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The #MeToo Stories We’re Not Hearing

Retrieved from The New York Times Op-Ed of 7 December 2017.
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/opinion/the-metoo-stories-were-not-hearing.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_ty_20171207&nl=opinion-today&nl_art=0&nlid=71539928&ref=headline&te=1
155 words 5 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. predation
    the act of preying by an animal that kills and eats the prey
    This week Time magazine announced that its person of the year is actually a group of people: “the Silence Breakers” who have courageously outed the alleged sexual predation of powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes.
  2. viral
    relating to or caused by a virus
    But she only burst into the national consciousness last month when the #FreeCyntoia hashtag went viral.
  3. parole
    a conditional release from imprisonment
    She will not be eligible for parole until 2055, when she will be 67 years old.
  4. sexism
    discriminatory behavior towards the opposite gender
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  5. harassment
    the act of tormenting by persistent attacks and criticism
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  6. boorish
    ill-mannered and coarse in behavior or appearance
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  7. dropout
    someone who quits school before graduation
    An elementary school dropout and runaway born with fetal alcohol syndrome, at the age of 16 she found herself living in a Nashville motel with an older pimp called Kut Throat who drugged her, raped her repeatedly and forced her into prostitution.
  8. horrific
    grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
    Fortunately, most American women cannot say #MeToo about such a horrific ordeal.
  9. restorative
    tending to impart new life and vigor to
    Those who follow the issue of restorative justice have known Ms. Brown’s name for years.
  10. incarcerate
    lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
    Her father was incarcerated, and a trafficker named George Gilbert Howard, 20 years her senior, began grooming her for sex work when she was just 11 years old.
  11. negligible
    so small as to be meaningless; insignificant
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  12. syndrome
    a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease
    An elementary school dropout and runaway born with fetal alcohol syndrome, at the age of 16 she found herself living in a Nashville motel with an older pimp called Kut Throat who drugged her, raped her repeatedly and forced her into prostitution.
  13. susceptibility
    the state of being easily affected
    “The curve of human susceptibility to pain seems in fact to take an extraordinary and almost sudden drop as soon as one has passed the upper ten thousand or ten million of the top stratum of culture,” he wrote in “On the Genealogy of Morals.”
  14. stressed
    suffering severe physical strain
    Such abuse, Ms. Kruzan stressed, “is protected by silence.”
  15. traffic
    vehicles or pedestrians traveling in a particular locality
    Her father was incarcerated, and a trafficker named George Gilbert Howard, 20 years her senior, began grooming her for sex work when she was just 11 years old.
  16. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    There is a 2011 documentary, “Me Facing Life,” dealing with her predicament, which became a factor in changing the way that Tennessee deals with child prostitution cases.
  17. aggravated
    made more severe or intense especially in law
    A jury rejected her claim of self-defense, finding her guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.
  18. allegedly
    according to what has been declared but not proved
    On Aug. 6, 2004, when she was 16, she shot and killed a 43-year-old john in his home, when the man allegedly reached under his bed.
  19. abuse
    cruel or inhumane treatment
    But if the cases of high-profile men in politics, media and Hollywood are the cases at which the conversation stops, we will have missed a major opportunity to examine what the very worst sexual abuse looks like — and what we might do to stop it.
  20. impunity
    exemption from punishment or loss
    If ambitious, highly educated, well-compensated women at major news organizations are being harassed and assaulted with impunity, what is happening to poor and working-class black, brown and white women outside the media’s glare?
  21. diminishing
    becoming smaller or less or appearing to do so
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  22. hierarchy
    a series of ordered groupings within a system
    Nietzsche believed the lower you ventured on the social hierarchy, the less suffering mattered.
  23. commute
    a regular journey to and from your place of work
    Twelve years into her sentence, Ms. Kruzan received a break when Human Rights Watch brought national attention to her case, prompting the governor at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to commute her sentence.
  24. sentence
    a string of words satisfying grammatical rules of a language
    Ms. Brown was tried as an adult in 2006 and given a life sentence, which she is serving in the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville.
  25. behavior
    the way a person acts toward other people
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  26. staggering
    so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
    Though recent studies estimate that a staggering 86 percent of women in jail have suffered some form of sexual violence, the criminal justice system routinely fails to take this into account.
  27. documentary
    a film presenting the facts about a person or event
    There is a 2011 documentary, “Me Facing Life,” dealing with her predicament, which became a factor in changing the way that Tennessee deals with child prostitution cases.
  28. runaway
    someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
    An elementary school dropout and runaway born with fetal alcohol syndrome, at the age of 16 she found herself living in a Nashville motel with an older pimp called Kut Throat who drugged her, raped her repeatedly and forced her into prostitution.
