Ex-Uncharted Developer Alleges Sexual Harassment at Naughty Dog

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Former Naughty Dog employee David Ballard has gone public with a claim of sexual harassment he faced while working at the Uncharted and The Last of Us developer: following the abuse, Ballard says he subsequently suffered a mental breakdown. After explaining the situation to PlayStation HR, Ballard alleges he was offered a significant amount of money to leave quietly -- an offer he declined.

In late 2015, I was sexually harassed at Naughty Dog by a lead. My work environment became extremely toxic afterward. In February 2016 I had a mental breakdown at work & Sony PlayStation HR became involved. When I told them about the harassment they ended the call and fired me the next day. They cited the company was moving in a different direction and my job was no longer needed. They tried to silence me by offering $20k if I signed a letter agreeing to the termination as well as to not discuss it with anyone. I declined to sign. I have been unemployed for 17 months since.
 
What was the harassment? He doesn't specify and comes out after 17 months of unemployment...
Also, Sony stated they have no record of the incident, and $20K to silence him?
That's a huge amount of money. I'd take it, dude is crazy for not taking it, if they really offered it. Whatever the "harassment" was, it couldn't of been THAT bad.

Seems this actually happened to him, or, he is coming up with an excuse to use a sympathy card and get employment elsewhere.
 
He should have taken the cash and kept his trap shut. Suck it up. It's not fair and it's not nice but that's what you have to do sometimes.

That's what terry crews did. I at least have a bit more sympathy for terry then this guy.
 
Without some sort of proof, it would become a "he said, She said" kind of thing. Which won't really go anywhere. By the end of it, he will have wished for the 20 grand.
 
An important statement from Naughty Dog

We have recently read on social media that an ex-employee of Naughty Dog, Dave Ballard, claims he was sexually harassed when he worked at Naughty Dog. We have not found any evidence of having received allegations from Mr. Ballard that he was harassed in any way at Naughty Dog or Sony Interactive Entertainment. Harassment and inappropriate conduct have no place at Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. We have taken and always will take reports of sexual harassment and other workplace grievances very seriously. We value every single person who works at Naughty Dog and Sony interactive Entertainment. It is of utmost importance to us that we maintain a safe, productive workplace environment that allows us all to channel our shared passion for making games.
 
delita said:
As a man, I'm sorry, I just can't take "sexual harrassment" seriously. If this was a WOMAN at Naughty Dog, I could totally understand it. But come on, snowflake, you're a grown ass man.
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People like you are the reason it is fucking impossible for men to come out and say when they've been harassed. No, they should not "suck it up". No one should have to deal with sexual harassment, man or woman. That is an utterly disgusting attitude to have and people like you are part of the problem.
 
SighTurtle said:
First 2 replies to this thread, are the reason why Weinstein got away with this for so long.

With that said, no evidence is being offered, so hopefully we can see others speak up if true.
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He gave no evidence and did not go into detail about the "harassment." Was it a woman? A man? Was it verbal? Physical?

If he would of went into detail, like Terry Crews, I'd be more inclined to believe it.

If a dude grabbed my junk, slapped my ass, put his dick in my mouth, I'd report it.

If a woman grabbed my junk, slapped my ass, put her dick in my mouth, I'd report it.

On the other hand, if they said they'd do those things, I'd laugh.
 
scojer said:
He gave no evidence and did not go into detail about the "harassment." Was it a woman? A man? Was it verbal? Physical?

If he would of went into detail, like Terry Crews, I'd be more inclined to believe it.

If a dude grabbed my junk, slapped my ass, put his dick in my mouth, I'd report it.

If a woman grabbed my junk, slapped my ass, put her dick in my mouth, I'd report it.

On the other hand, if they said they'd do those things, I'd laugh.
Click to expand...

If a woman sexually harassed me I would frighten her to the point that she would never attempt to do it again. As men THAT SHOULDN'T BE VERY HARD TO ACCOMPLISH.

If a man sexually harassed me I would beat his fucking ass.

