Keller @ Large: Sexual Harassment Accusations Are Not 'Misunderstandings'

BOSTON (CBS) - Perhaps like many of you, I have been watching the parade of career-ending sexual harassment charges against prominent men with my mouth hanging open.

The behavior described and, in many of these cases, acknowledged by the perps is baffling and alien to me, behavior I believe most men would never even imagine engaging in.

Consider this interview with Sen. Al Franken by our sister station in Minneapolis.

"But have you ever placed a hand on some woman's butt?" a reporter asked.

"I can't say that that hasn't happened. I take thousands and thousands of pictures, sometimes in crowded and chaotic situations. I can't say that I haven't done that," Franken said.

You know what Senator? I take pictures with women I don't know all the time, and somehow manage to do so without inappropriate touching.

And how about these stories of Matt Lauer's behavior, in his workplace with co-workers as his victims? Are you kidding me? I've been in a few locker rooms in my time and I've never heard any guy even "jokingly" speculate about behavior like this.

It is also amazing to me how many of these perps try to cast their abuses as just misunderstandings of some kind.

Responding to what amount to accusations of rape, music mogul Russell Simmons says "her memory of that evening is very different from mine," and, "while I have never been violent, I have been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships."

Do you think?

Today, I want to say thank you to my parents, and to parents everywhere who raise sons who would never even think of acting this way.

And to anyone still thinking of this as normal guy stuff?

Wake up.

Talk back to me via email at keller@wbztv.com, or you can reach me on Twitter, @kelleratlarge.