  29. mitigate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
    She was sexually trafficked by her own parents, yet the mitigating factors of her abuse were not taken into account.
  30. speak out
    express one's opinion openly and without fear or hesitation
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  31. hysterical
    characterized by a state of violent mental agitation
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  32. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    Fortunately, most American women cannot say #MeToo about such a horrific ordeal.
  33. relentless
    never-ceasing
    “These are stories of relentless violence and forgetting,” Ms. Calvin said.
  34. reckoning
    problem solving that involves numbers or quantities
    The hope is that this continuing national reckoning will lead to a culture in which women are able to flourish without shame or fear.
  35. collaborate
    work together on a common enterprise or project
    I recently spoke to Ms. Kruzan and Elizabeth Calvin of Human Rights Watch, who now collaborate to end the use of life sentences without parole for minors.
  36. awakening
    the act of waking
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  37. courageous
    able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
    This week Time magazine announced that its person of the year is actually a group of people: “the Silence Breakers” who have courageously outed the alleged sexual predation of powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes.
  38. eligible
    qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen
    She will not be eligible for parole until 2055, when she will be 67 years old.
  39. elementary
    of or being the essential or basic part
    An elementary school dropout and runaway born with fetal alcohol syndrome, at the age of 16 she found herself living in a Nashville motel with an older pimp called Kut Throat who drugged her, raped her repeatedly and forced her into prostitution.
  40. influential
    having or exercising power
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  41. harass
    annoy continually or chronically
    If ambitious, highly educated, well-compensated women at major news organizations are being harassed and assaulted with impunity, what is happening to poor and working-class black, brown and white women outside the media’s glare?
  42. survivor
    one who lives through affliction
    Like many women in prison, “Laverne was sexually abused within her family and is a survivor of incest,” Ms. Kruzan told me.
  43. factor
    anything that contributes causally to a result
    There is a 2011 documentary, “Me Facing Life,” dealing with her predicament, which became a factor in changing the way that Tennessee deals with child prostitution cases.
  44. expanded
    increased in extent or size or bulk or scope
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  45. stratum
    one of several parallel layers of material
    “The curve of human susceptibility to pain seems in fact to take an extraordinary and almost sudden drop as soon as one has passed the upper ten thousand or ten million of the top stratum of culture,” he wrote in “On the Genealogy of Morals.”
  46. groom
    someone employed in a stable to take care of the horses
    Her father was incarcerated, and a trafficker named George Gilbert Howard, 20 years her senior, began grooming her for sex work when she was just 11 years old.
  47. culture
    all the knowledge and values shared by a society
    The hope is that this continuing national reckoning will lead to a culture in which women are able to flourish without shame or fear.
  48. celebrity
    the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  49. collective
    done by or characteristic of individuals acting together
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  50. consciousness
    an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  51. laboratory
    a workplace for the conduct of scientific research
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  52. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  53. accusation
    an assertion that someone is guilty of a fault or offense
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  54. vile
    morally reprehensible
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  55. monstrous
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
    Such talk now seems monstrous, yet a visitor from outer space could be forgiven for thinking that many of us continue to see things this way.
  56. routine
    an unvarying or habitual method or procedure
    Though recent studies estimate that a staggering 86 percent of women in jail have suffered some form of sexual violence, the criminal justice system routinely fails to take this into account.
  57. criminal
    someone who has committed a punishable act
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  58. violence
    a turbulent state resulting in injuries and destruction
    Though recent studies estimate that a staggering 86 percent of women in jail have suffered some form of sexual violence, the criminal justice system routinely fails to take this into account.
  59. emotional
    of or pertaining to feelings
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  60. alcohol
    a volatile compound made by distillation
    An elementary school dropout and runaway born with fetal alcohol syndrome, at the age of 16 she found herself living in a Nashville motel with an older pimp called Kut Throat who drugged her, raped her repeatedly and forced her into prostitution.
  61. unique
    the single one of its kind
    “Sara and Cyntoia are not unique,” Ms. Calvin told me.
  62. ambitious
    having a strong desire for success or achievement
    If ambitious, highly educated, well-compensated women at major news organizations are being harassed and assaulted with impunity, what is happening to poor and working-class black, brown and white women outside the media’s glare?
  63. significance
    the quality of being important
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  64. alleged
    doubtful or suspect
    This week Time magazine announced that its person of the year is actually a group of people: “the Silence Breakers” who have courageously outed the alleged sexual predation of powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes.