In either case, no civil action required. They wouldn't do it again.
 
delita said:
If a woman sexually harassed me I would frighten her to the point that she would never attempt to do it again. As men THAT SHOULDN'T BE VERY HARD TO ACCOMPLISH.

If a man sexually harassed me I would beat his fucking ass.

In either case, no civil action required. They wouldn't do it again.
Click to expand...

I like my job though, so, I'd report them.
If I worked for myself though, or hated my job, I'm right there with you.
 
scojer said:
He gave no evidence and did not go into detail about the "harassment." Was it a woman? A man? Was it verbal? Physical?

If he would of went into detail, like Terry Crews, I'd be more inclined to believe it.

If a dude grabbed my junk, slapped my ass, put his dick in my mouth, I'd report it.

If a woman grabbed my junk, slapped my ass, put her dick in my mouth, I'd report it.

On the other hand, if they said they'd do those things, I'd laugh.
Click to expand...

His statement is dubious. It might have happened, it might not have. Its not surprising that ND found no evidence. If it happened I can't blame him for not naming names, however if it happened and if he's comfortable talking about it publicly it might not be the worst idea to email or call someone high-up at ND or someone at Sony Interactive PR and give them more information so they can look into it more. And if it happened to him it is likely it happened to more than one person so if there are other current or ex-employees that worked with the person that harassed him on that team he can talk to them. But being just him and without anything else to go on, it leaves the claim sort of hard to fully believe right now.
 
scojer said:
I like my job though, so, I'd report them.
If I worked for myself though, or hated my job, I'm right there with you.
Click to expand...

Maybe I just don't really understand as I've never been in any kind of position like this. I'm sure people want to take the high road. I'm just not a 'high road' kind of person. In the case of Terry Crews, he is a large intimidating guy, but he's also a celebrity - the fact that he was groped doesn't really surprise me, I am more surprised by how upset he was. These things affect people differently, though. Personally, I would just move the fuck on and not think about it.
 
delita said:
Maybe I just don't really understand as I've never been in any kind of position like this. I'm sure people want to take the high road. I'm just not a 'high road' kind of person. In the case of Terry Crews, he is a large intimidating guy, but he's also a celebrity - the fact that he was groped doesn't really surprise me, I am more surprised by how upset he was. These things affect people differently, though. Personally, I would just move the fuck on and not think about it.
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Hollywood, and the game industry, are very small and very connected. Sexual harassment is all about power and using that power to control and get what you want. Harassers know they're safe and can do whatever they want because they have power. It is very easy to get your name blacklisted in either industry. If you make waves with the wrong person it can sink your career permanently.
 
delita said:
Maybe I just don't really understand as I've never been in any kind of position like this. I'm sure people want to take the high road. I'm just not a 'high road' kind of person. In the case of Terry Crews, he is a large intimidating guy, but he's also a celebrity - the fact that he was groped doesn't really surprise me, I am more surprised by how upset he was. These things affect people differently, though. Personally, I would just move the fuck on and not think about it.
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Same. Though, to get "PTSD" about it and quit a job, it must of been a dick in his mouth situation and not an ass slap situation.

But I'm still not sure I believe the fella.
 
delita said:
If a woman sexually harassed me I would frighten her to the point that she would never attempt to do it again. As men THAT SHOULDN'T BE VERY HARD TO ACCOMPLISH.

If a man sexually harassed me I would beat his fucking ass.

In either case, no civil action required. They wouldn't do it again.
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You sound like an incredibly ignorant and insecure person. I will say this, if you beat anyone's ass, it's assault and you will go to jail.
 
scojer said:
Same. Though, to get "PTSD" about it and quit a job, it must of been a dick in his mouth situation and not an ass slap situation.

