's mental capacity for decision making. Trust me: I know that. I was that, in fact. And so were my parents. I can write pages and pages and pages of just how badly being treated as an adult and/or being forced by circumstances to act as an adult before you are an adult negatively impacts your life forever. But that's a different topic.
I think that she was more vulnerable to magical thinking: having a really good idea and knowing it was a really good idea but not having the scientific background or expertise to implement her idea or to recognize the limitations of her idea, much less have the maturity to resist the flattery and influence her much older professor who was having sex with her exerted. I have no idea if, at age 25 or 30 or at her present age, she would have been vulnerable to such influences as her professor's flattery, her own/other's greed, arrogance or whatever. At some point, I think she got caught up in things that were beyond her understanding or ability to control and yes, I think maturity or the lack of maturity played a huge role. I also think that being female, she was more likely raised to please others, to be obedient, or at least compliant, outwardly and to trust male judgment over her own, especially the judgment of older males. I can only imagine how heady it must have been to have all of these important and wealthy people throw millions of dollars at your project! Male or female! At such a young age! And the enormous pressure to make it work, even when, obviously, it did not. Male or female, that would have been an enormous amount of pressure. Let's face it: during the Great Depression, full grown men leapt out of tall buildings under less pressure than that.
I don't think any of that excuses her, but it does explain why she did what she did.