  65. altered
    changed in form or character without becoming something else
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  66. assault
    attack someone physically or emotionally
    If ambitious, highly educated, well-compensated women at major news organizations are being harassed and assaulted with impunity, what is happening to poor and working-class black, brown and white women outside the media’s glare?
  67. medium
    the surrounding environment
    But if the cases of high-profile men in politics, media and Hollywood are the cases at which the conversation stops, we will have missed a major opportunity to examine what the very worst sexual abuse looks like — and what we might do to stop it.
  68. chorus
    actors who comment on the action in a classical Greek play
    For all of the women who have had the strength to share their #MeToo stories, there remain so many women in our culture, most of them poor women of color, who lack the resources or opportunities to add their voices to the growing chorus.
  69. torment
    intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  70. adult
    a fully developed person from maturity onward
    Ms. Brown was tried as an adult in 2006 and given a life sentence, which she is serving in the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville.
  71. justice
    the quality of being fair, reasonable, or impartial
    Those who follow the issue of restorative justice have known Ms. Brown’s name for years.
  72. flourish
    grow vigorously
    The hope is that this continuing national reckoning will lead to a culture in which women are able to flourish without shame or fear.
  73. glare
    be sharply reflected
    If ambitious, highly educated, well-compensated women at major news organizations are being harassed and assaulted with impunity, what is happening to poor and working-class black, brown and white women outside the media’s glare?
  74. initial
    occurring at the beginning
    (Rihanna’s initial post on Instagram alone received almost two million likes.)
  75. suffering
    feelings of mental or physical pain
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  76. jury
    a body of citizens sworn to give a verdict in a court of law
    A jury rejected her claim of self-defense, finding her guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.
  77. focus
    the concentration of attention or energy on something
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  78. murder
    unlawful premeditated killing of a human being
    A jury rejected her claim of self-defense, finding her guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.
  79. utterly
    completely and without qualification
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  80. senior
    advanced in years
    Her father was incarcerated, and a trafficker named George Gilbert Howard, 20 years her senior, began grooming her for sex work when she was just 11 years old.
  81. opportunity
    a possibility from a favorable combination of circumstances
    But if the cases of high-profile men in politics, media and Hollywood are the cases at which the conversation stops, we will have missed a major opportunity to examine what the very worst sexual abuse looks like — and what we might do to stop it.
  82. major
    greater in scope or effect
    But if the cases of high-profile men in politics, media and Hollywood are the cases at which the conversation stops, we will have missed a major opportunity to examine what the very worst sexual abuse looks like — and what we might do to stop it.
  83. reject
    refuse to accept or acknowledge
    A jury rejected her claim of self-defense, finding her guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.
  84. resource
    aid or support that may be drawn upon when needed
    For all of the women who have had the strength to share their #MeToo stories, there remain so many women in our culture, most of them poor women of color, who lack the resources or opportunities to add their voices to the growing chorus.
  85. compare
    examine and note the similarities or differences of
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  86. recent
    of the immediate past or just previous to the present time
    Though recent studies estimate that a staggering 86 percent of women in jail have suffered some form of sexual violence, the criminal justice system routinely fails to take this into account.
  87. magazine
    a periodic publication containing articles and pictures
    This week Time magazine announced that its person of the year is actually a group of people: “the Silence Breakers” who have courageously outed the alleged sexual predation of powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes.
  88. guilty
    responsible for or chargeable with wrongdoing
    A jury rejected her claim of self-defense, finding her guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.
  89. minor
    inferior in number or size or amount
    I recently spoke to Ms. Kruzan and Elizabeth Calvin of Human Rights Watch, who now collaborate to end the use of life sentences without parole for minors.
  90. testify
    give a solemn statement in a court of law
    Ms. Brown testified that she believed he was reaching for a weapon and feared for her life.
  91. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    Evidence of the abuse she suffered was deemed inadmissible at her trial.
  92. understanding
    the condition of someone who knows and comprehends
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  93. national
    of or relating to or belonging to a country
    The hope is that this continuing national reckoning will lead to a culture in which women are able to flourish without shame or fear.
  94. flee
    run away quickly
    She also took money and two guns from the property before fleeing.
  95. extraordinary
    highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
    “The curve of human susceptibility to pain seems in fact to take an extraordinary and almost sudden drop as soon as one has passed the upper ten thousand or ten million of the top stratum of culture,” he wrote in “On the Genealogy of Morals.”
  96. prompt
    according to schedule or without delay
    Twelve years into her sentence, Ms. Kruzan received a break when Human Rights Watch brought national attention to her case, prompting the governor at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to commute her sentence.