But I'm still not sure I believe the fella.
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It depends. Prolonged harassment can cause that as well. It really isn't that hard to cause someone to have PTSD. The mind is far more fragile than we'd like to believe.
 
scojer said:
I like my job though, so, I'd report them.
If I worked for myself though, or hated my job, I'm right there with you.
Click to expand...

delita said:
Maybe I just don't really understand as I've never been in any kind of position like this. I'm sure people want to take the high road. I'm just not a 'high road' kind of person. In the case of Terry Crews, he is a large intimidating guy, but he's also a celebrity - the fact that he was groped doesn't really surprise me, I am more surprised by how upset he was. These things affect people differently, though. Personally, I would just move the fuck on and not think about it.
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Its pretty clear to me that both of you cant understand the concept of rocking the boat results in you being ignored and then being thrown out into the garbage. If this Weinstein situation had not occurred, I doubt anyone would be speaking out, for fear of risking their career and future for nothing more than to be ignored and ostracized. These attitudes are the reason why this goes on and on, without ever being stopped.
 
Heh heh heh.

"Sexual Harassment" [5.47][edit]
Butt-head: Right now, I'm being sexually harassed by Kimberly.
Kimberly: WHAT!?!
Beavis: Yeah, me too, she's giving me a stiffy.
Butt-head: Yeah, and it makes it like uncomfortable to work and stuff….usually harasses me at least once a day.
Beavis: Four or five times for me, sir.
Van Driessen: I think YOU'RE sexually harassing Kimberly.
Beavis: No way! Chicks can't get stiffies!
[Beavis is staring at Kimberly while Joe Adler is pleading Beavis and Butt-head's case of sexual harassment against her]
Beavis: She's doing it again! She's doing it right now!
Judge: What is she doing?
Beavis: She's giving me a stiffy.
Judge: Giving you a what?
Beavis: Heh, you know…boi-oi-oi-oi-oi-oi-oi-oing.
Butt-head: [to judge] He has an erection.
Click to expand...
 
SighTurtle said:
Its pretty clear to me that both of you cant understand the concept of rocking the boat results in you being ignored and then being thrown out into the garbage. If this Weinstein situation had not occurred, I doubt anyone would be speaking out, for fear of risking their career and future for nothing more than to be ignored and ostracized. These attitudes are the reason why this goes on and on, without ever being stopped.
Click to expand...

I believe in resolving the issue at the lowest level. If John makes comments towards me I don't like, I'll ask him to stop. If he continues, I'll tell him to stop. If he still continues, I'll report him to my boss, then to HR. If it still continues, I'll go higher. If they offer me $20k to stay silent, I'll take the money.
If not, I'll keep going all the way. If they fire me, I'll take it public, file a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Not wait 17 months.

The dude had nothing to lose after he got fired. Why didn't he go public sooner?

Shit like this goes on and on without being stopped because people are too scared to speak out.
 
scojer said:
He gave no evidence and did not go into detail about the "harassment." Was it a woman? A man? Was it verbal? Physical?

If he would of went into detail, like Terry Crews, I'd be more inclined to believe it.

If a dude grabbed my junk, slapped my ass, put his dick in my mouth, I'd report it.

If a woman grabbed my junk, slapped my ass, put her dick in my mouth, I'd report it.

On the other hand, if they said they'd do those things, I'd laugh.
Click to expand...

The problem is when it's done by people in power. Imagine you're an upcoming Hollywood star. You're on the verge of landing a huge role as the lead in a new film by a hotshot director. This could be your breakthrough role into becoming famous and making millions. Your agent decides he wants to fondle you for a bit and tells you if you don't let him he'll blacklist you from every talent agency in the US. Your career will stop dead in its tracks because you didn't let that guy grab your junk. It's a tough situation to be in for a lot of celebrities and it took this one guy being caught on tape to finally make dozens of people come forward.
 
delita said:
Maybe I just don't really understand as I've never been in any kind of position like this. I'm sure people want to take the high road. I'm just not a 'high road' kind of person. In the case of Terry Crews, he is a large intimidating guy, but he's also a celebrity - the fact that he was groped doesn't really surprise me, I am more surprised by how upset he was. These things affect people differently, though. Personally, I would just move the fuck on and not think about it.
Click to expand...

