Amy Cooper tells her side of the story
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,462
Location: Long Island, New York
‘Central Park Karen’ Amy Cooper says she’s ‘terrified’ to walk dog after viral 911 call
“I don’t know that as a woman alone in a park that I had another option,” Amy said on the podcast “Honestly with Bari Weiss” that came out Tuesday.
She claimed that she was about to put the leash on when Christian apparently told her that if she didn’t comply, he’d do something that she was “not going to like.”
“I’m trying to figure out, you know, what does that mean? Is that a physical attack on me? Is that to my dog? Like, what is he about to do?” she said.
She said Christian, who was holding a bike helmet in one of his hands, pulled out dog treats and called the pooch over to him.
I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, is this guy like going to like lure my dog over and try to like hit him with this bike helmet?'” she recalled.
At some point, she realized that Christian had begun filming her.
“It’s really weird because he’s still standing there, you know, same very physical posture, and suddenly out of him comes this voice from man who’s been very dominant towards me,” she said.
“Suddenly, you know, almost this victimized voicing [sic], [saying,] ‘Don’t come near me. Don’t come any closer,” she said. “Like, almost like he’s terrified of me … To me that’s even more terrifying now because you’ve gone from screaming at me — if you kept screaming at me, at least it was consistent, but now his whole verbal demeanor has changed.”
The dog owner said she asked Christian to stop recording her and when he didn’t listen, she decided to call 911.
I’d explored all my options. I tried to leave. I tried to look for anyone who’s around,” she recalled. “There was no noise, no sound. And it was, you know, it was my last attempt to sort of hope that he would step down and leave me alone.”
She said that the encounter and the ensuing backlash forced her to flee her home and has left her traumatized about taking her dog outside.
Christian could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.
Asked what she would want to say to him, Amy said that she’s thought about it “a lot.”
“I have zillion questions of course in my head or things I’d like to say, but the one that really, I really would just like to start and open this conversation with is, ‘You scared me,'” she said.
Entire Podcast with interview and commentary
Brief Wikipedia article on the person Cooper gave the interview to
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
It is Autism Acceptance Month
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
The simple and likely reality is that she would not have read the situation the same if he had not been black. Her fears were not reasonable. I know all about the "being a woman alone" part, and I get that caution is needed, but I don't believe for one minute that race didn't play a big part.
_________________
Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).
funeralxempire
Veteran
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 39
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 25,499
Location: Right over your left shoulder
It sounds like she thinks he had three hands. Dog treat, bike helmet, phone to record her, something don't add up unless he can juggle.
_________________
Watching liberals try to solve societal problems without a systemic critique/class consciousness is like watching someone in the dark try to flip on the light switch, but they keep turning on the garbage disposal instead.
戦争ではなく戦争と戦う
inb4 Cyberdad, Brictoria and TheRobotLives hijack this thread into a 50 page debate where no one wins because debates on WP have the same people arguing the same positions without changing sides
_________________
"One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."
Master Oogway
Don’t you know that all Black people have hidden multiple arms like Shiva?
It’s to attack and rob wh***y.
_________________
I am the dust that dances in the light. - Rumi
There is an anti-Karen serum.
And Karen’s are mad about it.
https://mobile.twitter.com/eiyawow/stat ... 42?lang=en
I prefer Lysol.It’s cleans and disinfects.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailyd ... ren/%3famp
_________________
I am the dust that dances in the light. - Rumi
funeralxempire
Veteran
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 39
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 25,499
Location: Right over your left shoulder
And Karen’s are mad about it.
https://mobile.twitter.com/eiyawow/stat ... 42?lang=en
I prefer Lysol.It’s cleans and disinfects.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailyd ... ren/%3famp
That's the grandmother we all deserve, right there.
_________________
Watching liberals try to solve societal problems without a systemic critique/class consciousness is like watching someone in the dark try to flip on the light switch, but they keep turning on the garbage disposal instead.
戦争ではなく戦争と戦う
I listened to the podcast yesterday, and it was interesting (I hadn't had time to put together a post about it)... I hadn't been certain that she was the victim of a previous sexual assault, but her reactions had semed to indicate the possibility - with this being confirmed during the interview. It was also enlightening to be able to listen to her 911 call alongside the video footage of her making the call to help understand the way she was speaking at that time (as well as her explanation regarding the call).