  97. organization
    a methodical and orderly manner or approach
    If ambitious, highly educated, well-compensated women at major news organizations are being harassed and assaulted with impunity, what is happening to poor and working-class black, brown and white women outside the media’s glare?
  98. representative
    serving to typify
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  99. weapon
    any instrument used in fighting or hunting
    Ms. Brown testified that she believed he was reaching for a weapon and feared for her life.
  100. venture
    an undertaking with an uncertain outcome
    Nietzsche believed the lower you ventured on the social hierarchy, the less suffering mattered.
  101. shame
    a painful feeling of embarrassment or inadequacy
    The hope is that this continuing national reckoning will lead to a culture in which women are able to flourish without shame or fear.
  102. physical
    involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  103. burst
    come open suddenly and violently
    But she only burst into the national consciousness last month when the #FreeCyntoia hashtag went viral.
  104. suffer
    undergo or be subjected to
    Evidence of the abuse she suffered was deemed inadmissible at her trial.
  105. powerful
    having great force or effect
    This week Time magazine announced that its person of the year is actually a group of people: “the Silence Breakers” who have courageously outed the alleged sexual predation of powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes.
  106. estimate
    judge tentatively
    Though recent studies estimate that a staggering 86 percent of women in jail have suffered some form of sexual violence, the criminal justice system routinely fails to take this into account.
  107. lack
    the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
    For all of the women who have had the strength to share their #MeToo stories, there remain so many women in our culture, most of them poor women of color, who lack the resources or opportunities to add their voices to the growing chorus.
  108. forget
    dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
    “These are stories of relentless violence and forgetting,” Ms. Calvin said.
  109. grant
    let have
    She was granted parole in 2013.
  110. combine
    put or add together
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  111. actually
    in fact
    This week Time magazine announced that its person of the year is actually a group of people: “the Silence Breakers” who have courageously outed the alleged sexual predation of powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes.
  112. account
    a record or narrative description of past events
    Though recent studies estimate that a staggering 86 percent of women in jail have suffered some form of sexual violence, the criminal justice system routinely fails to take this into account.
  113. repeated
    recurring again and again
    An elementary school dropout and runaway born with fetal alcohol syndrome, at the age of 16 she found herself living in a Nashville motel with an older pimp called Kut Throat who drugged her, raped her repeatedly and forced her into prostitution.
  114. progress
    the act of moving forward, as toward a goal
    This is a sign of real progress.
  115. educate
    give knowledge acquired by learning and instruction
    If ambitious, highly educated, well-compensated women at major news organizations are being harassed and assaulted with impunity, what is happening to poor and working-class black, brown and white women outside the media’s glare?
  116. evidence
    knowledge on which to base belief
    Evidence of the abuse she suffered was deemed inadmissible at her trial.
  117. conversation
    the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas
    But if the cases of high-profile men in politics, media and Hollywood are the cases at which the conversation stops, we will have missed a major opportunity to examine what the very worst sexual abuse looks like — and what we might do to stop it.
  118. percent
    a proportion in relation to a whole
    Though recent studies estimate that a staggering 86 percent of women in jail have suffered some form of sexual violence, the criminal justice system routinely fails to take this into account.
  119. governor
    the head of a state authority
    Twelve years into her sentence, Ms. Kruzan received a break when Human Rights Watch brought national attention to her case, prompting the governor at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to commute her sentence.
  120. continue
    keep or maintain in unaltered condition
    The hope is that this continuing national reckoning will lead to a culture in which women are able to flourish without shame or fear.
  121. fortunate
    having unexpected good luck
    Fortunately, most American women cannot say #MeToo about such a horrific ordeal.
  122. property
    something owned
    She also took money and two guns from the property before fleeing.
  123. merely
    and nothing more
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  124. examine
    observe, check out, and look over carefully or inspect
    But if the cases of high-profile men in politics, media and Hollywood are the cases at which the conversation stops, we will have missed a major opportunity to examine what the very worst sexual abuse looks like — and what we might do to stop it.
  125. serve
    devote one's life or efforts to, as of countries or ideas
    Ms. Brown was tried as an adult in 2006 and given a life sentence, which she is serving in the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville.
  126. announce
    make known
    This week Time magazine announced that its person of the year is actually a group of people: “the Silence Breakers” who have courageously outed the alleged sexual predation of powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes.
  127. conclude
    bring to a close
    Comparing Africans (and laboratory animals) to a representative of the white upper class, he concluded, with some disdain, that all their torment combined “is utterly negligible compared with one painful night of a hysterical bluestocking.”
