Over these past few days we have seen how the Kavanaugh affair has taken a really nasty turn. This video highlighting some key moments of Dr. Blasey Ford's and Judge Kavanaugh's testimony is at times really painful to watch.
In Spain, meanwhile, we have seen new cabinet member wrongdoing allegations emerge, with some impacting the President himself. These have ranged from higher eduction academic plagiarism to the set up of tax avoidance schemes.
One of the reflections that came to my mind connecting the two episodes is about the varying obstacles in getting to an objective factual truth in the different instances. And, in connection to this, the different levels of preparation required (and reasonably demanded) to explain the accused party's version of the facts.
Elaborating on this, in all the Spanish cases you can easily formulate a criticism of the initial responses provided in the face of the allegations presented. If you come under public scrutiny I believe it is that person's duty to present, in a reasonable timeline, an accurate and comprehensive account of the events. In the absence of that, uncertainty over the judgement deserved might remain, but sympathy quickly erodes – and justifiably so!
But then there are those cases, like the Kavanaugh one, where it is hard to visualise what evidence can be provided by either party to sway outcomes. From my superficial approach to the subject, I personally find that Mark Judge's Kavanaugh-named fictional character in his book influences the forming of my own opinion – and against Judge Kavanaugh, that is. Unfortunately, I am not sure we can collectively come to a very concrete standards definition in cases like this.
And then there is the other crucial question: what can be pinned down to forgivable 'sins of youth', and what not, what stays as somewhat permanent evidence of adult character? Again, no easy answer, particularly in a person's late teens. But if I had to give mine, it would oddly come down to my own perception of this person somehow having already paid 'a price' for those early condemnable actions, always prior to the public spotlight being shed on them.