Fwd: A friendly suggestion

Lawrence

If =ou are confident the Buzzfeed accusations are the only ones and that =ou can refute them, ignore what I have to say below. However if, in =our heart of hearts, you know that there are other potential accusers =ut there and that they would come forward in the event that, for =xample, you sued Melody and won, the following could be relevant.

In that event, I think the best hope might be =hat organisations which are disposed to boycott or otherwise penalise =ou might think along these lines. While we strongly disapprove etc etc =tc, blah blah blah, we feel that Lawrence has already been =unished enough. After going through what he's going through =ow, does anyone seriously think he'll ever offend in the same =ay again? If there's one man in the world who will never again =o what Lawrence is accused of, it's Lawrence. Therefore, the =rgument that women in this conference or that conference need to =e "protected" fails. So wny not give him anoher =hance? Punishment in the interests of reform is defensible. Punishment =or revenge or vindictive motives should not be indulged by rationalist =cientific sceptical organisations.

However my suggestion can only work if you fall on your sword =nd show contrition. While the Buzzfeed accusations in particular may be =rong and even libellous, if there are other potential accusers out =here whom Buzzfeed didn't quote ... well you know what l'= saying.

I have your best interests at =eart, as you know.

Richard

Richard.. am at the airport so I have to be a little quick. =nbsp; Thanks for the support and advice.. I appreciate both more than I =an say..

It is very =ard to answer your question because if you had asked me before the =uzzfeed allegations I would have not thought any of them would be made, =ecause aside from the consensual kissing with the crazy woman in 2006, =one of this has really happened.. Had you asked me if anyone was =oing to claim I grabbed someone else's breast during a selfie session, = would have laughed and said of course not.

We are indeed trying to =anage this to stop other false claims from being made.. .....=This is one of the reasons I am laying low.. because what happens =ometimes in these things is 5 new women who want their names in the =ews and who I may never have met could come out and say anything if =hey feel I am not being kicked enough.

Yet many people of goodwill want to =ear something. My hope is that I can write something to primarily =ttack the buzzfeed writers and not the people who made claims.. =nbsp;(and I have no intention to sue anyone at this point.. if I did it =ould be buzzfeed not melody..).. but at the same time show great =ontrition for 'not understanding in certain cases that the environment = created did not make people feel sufficiently comfortable to respond =o any remarks I made'... or something to that effect, =ven though as you know, I actually encourage quite the opposite.. =nbsp;Will send you the statement as it develops, and you can use it =onfidentially by March 3.. cause not sure when and if I will release it =ublicly.

Thanks very much my friend. hopefully this too shall =ass.. but we will see.

also please use this email for correspondence on this issue.. =ot my uni email. :)

FYI..=from Richard..