Lessons for Scott Brown

Politics is mean business.  My guess is the junior Senator from Massachusetts knew this already; he didn’t get where he is as a retiring flower. Nevertheless, even he might have been surprised by some of the backlash that’s been tossed around regarding his revelation on 60 minutes last month that he was both physically and sexually abused as a child.Brown revealed some of the details of a difficult childhood, including suffering at the hands of an apparently brutal step-father, and also sexual abuse at the hands of a camp counselor at the age of 10. What he revealed is both time-honored and typical.  As I’ve noted before, I don’t have a crystal ball; that being said, I see nothing in Brown’s account that would suggest it’s made up or the product of fantasy. Particularly when describing the sex abuse, he notes it wasn’t “fully consummated,” presumably meaning that no sexual penetration took place. While full penetration certainly does happen in male child sex abuse, what Brown infers (sexual contact short of penetration) is generally more common. Likewise, the threats from the counselor he reports “I’ll kill you/I’ll make sure no one believes you” are also incredibly common.  They’re a primary reason that most victims never reveal childhood sexual abuse.  Further, Brown’s acknowledgment of the embarrassment and hurt that kept him silent is also eminently reasonable.Nevertheless, an unholy collection of comments from readers on various reports of Brown’s revelation (for instance at the 60 minutes page and also here) suggest several reasons why Brown has clearly made all of this up. While I think all of these explanations are wrong, from least to most ridiculous, here are a few:1. He wants to sell books.2. He wants votes.3. He is a homosexual, evidenced by his 1982 Playgirl spread, his metrosexually-handsome appearance, and his RINO (Republican In Name Only) tendencies. And he’s been “caught with a man,” so he’s on damage control.4.  He is a closet socialist, attempting to tear down institutions celebrated by Christian-capitalist systems like the nuclear family by claiming sexual and caretaker abuse.And then there are those who have nothing but scorn for Sen. Brown regardless of the truth of his revelations. Some of these are nakedly political, suggesting that, while perhaps he was abused as a child, he’s now getting back at his constituents and the American people by politicking as a heartless Republican.  Or on the flip side, his failure to be manly and keep silent on the issue betrays his deep-seated liberal tendencies.I’m not a Republican, even a Scott Brown Republican. I disagree with him on many issues, and I’ve seen him act and speak on more than one occasion that left me less than enamored. But I have reason to question neither the substance nor the timing of the allegations he’s made against the men in his life who made it miserable, frightening and dark- and exactly when he was powerless and dependent.To the extent that his voting record or political stances truly reflect an insensitivity toward victims, I agree that he should consider his own struggles more deeply. Although he sponsored a ‘conscience clause’ exception to medical professionals charged with providing emergency contraception to rape victims in his home state, his provision would still have mandated alternatives for the patient to receive the same medication. I don’t support conscience clauses, but I don’t see this as proof-positive of his callousness toward victims.More troubling to a bigger-government guy like me is what appears to be his faux-populist, anti-government stance that has the effect of starving programs that do make a difference in the lives of victims (programs I know work from close professional experience). That he tends to take this stance even while protecting a rapacious financial industry in exchange for a ton of campaign support makes it even more disturbing, but I digress.Scott Brown is as imperfect and complex as any of us.  He is also, in my estimation, someone who has worked hard to overcome myriad personal challenges, among them debilitating child abuse.  He deserves credit for coming forward, which- whatever his intentions- has the effect of shedding desperately needed light on this shadowed epidemic.  It also demonstrates that personal and professional success can still lie at the end of a very difficult road. For that, I salute him and wish him well as his journey toward healing unfolds.