Do Roy Moore’s Accusers Have False Memories?

The human brain is an unreliable memory device.  It can forget events that happened and remember events that didn’t.

I don’t know  if the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by Ray Moore 40 years ago are true or not.   I do know that it is unlikely he would remember such casual affairs so many years in the past.  Many men would forget such affairs in weeks, if not days.   A young woman might consider an older man’s attention significant,  but to the older man the young woman is just another warm body who might be used and forgotten.

It is possible Moore doesn’t remember the incidents because they didn’t occur except in the brains of his accusers.  False memory can play a role in allegations of sexual abuse of young people.  Women and men sometimes falsely imagine they have had a  sexual relationship with someone that didn’t actually occur.   Talk show host David Letterman once had  a problem with a woman who thought she was his wife.   A  woman who was convinced she was married to singer Michael Jackson even challenged his will in court.

False memories in women can begin as sexual fantasies with “rape fantasies“.    Men sometimes misinterpret the concept as an indication that women want to be raped.    Such fantasies might be more accurately described as “action adventure” fantasies.    Males may fantasize about athletic achievements  or perhaps imagine themselves as someone like James Bond or Marshall  Matt Dillon.   Females seem less inclined to fantasize about being involved in sports or fighting evil doers which leaves contact with men as the potential subject of physical fantasies.

The accounts given by Moore’s accusers Leigh Corfman  .   and Beverly Young Nelson fit a pattern which could indicate they are fantasies.    The plots of each involve a dangerous encounter with an older man in which each accuser escapes without being raped.  Each is a damsel in distress who in effect rescues herself.

Memories can be affected by drug and alcohol abuse.    Leigh Corfman’s  use of drugs and   alcohol might have affected her memory of events from her youth to the extent that she might be  confusing
an old fantasy with an actual event.

Television  can also affect memories of past events.  Watching a program multiple times can lead to stronger memories of  an event depicted on the program regardless o whether the event is real or fictional.  Seeing a fictional event that is similar to an actual event or a fantasy event could result in the brain combining the events.  As I read Nelson account of what she believed happened to her I saw two brief images. One video segment  was a woman who seemed to be struggling.   The other was of a car leaving an area in a hurry.

Society Caused Military Sex Harassment Scandal

The current sexual harassment scandal comes as no surprise to those of us who understand the danger of not teaching young males to control their sex drives.

The first thing parents teach their children is to control their eating and sleeping cycles so they don’t expect to eat in the middle of the night. The next thing parents teach their children is to control when and where they expel waste products so the children don’t have to wear diapers. When I was young, the third thing parents taught their children was to control their sex drives.

Unfortunately, a few decades ago some very ignorant people decided there was no need to teach children to control their sexual inclinations. These people ignored the fact that all human males are natural sexual predators and encouraged them to fulfill their sexual fantasies. These people in effect told young girls that they were supposed to give into the requests of boys and learn to be sex objects.

When I was an adolescent, we boys were taught to respect girls’ sexual privacy. We expected girls to tell us no if we asked to have sex with them. Girls who gave in to boys were looked down upon and considered to have a “bad reputation”. Today girls who protect their sexual privacy are looked down upon.

Human males are natural sexual predators with some of us being more predatory than others. Many of us are satisfied with the situation mentioned in the old popular song — “a boy chases a girl until she catches him.” Many of us prefer a situation in which we don’t have to worry about our performance being compared to other males. Many of us think there are more important activities than sex.

Other males, such as former President Bill Clinton, believe women exist to provide them with sexual pleasure and may consider themselves God’s gift to women. In societies that discourage sex outside marriage these men may limit their actions to women with “bad reputations”. In societies that encourage casual sex, these men may expect most women to have sex with them. They may convince themselves that women who resist their advances are “playing hard to get” while hoping to be overpowered.

A third group “goes with the flow”. They will limit sexual activities if society discourages casual sex. In societies like ours they may feel that if they don’t attempt to have sexual relations with women, people will think there is something wrong with them. Some of them may feel relieved if they are turned down, but still think they should make the attempt.

“Make love, not war” was a popular slogan used by anti-Vietnam War protesters. Generations of soldiers have used “making love” to forget about the realities of war. Survival in war requires soldiers to live by the law of the jungle and be prepared to kill or be killed. Wild male animals not only kill, but in many species expect to have sex. The prostitutes who served the men of Civil War Union MG Joseph Hooker are believed to be responsible for the use of the word “hooker” to describe themselves.

Soldiers fighting in foreign countries typically have used local women for sexual relief. American commanders may feel it is better for American men serving in Muslim countries to be having sex with their fellow female soldiers than having sex with local Muslim women. Officers who know they might have to send those under their command to certain death, may not understand the psychological impact of allowing their male soldiers to force their attention onto female officers.

Some male officers may have an .attitude that female personnel should consider it an honor to provide sexual services to male personnel who face potential death in battle. The more sexually aggressive men, and some women, have a less personal attitude to sex than many women do. To them, sex is just another physical activity like playing football. These men may not understand those women who only want sex as part of an intimate personal relationship.

I’m not sure of current military practices, but I have read stories in the past indicating that the military has required women to share living quarters and shower facilities with men. In addition, women have been required to exercise with men. Such practices can sexually arouse men and reduce their respect for women’s sexual privacy.

In my next post, I’ll discuss actions the military might take to reduce sexual assaults and harassment.