  128. fact
    a piece of information about events that have occurred
    The facts of Ms. Brown’s life are heart-rending.
  129. silence
    the state of being quiet (as when no one is speaking)
    Such abuse, Ms. Kruzan stressed, “is protected by silence.”
  130. serious
    of great consequence
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  131. receive
    get something; come into possession of
    (Rihanna’s initial post on Instagram alone received almost two million likes.)
  132. address
    the place where a person or organization can be found
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  133. protect
    shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
    Such abuse, Ms. Kruzan stressed, “is protected by silence.”
  134. issue
    some situation or event that is thought about
    Those who follow the issue of restorative justice have known Ms. Brown’s name for years.
  135. social
    living together or enjoying life in communities
    Nietzsche believed the lower you ventured on the social hierarchy, the less suffering mattered.
  136. attention
    the act of concentrating on something
    Twelve years into her sentence, Ms. Kruzan received a break when Human Rights Watch brought national attention to her case, prompting the governor at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to commute her sentence.
  137. claim
    assert or affirm strongly
    A jury rejected her claim of self-defense, finding her guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.
  138. strength
    the property of being physically or mentally powerful
    For all of the women who have had the strength to share their #MeToo stories, there remain so many women in our culture, most of them poor women of color, who lack the resources or opportunities to add their voices to the growing chorus.
  139. moment
    an indefinitely short time
    Without for a moment diminishing the pain and suffering — whether physical or emotional — of any woman who has now found the voice to speak out against sexism and harassment, for this moment of collective awakening to have a deeper significance, we have to address a very serious question.
  140. spoke
    a rod joining the hub of a wheel to the rim
    I recently spoke to Ms. Kruzan and Elizabeth Calvin of Human Rights Watch, who now collaborate to end the use of life sentences without parole for minors.
  141. drop
    let fall to the ground
    “The curve of human susceptibility to pain seems in fact to take an extraordinary and almost sudden drop as soon as one has passed the upper ten thousand or ten million of the top stratum of culture,” he wrote in “On the Genealogy of Morals.”
  142. system
    a group of independent elements comprising a unified whole
    Though recent studies estimate that a staggering 86 percent of women in jail have suffered some form of sexual violence, the criminal justice system routinely fails to take this into account.
  143. exist
    have a presence
    “Society forgets these people exist.”
  144. include
    have as a part; be made up out of
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  145. politics
    the activities involved in managing a state or a government
    But if the cases of high-profile men in politics, media and Hollywood are the cases at which the conversation stops, we will have missed a major opportunity to examine what the very worst sexual abuse looks like — and what we might do to stop it.
  146. human
    a person; a hominid with a large brain and articulate speech
    “The curve of human susceptibility to pain seems in fact to take an extraordinary and almost sudden drop as soon as one has passed the upper ten thousand or ten million of the top stratum of culture,” he wrote in “On the Genealogy of Morals.”
  147. public
    not private
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  148. study
    applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject
    Though recent studies estimate that a staggering 86 percent of women in jail have suffered some form of sexual violence, the criminal justice system routinely fails to take this into account.
  149. remain
    continue in a place, position, or situation
    For all of the women who have had the strength to share their #MeToo stories, there remain so many women in our culture, most of them poor women of color, who lack the resources or opportunities to add their voices to the growing chorus.
  150. matter
    that which has mass and occupies space
    Nietzsche believed the lower you ventured on the social hierarchy, the less suffering mattered.
  151. consider
    think about carefully; weigh
    Consider the case of Sara Kruzan.
  152. able
    having the necessary means or skill to do something
    The hope is that this continuing national reckoning will lead to a culture in which women are able to flourish without shame or fear.
  153. force
    influence that results in motion, stress, etc. when applied
    An elementary school dropout and runaway born with fetal alcohol syndrome, at the age of 16 she found herself living in a Nashville motel with an older pimp called Kut Throat who drugged her, raped her repeatedly and forced her into prostitution.
  154. possible
    capable of happening or existing
    Perhaps that’s why, in the weeks since the accusations of vile (and possibly criminal) behavior of Harvey Weinstein altered the public consciousness, and as our understanding of sexual harassment has expanded to include all manner of merely boorish behavior, some highly influential celebrities of color — Rihanna and LeBron James among them — sought to direct our focus to the case of a 29-year-old black woman named Cyntoia Brown.
  155. might
    physical strength
    But if the cases of high-profile men in politics, media and Hollywood are the cases at which the conversation stops, we will have missed a major opportunity to examine what the very worst sexual abuse looks like — and what we might do to stop it.
Created on Fri Dec 08 03:04:52 EST 2017

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