Sexual Harassment can also take many forms. It isn't always touching

What kind of person you are is obvious from you're post.... ignorant

Unless you're independently wealthy there is no intimidating or no beating someone's ass at work. Course when you do beat someone's ass not only are you out of a job you're now in the legal system.. not to mention civil lawsuits.

Intimidating someone at work isn't acceptable either. That is harassment. As great as it sounds to be the keyboard warrior.... it's stupid as hell.

Moving the fuck on and not that making about it... so you tacitly support it? What if it doesn't move on?

It does matter if you're 72 pounds or 350 hulking muscle machine you shouldn't have to put up with it in the workplace.
 
vegeta535 said:
Why take 20k to be silenced when 2 years later he can come out a sue for millions?
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Because he's a man. Allegations of sexual harrassment reported by men typically result in nothing. I'd have taken the 20k and shut my mouth. I was laughed out of HR's office at Comp USA when a woman made unwanted sexual advances on me repeatedly.
 
Dan_D said:
Because he's a man. Allegations of sexual harrassment reported by men typically result in nothing. I'd have taken the 20k and shut my mouth. I was laughed out of HR's office at Comp USA when a woman made unwanted sexual advances on me repeatedly.
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The more men talk about it the more people will start to accept that it is a thing that happens. That said....Yeah, I definitely would have taken the 20K.
 
delita said:
As a man, I'm sorry, I just can't take "sexual harrassment" seriously. If this was a WOMAN at Naughty Dog, I could totally understand it. But come on, snowflake, you're a grown ass man.
Click to expand...
Sorry, not everone can be a "tough guy" like you apparently are. Even as a guy I've seen and been a part of some really stupid shit at work that I am glad I am no longer a part of. And in many cases, even if you are a victim if you react the way you seem to be implying to react, you will also be punished and I frankly do not want to be punished because of my reaction to other people. Employees need to protect their workers while on the clock.

That said, in this particular case ND said the guy never reported harassment. Either it never happened or he wasn't as open about what happened at that time and now its too late for ND to do anything about it.

Dan_D said:
Because he's a man. Allegations of sexual harrassment reported by men typically result in nothing. I'd have taken the 20k and shut my mouth. I was laughed out of HR's office at Comp USA when a woman made unwanted sexual advances on me repeatedly.
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That was wrong of them to do that. A lot of the harassment like this not taken seriously, I think in part because men are more easily able to physically defend them self against women than a women is again a guy.
 
delita said:
If a woman sexually harassed me I would frighten her to the point that she would never attempt to do it again. As men THAT SHOULDN'T BE VERY HARD TO ACCOMPLISH.

If a man sexually harassed me I would beat his fucking ass.

In either case, no civil action required. They wouldn't do it again.
Click to expand...

I click on a lot of Azureth threads, so I read a lot of stupid shit every day on this forum. However, this post is up there with the best or worst of them. Let me educate you on how the world really works Mr. Internet toughguy. If you attempted to "frighten" a woman who sexually harassed you, it would be the act of terror committed by you that would be reported to HR, not her sexual harrassment. As sexual harassment from females aren't typically taken seriously, your word vs. hers wouldn't work out too well for you. If a man sexually harassed you and you beat his ass without him physically attacking you first, you'd not only be out of a job, but might face jail time, fines and be treated as a violent offender from there on out.

Women, can and do sometimes sexually harass men. I've had it happen to me and I had to tolerate it because my spineless management wouldn't dare press an issue of sexual harassment against a young, single black woman harassing a single white male. I tolerated this shit for a couple of months with no recourse to make it stop. Asking her to stop, didn't work as she continued to do it anyway. It's rarer that women harass men because of how we usually feel about it vs. women, but it does happen.
 
bigdogchris said:
Sorry, not everone can be a "tough guy" like you apparently are. Even as a guy I've seen and been a part of some really stupid shit at work that I am glad I am no longer a part of. And in many cases, even if you are a victim if you react the way you seem to be implying to react, you will also be punished and I frankly do not want to be punished because of my reaction to other people. Employees need to protect their workers while on the clock.

That said, in this particular case ND said the guy never reported harassment. Either it never happened or he wasn't as open about what happened at that time and now its too late for ND to do anything about it.

