What would your response be if someone you didn’t know very well seemed normal and friendly but you were told they assaulted/harassed someone?

8 comments

1. I’d get the fuck away from them asap and warn others to do the same.

2. I don’t automatically take what any random person tells me as a truth, so I’d keep the “accused” at a healthy distance while I asked around and/or did some digging to see if they’d been charged with anything, and then use that to decide whether I trust them or not.

3. [removed]

4. I would ask the ‘accuser’ some questions. What happened, how do they know, what happened after, etc…

   Then I would have to make a judgement. Does the accusation seem credible (first hand witness?), or does it seem tenuous (I heard it from x, who heard it from y?). Is the accusation very serious , like SA, stalking? Or is it more subjective ‘they double texted me?’

   I would completely discount someone ‘seeming nice.’ While some predators are obviously creepy, many seem normal and even charming. Bill Cosby and Ted Bundy spring to mind.

5. Keep my distance and treat them as a stranger I was passing in the grocery store.

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7. I’d ask for a little more info, but most likely would believe the accuser, especially if they said the person assaulted or harassed them personally. If they said that person harassed their cousin’s ex-girlfriend’s hairdresser or something, that might be a little different.

8. Depends on how much I know about them and the incidents. Most likely, distance myself from them for my safety.