As the World Turns - MESSAGE BOARDS

Let me first say that I am a raging feminist, so I in NO WAY condone sexual harassment or any kind of discrimination against women. My problem with Alison is that from the start, she gave Chris mixed signals and a bad attitude. On two occasions, she got partially naked with him, then pushed him away. It's not the fact that she didn't want to be intimate - that's her choice. But it is not okay to monkey around with someone's emotions. To say that you want to pursue a relationship, then constantly recant, is not right. She does the same thing with Aaron. He's so sweet and willing to help a damsel in distress. So she flirts with Chris, then runs to Aaron, making no serious commitment to either of them. Chris was wrong for lying in court, but he apologized sincerely, told her to continue nursing school, and even resigned. Allie refuses to relent, acting like an ice princess. As if she's never made a mistake. She's partly the reason why Dusty and Emily broke up, but someone forgave her. She has a terrible reputation, but someone forgave her. Maybe she should get off her high horse and at least make a step toward accepting Chris' apology. IMO, she always acted frosty with both Chris and Aaron, many times when it was uncalled for. Allie, Emily, and Susan are all a train wreck.

I'm not so harsh with Allison, but there's not a lot that I can disagree with here.

She should be more forgiving, especially because of her and her family's past.

He made terrible mistakes that he should pay for, and he is paying, but she was not completely innocent.

Boy you can say a big loud trainwreck with severe life changing circumstances!!!!

Allie needs to focus on getting herself together and stop gravitating between needing someone to rescue her and being a bitter tough-girl. Let's see her make some progress sans (without) the interference of a male catalyst, and I will be impressed. Just like Emily - Ineedamanneedamanneedaman!

Cannot argue that. But I've got a soft spot for Allie, especially with this girl playing her. The actress is soo likeable!

Alison drives me nuts. At times she's always down on her self about her pass and always bring it up. Poor me. She always has a guy protecting her. I always Fwd her, but I will stop at times to check out Chris, he's so handsome.

Since Chris helped rescue Allison and Susan from Rick Decker before............can't you see it happening again? Maybe then the ice princess will melt a bit.

The writers have a tendency to have a character go overboard for the sake of the story and I honestly don't think it rings true. Allison not being accepting of Chris' attempt to make amends is not the latest. Lest we forget:

1) Chris locking Allison in the medical storeroom to force her to listen to him? Chris would never do that.
2) Holden not being understanding of Lily a year or so ago and her emotional problems? Holden would not normally have such a lack of understanding.
Emily being unforgiving of Dusty for being with Allison given all he had done for her and all SHE had so maliciously done to Dusty?
4) And of course, the ruinization of the characters Craig and Adam by having them go WAY too far.

These seem like contrived conflicts instead of attempting to just tell a good story where you can understand each character's reactions.

What bugs me most about Alison (at least lately) is her flip-floppiness. She wants Chris/She doesn't (and that isn't an excuse for him to kill her reputation at work) ... she leans on Aaron/She tells Aaron to back off ... She wants her mom to stand up for her/She wants her mom to ignore Chris cornering her at the hospital today. She is just toooooo all over the place. Needs to pick a side and stick with it.

Precisely what I'm talking about, Kristi. You present a good point with how she is with Susan and Aaron. It's a continuum of wanting to be independent, but needy at the same time. Today, she told her mom to back off of Chris, but then declared that she never wants to see him again. Five bucks says they'll hook up. Five more says she'll go through with it, because Stewart women show the most affection when they're treated badly.

LOL PinkNikki! Allie is a connundrum right now. I don't think she trusts herself to know right from wrong now. She made some terrible mistakes in the past and now with men involved, she just doesn't know which way to turn. She wants to trust, she wants to think her past doesn't matter, she wants to be independant, but can't admit that she needs other people and their support. I think she has a problem equating acceptance and sex and thinks love is a seperate entity. I could be wrong (it has hapend) but that is my opinion.

I MUST take issue with the assessment of Allison's harssment suit. Harassment is harassment. A woman or man who is punished economically, professionally or socially for NOT sleeping with someone, and I don't care if it is post foreplay or pre-coital, is illegal and should not be allowed to happen. Anyone who believes Allison should have been kicked out of school, thrown off of patient care or even jeered at by other professionals for her behavior with Chris needs to look at what they are promoting. It is illegal, immoral and unethical to punish anyone professionally for their private and personal behavior.
We might as well go back to the Salem witch trials and the pillory or why not just brand an "A" on her forehead? Did the fact that she did not sleep with Chris make her less capable of treating patients? Was her act of semi-seduction effecting her ability to do her job? No. The rumors, innuendo and tension created by Chris actually was detrimental to patient care and his focus on his own ego had a delitorious effect on the hospital, its staff and the care of its patients.
The suit was justified, she should have won and Bob Hughes, the almighty protector of the family name, could have easily been shot down in flames for suggesting a negotiation with Allie to get her to drop charges. Kim could have and should have been named as well for promoting the rumor mill through town and most good lawyers would have gotten any attempt to bring up Allison's past history thrown out since it is NOT germaine to the question at hand, The porno film was never introduced into the situation, was not at issue and was never known until Chris brought it up. In fact, it could have been used against Chris in court since he could have been seen as using a past film as a form of blackmail to get Allie to go to bed with him. Chris was guilty of sexual manipulation and abuse. His tirade at her for being "crazy" when she couldn't go through with the act is evidence of his inability to deal with the word "no". His ego and testosterone ladden self-image were threatened and he had to punish Allie. Case closed.
I have spent my adult lifetime attempting to get people to stand up to this kind of crap . Women throughout the world have had everything from harsh physical attacks to psychological manipulation used against them to keep them under the thumb of immature and irrational men who are threatened by their confidence and ability.
Until all women understand the manipulations keeping them from achieving their goals and stop promoting those manipulations, we will continue to be oppressed. As sisters, we must stand up to it even when portrayed in soap operas, books and any media representation. The fact that ATWT did a story is good; The outcome, I question. The better outcome would have been a true jury trial and a stronger focus on the issue but then again....the writers themselves don't understand their own prejudice on the issue. They are a product of a paternally dominated society that until the 60's thought all women should be Donna Reed

Aaaah Cosmic Empress! There are days I wish we had stayed Donna Reed!

Easy, Cosmic Empress, nobody said that it wasn't a big deal or that she deserved what she got. What I believe we are trying to say is that she needs to take responsiblity for her own actions and stop being such a flip flopper. Chris is standing up and taking responsiblity. He feels guilty and he's leaving the hospital. He doesn't have to do that, no one made him do that, he's trying to do the right thing.

It doesn't make what he did before okay, but at least he's trying.

Allie doesn't have to forgive him, and I'm not saying she should, all I'm saying is that she needs to watch her behavior and learn from this situation because like it or not she contributed to this. She needs to stop reeling people in and shoving them away. That goes for Chris, Aaron, her mom and Emily.