She mistakenly thought he put his hand on her butt? Or she mistakenly thought he had sexual intent? The former qualifies as delusion, the latter means he inadvertently touched her and he should still apologize.
There are different evocations to me between "mistaken" and "delusional." Delusional has a much more pejorative edge that I do not endorse.
"Mistakenly thought he had sexual intent" is more on point. This is the "unprovable secret thoughts" that can never be truly settled, especially for events decades past.
I just don't remotely accept any person (myself included) to be perfect recording and playback instruments (exhaustive research supports this).
Yes, this is quite true; just having the accusations out there is damnation enough. I think these "court of public opinion," types of allegations are extremely unfair to people like Franken. But since we can't really stop these kinds of allegations, it forces the accused to make a statement. If you didn't do something, then just say you didn't do it. If you did it by mistake, then apologize for your carelessness. If you did it on purpose, then take your lumps.
Much as is happening as we circle around and around in this thread again, it's an endless parade of "but what if this phrasing doesn't match that scenario" dog-chasing-tail waste of time.
He gave a more-or-less "didn't think that was what was happening at all, but sorry for the upset I caused" apology.
Quibbling over the wording choices so exactingly, even to a neurotic crank like me who grates at language abuses, well, it reminds me of people I cut out of my life eventually because they would never, flat out ceaselessly ever, be satisfied or approving of me or they way I said something or performed a task, etc. (and most other people around them, too).
I can see an argument for a staged photo shoot (like he and Huffington posed for) where sexual touching is consented to and done to humorous effect. But that argument doesn't fly when a stranger comes up to him for a photo and he rests his hand on her butt. That is sexual and not at all funny.
Oh lord, do you not know convention atmosphere?
Male celebrities face lines of women playing up the arm candy role. Middle aged and mature women are often quite gropey, themselves (remember, after 30-ish, men go down but women go up, up, up). Or they will direct the celebrities hands into places. Yes, right in front of their husbands, it's playful taunting. "Better make sure you keep me happy, I'm on a TV star's arm, I could just trade up..."
Conventions, promo events, trade shows, it's not a matter of how much sexual innuendo and suggestive revelry is happening, that's pretty much what those events are. The rest is like...suggested themes. Drop by a ComiCon some time :9.
Like I've said before. This issue can't be resolved by demands for male behavior to change in a vacuum.
There's also cultural perspectives. I wonder if any French people look at this issue (Franken, specifically) and are just flat out confused what the issue even is.
ETA: "Convention atmosphere" is not to be taken as a "locker room talk" attempt to excuse Franken. It goes to the "context" argument that a convention is totally not a place to attempt satirical sexual humor (for a comedian who's repertoire in that regard was all the more humorous for how far off the "ideal male sex symbol" he is). As someone who has to stop every 10 feet to acknowledge people wanting their time, you'd probably just start to make best guesses based on very hastily read comfort/anxiety cues. If you meet tens of thousands of people, chances are you made a few mistaken reads along the way.
So you say sorry and hope they aren't in a vengeful mood and that some other calamity ensues more suiting to the constant appetite for salaciousness we all have.