That was wrong of them to do that. A lot of the harassment like this not taken seriously, I think in part because men are more easily able to physically defend them self against women than a women is again a guy.
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It's typically considered harmless when it's directed towards men because it's not a safety issue, or perceived as one. Men being horny fuckers, will generally not spurn the advances without mitigating circumstances.
 
NickJames said:
The problem is when it's done by people in power. Imagine you're an upcoming Hollywood star. You're on the verge of landing a huge role as the lead in a new film by a hotshot director. This could be your breakthrough role into becoming famous and making millions. Your agent decides he wants to fondle you for a bit and tells you if you don't let him he'll blacklist you from every talent agency in the US. Your career will stop dead in its tracks because you didn't let that guy grab your junk. It's a tough situation to be in for a lot of celebrities and it took this one guy being caught on tape to finally make dozens of people come forward.
Click to expand...

Make millions to get a physical? Sign me up!

I'd find a way to get it on video or audio and use it against him later in court.
 
scojer said:
Make millions to get a physical? Sign me up!

I'd find a way to get it on video or audio and use it against him later in court.
Click to expand...

Which is kind of what happened to Weinstein. Now with the advent of technology and every phone capable of being a hidden recorder, a lot more people in power are going to be caught doing shady shit.
 
Gavv said:
I'm not sure if you have seen the grown ass men as of late... they certainly don't resemble the men we usually think of....
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You're right - I forget that I'm on a gaming/hardware forum. I guess I'll just keep my mouth shut and stick to talking about the stuff this site represents. I am actually "more in shape" than Terry Crews @ 6'2 220lbs and I've never had anyone in my entire life make me feel threatened or violated in any way, shape or form. Maybe the fact that I give off the general vibe that I am an asshole and won't take shit from people helps me in that regard.

That being said - I don't think we'll see a march of men prostesting sexual harassment in the workplace anytime soon, and likely just more of the same "getting laughed out of the HR office".

Women have this problem WAY worse than men do and honestly I haven't even really seen it get much better for them, it's still a huge issue. That is part of why I consider MEN being sexually harassed in the workplace so silly. Think about if you were a woman. How much worse it would be. A lot.
 
delita said:
You're right - I forget that I'm on a gaming/hardware forum. I guess I'll just keep my mouth shut and stick to talking about the stuff this site represents. I am actually "more in shape" than Terry Crews @ 6'2 220lbs and I've never had anyone in my entire life make me feel threatened or violated in any way, shape or form. Maybe the fact that I give off the general vibe that I am an asshole and won't take shit from people helps me in that regard.

That being said - I don't think we'll see a march of men prostesting sexual harassment in the workplace anytime soon, and likely just more of the same "getting laughed out of the HR office".

Women have this problem WAY worse than men do and honestly I haven't even really seen it get much better for them, it's still a huge issue. That is part of why I consider MEN being sexually harassed in the workplace so silly. Think about if you were a woman. How much worse it would be. A lot.
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Sexual harassement isn't always about feeling threatened. For me, I simply found it annoying. Annoying to the point where management needed to step in to put a stop to it, which they refused to do. I agree this is a bigger issue for women than men, but it should always be taken seriously.
 
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Dan_D said:
Sexual harassement isn't always about feeling threatened. For me, I simply found it annoying. Annoying to the point where management needed to step in to put a stop to it, which they refused to do. I agree this is a bigger issue for women than men, but it should always be taken seriously.
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You're right - and I apologize for my blatant ignorance, obviously as this has not happened to me in my life I can't really comment the same as someone as yourself who has experienced.

That being said, I'm glad as fuck I took a remote job this year. Never going back.
 
delita said:
If a woman sexually harassed me I would frighten her to the point that she would never attempt to do it again. As men THAT SHOULDN'T BE VERY HARD TO ACCOMPLISH.

If a man sexually harassed me I would beat his fucking ass.

In either case, no civil action required. They wouldn't do it again.
Click to expand...

