Guess what we learned this week: dicks are ever present in our world. There's dicks in Alabama, dicks in Hollywood, dicks in the media, dicks in Congress, and even dicks in the sky over Washington.

More women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Roy Moore in Alabama, bringing the total to eight. Senator Al Franken was accused-- with pretty overwhelming evidence-- of sexual misconduct in 2006. Twitter conversations and political commentary turned to the allegations against Donald Trump as he remained silent on Roy Moore while overtly damning Al Franken. Bill Clinton's transgressions were dug up from the simpler times of Seinfeld to the forefront of the discussion of sexual assault in the US. And, of course, the Navy brought pride to the service for the first time since Maverick and Goose buzzed a tower in 1986… by drawing a giant dick in the skies above Washington.

Dicks are everywhere.

Like most single girls on Tinder, I'm tired of seeing dicks on my phone.

More importantly, I'm tired of dicks trying to convince us they aren't a dick, making them a bigger dick than they were before. I'm tired of the debate turning to the moral hypocrisy of one party compared to the other.

Sexual assault and sexual harassment is pervasive in our culture and has been for longer than we've been a country. Were one to be a novice consumer of the news, they might think this is the most rampant disease in America and is a relatively new phenomenon.

Unfortunately, it's not.

If it seems like something new, it's most likely because the conversation has shifted in the past ten to fifteen years. Those on the receiving end of harassment or assault are more likely to believed-- or at the very least given the benefit of the doubt over those being accused. The new phenomenon is that the accusers are believed more than the accused… for the most part.

Enter the commentator who claims he's not a journalist unless others claim he's a journalist, Sean Hannity and the prime-time Fox News line-up.

Sean didn't come to the defense of Roy Moore nor did he condemn him immediately following the initial allegations-- indirectly landing him in hot water with Keurig and several other advertisers. Instead, Sean told his viewers the voters in Alabama should instead wait for the truth to come out, they should wait for the justice system to conduct its due diligence.

This appeal to justice and truth came a few weeks after his unabashed condemnation of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K. and his continued debasement of Hilary and Bill Clinton. A week later he condemned Al Franken.

For years, Democrats have overlooked the transgressions of Bill Clinton, instead choosing to focus on the positives of his Presidency. While not condoning his actions as they relate to sexual assault and harassment, they are wary to condemn him as well. From James Carville to Hilary, they've chosen to indirectly silence the women who accused Bill of sexual wrongdoing.

His misconduct was brought up again during the 2016 election with ads condemning Hilary as an enabler to a sexual predator. The latest allegations of other powerful men and the rehashing of his conduct were the subject of an article in the Atlantic. The article-- in a bona fide Sean-Hannity-certified-fake-news outlet-- brought up the reactions of Democrats to Bill Clinton's accusers and the hypocritical defense of the party in the '90's.

The conversations of Roy Moore, Bill Clinton, Al Franken and the many, many others under scrutiny has raised the question, what's the difference between the various men accused of sexual misconduct?

From a personal stand point, the difference comes in the reactions of those accused, the way they have answered the allegations publicly.

Hours after the allegations and picture were levied against Al Franken, the Senator issued an apology and welcomed an ethics investigation against him. Though many felt he should step down immediately or announce his retirement from politics at the end of his term, as a country we overlooked the fact that he is willing to accept the consequences of his actions. He didn't blame others, didn't blame the cultural atmosphere of the time, and didn't turn the conversation to the actions of others. He realizes there are more important things than being a Senator.

Similarly, Louis C.K. released a statement about his actions, apologizing to the women against whom he perpetrated these lewd acts. He chose to bear the burden of public opinion, the weight of his actions and accept the judgement of his fans.

There's a lot of things my father taught me about being a man and, more importantly, a good person. Chief among them was accepting the consequences of my actions, making my own decisions and living with the results of those choices. There's very few things in life we can control but the most important things we can control are our choices and our reactions to the results of those choices.

I don't condone Al Franken, nor do I think we should compare the credibility of his accusers to those of the others who've been accused. I don't think his actions are less egregious than those of Roy Moore, Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein, or Kevin Spacey. They have all contributed to the professional and societal acceptance of inappropriate conduct by men with power over others.

I do condone his admittance to contributing to it.

The first step to any problem is admitting there is one. By taking responsibility, perhaps we can start moving forward.

Keep your feet moving

Tired

Lip Service

Presidents and Precedence

The Right to Netflix and Chill

The Eleventh

Zoom Out

The Untouchables

Just... Stop

Process