It would seem that professional snowboarder Shaun White is under the gun again for a sexual harassment allegation. What we know from the link is that it has to do with his former bandmate from Bad Things, Lena Zawaideh. Within the legal papers that are provided in the link it details a lot of things that went on between Shaun and Lena, none of which were agreeable to Lena and a lot of which could have been avoided or simply not done. White has already gone on record stating that he has grown as a person throughout the years and has become proud of who he is. It doesn’t sound like there was a lot of mention about what he might have done and what Lena has accused him of.
The evidence that was given and the account seems pretty valid and if all the verbal accounts are true then it would seem Shaun White, who’s been such an inspiration to so many, is kind of a shady character when it comes to how he deals with women. There’s some business about his being a misogynist as well, meaning that he has nothing but disdain for women. That in itself is disturbing, but the fact that he doesn’t want to mention it and used the word ‘gossip’ to describe such matters doesn’t help his case any. He’s since apologized for his word usage, but in some cases, as now, it almost seems that he managed to get himself caught saying something he shouldn’t have and is only apologetic when it comes to being caught.
Personally the idea of going after people left and right simply because they’re men and could possibly be shaken down for something is kind of appalling. But this case seems to be fairly genuine as the pictures sent from Shaun to Lena would indicate. Whether he was a young man still learning to deal with women or not a lot of what he did and said was uncalled for. Lena had every right to feel uncomfortable with the way she was treated, but she also had the right to leave anytime she wanted. This is another point of frustration that men and even some women are starting to experience. Nothing is set in stone and nothing is worth risking your mental and emotional well-being when it comes to feeling safe and secure. Lena had every right to leave when Shaun started to make her uncomfortable.
It’s understandable that leaving could have possibly been harder on her, but it would have at least given her peace of mind to get away from the harassment. Nothing of what she’s alleging that he did is right, and it’s not deserved. But upon hearing that he settled with her out of court it should also be in the rearview at this point. If he’s started harassing her again then he needs to be made to pay for his behavior. But if the matter is being brought up after the settlement and after this much time, then people need to focus forward.
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