20 years ago, this may have worked, but now...you'll lose your job, even if you were harassed. More than likely what will happen, the woman whom you tried to intimidate will report you for harassment and no one would believe you that a woman tried to sexually seduce you.

If you beat a man's ass for harassment you'll be arrested for assault, have a felony criminal record more than likely, never be able to hold a decent job again, and struggling to tell your side of the story which no one would believe and think you're making it up so you could get a job again.
 
Dan_D said:
Because he's a man. Allegations of sexual harrassment reported by men typically result in nothing. I'd have taken the 20k and shut my mouth. I was laughed out of HR's office at Comp USA when a woman made unwanted sexual advances on me repeatedly.
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They did you a favour by teaching you a man can't play a womans game.

"I'm speaking out now because of the strength I've seen in others coming forward about their experiences in the TV/Film industry."

That's such a deluded view. There is no strength there, it's a damn real collusion of a conspiracy. Those bitches didn't complain when that wienstien guy was making them famous. Now they've face planted the wall they need something to dig up and destroy a man over. Plus everyone knew what he was doing, they are not "surprised to hear" as a lot of them are saying, it's just the tip of the iceberg on how Hollywood is, they're all deviants, and what is the game industry connected to?

Yea, this guy is a fool thinking he can play that womans game. All the manginas here have pretty much summed up why.
 
delita said:
You're right - I forget that I'm on a gaming/hardware forum. I guess I'll just keep my mouth shut and stick to talking about the stuff this site represents. I am actually "more in shape" than Terry Crews @ 6'2 220lbs and I've never had anyone in my entire life make me feel threatened or violated in any way, shape or form. Maybe the fact that I give off the general vibe that I am an asshole and won't take shit from people helps me in that regard.

That being said - I don't think we'll see a march of men prostesting sexual harassment in the workplace anytime soon, and likely just more of the same "getting laughed out of the HR office".

Women have this problem WAY worse than men do and honestly I haven't even really seen it get much better for them, it's still a huge issue. That is part of why I consider MEN being sexually harassed in the workplace so silly. Think about if you were a woman. How much worse it would be. A lot.
Click to expand...

I could care less about your physical size. Any more that means shit. There's always some who is a better fighter than you or someone just decides they aren't going to put up with your shit and shoots you.

Course I work in a semi secure work place and the chance the last one happening is next to none. Most of us are past the junior high stages in our lives so the beating of Ass is slim to none as well.

It depends on where you worked if you get laughed at or not. Some places yes. Some places take it seriously both from men to women, women to men and same sex to same sex. You may find it that some HR's don't take it serious. Ours does.

Typically yes women have had it worse than men and will for some time. But that is changing in places as well. Likely it just take a bit longer to include all those groups more seriously
 
MV75 said:
They did you a favour by teaching you a man can't play a womans game.

"I'm speaking out now because of the strength I've seen in others coming forward about their experiences in the TV/Film industry."

That's such a deluded view. There is no strength there, it's a damn real collusion of a conspiracy. Those bitches didn't complain when that wienstien guy was making them famous. Now they've face planted the wall they need something to dig up and destroy a man over. Plus everyone knew what he was doing, they are not "surprised to hear" as a lot of them are saying, it's just the tip of the iceberg on how Hollywood is, they're all deviants, and what is the game industry connected to?

Yea, this guy is a fool thinking he can play that womans game. All the manginas here have pretty much summed up why.
Click to expand...

Oh please. Get a fucking clue. This shit has been known in Hollywood for decades. There have been reports about it before, but he is rich and had power. There are tons and tons of reports going back decades about many powerful people in Hollywood abusing that power. Did you know that many child actors in the movie industry end up sexually abused? Its never been a well guarded secret. What were people going to do? Point fingers and risk lawsuits and have their entire careers ruined? The word of a very rich and very powerful person against one other person? They had no choices, people like Wienstien use fear to control people. It is all about power. And yes, people speaking out does give other people the confidence to speak as well because they realize their voice will not be the only one. Every time a big scandal like this pops up people speak out about their own experiences because they feel safe doing so.
 
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