It was also quite interesting to read what Bari Weiss wrote about the interview:
Among them: our collective intoxication with public shaming. Our willingness to dispense with due process when we think we “know” the truth in the absence of evidence. The media’s complicity in perpetuating public judgments, even when the facts directly contradict those judgments. The lack of proportion in the punishments meted out to perceived offenders. The absence of any avenue for redemption or reconciliation when a breach has been made. And the mercilessness shown to those at the center of these storms, often leaving them suicidal and broken. (Thankfully, Christian Cooper tried to rein in some excesses of the public reaction: “I don’t know if her life needed to be torn apart.” And I hope it’s clear that attacking him isn’t part of our purpose here.)
Something else I hadn't considered, which is brought up in the interview:
Source for above: https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/the-real-story-of-the-central-park
To those with an open mind, hearing the "other side" to what occurred may help them understand events (whether or not they change their minds is irrelevent). Unfortunately, many people have formed concrete opinions on what occurred based upon hearing\seeing only a single side, and have no interest in the "other side" of the story. Worse still is that some of these would likely agree with the sentiments included in the messages\calls which Ms Cooper received following the incident (one example of which is included in the recording).
Considering his words about the event:
source: https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/the-real-story-of-the-central-park
Either he put the helmet on the ground and leaves it there while filming a portion of the interaction, or more likely had either dropped one on the treats on the ground before filming, or simply replaced it in his bag, then used the hand previously holding it to film.
The recording didn't commence when the interaction did, but instead after some time, removing an important section of context which could clarify a lot of what occurred, as well as introducing a degree of bias, considering it is recorded by a participant (rather than a - potentially impartial - bystander), who controls when the recording starts\stops, and focusses on the other participant's actions, while not showing what they were reacting to.
So, you are saying that any man who wasn't black wouldn't have instilled fear into her by the same threatening stance.
I haven't heard such logical nonsense in quite some time.
Kudos.
Isn't that an off-topic remark?
Those also derail threads.
I should know.
I am a black belt in "off-topic".
I'm tempted to reply to your post, but nahhh.
D'oh!! !
It was also quite interesting to read what Bari Weiss wrote about the interview:
Among them: our collective intoxication with public shaming. Our willingness to dispense with due process when we think we “know” the truth in the absence of evidence. The media’s complicity in perpetuating public judgments, even when the facts directly contradict those judgments.
I used to be a nincompoop ignoramus irrational person also when I was younger.
These days I realise there are almost always valid considerations on either side of the coin, hence my refraining from instantly and mindlessly adopting a narrative presented.
I profoundly realise that binaries are few and far between.
But then, is waiting for all the facts to come out really all that important when my virtue-signalling needs are chaffing at the bit?
So, you are saying that any man who wasn't black wouldn't have instilled fear into her by the same threatening stance.
I haven't heard such logical nonsense in quite some time.
Kudos.
I'm saying it is less likely. Although ... a big brawny guy covered in tattoos and scowling would probably have scared me. We all instinctively make unfair assumptions. The problem is not in having them. The problem is what we do with them.
Brictoria's comments, however, do soften my assumptions. If the woman was a previous assault victim, that is likely to have played a much larger role than race. Regardless, she handled the situation wrong. She let her assumptions, whatever they were, keep her from listening to and understanding what the man was saying and trying to do.
_________________
Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).
So, you are saying that any man who wasn't black wouldn't have instilled fear into her by the same threatening stance.
I haven't heard such logical nonsense in quite some time.
Kudos.
I'm saying it is less likely. Although ... a big brawny guy covered in tattoos and scowling would probably have scared me. We all instinctively make unfair assumptions. The problem is not in having them. The problem is what we do with them.
Brictoria's comments, however, do soften my assumptions. If the woman was a previous assault victim, that is likely to have played a much larger role than race. Regardless, she handled the situation wrong. She let her assumptions, whatever they were, keep her from listening to and understanding what the man was saying and trying to do.
Firstly, she stuffed up big time.
Made bad choices, but this is common for most people, in general.
We are all humans and skunks after all.
However,
The man acted unconscionably, intimidating a lone woman with threats such as "You won't like what I am going to do".
And the implied threat to her dog?
My dogs are like my kids and I have been in many situations where the gang-stalkers I have been dealing with, for most of my life, have implicitly threatened their safety.
In the best case, the man was a fool for what he did.
In the worst case, he was deliberately trying to intimidate a lone woman into submission.
Shades of a domestic violence situation, except he was a total stranger, I believe, which heightened her concerns.
From what I can see, the situation is completely, absolutely, a no-brainer and only one of the parties was at fault.
From what I can see, there was fault on both sides, but unfortunately, for the woman, women's safety is not as important as emphasising white racism.
I really don't understand this omnipresent binary mindset, especially in America.
I have to come to the conclusion that "Life is simple for simple people", these days, and that emotionalism Ttrumps critical thinking.
"Interesting".