The first step of the #MooreandMe campaign was to call out Michael Moore and point out that to mock accusations of sexual assault is to participate in rape culture. Survivors pointed out the fear about making an accusation of sexual assault, particularly against someone popular. Olbermann and Moore just reinforced those fears.
Rape Culture
Rape culture refers to a society in which sexual violence and abuse against women are normalized through all pillars of culture: gender roles, media, education, etc. The misogynistic attitude that prevails in countries like the U.S. continues to normalize rape, excuse it and blame its victims.
The Men, And Women, Of Yale
Nearly thirty years ago, in a column in the New York Times Magazine, conservative firebrand William F. Buckley waxed nostalgic about his college days at Yale. He imagined a young Yalie today, at the now-coed, gender integrated, university, longing for “a fraternity house that wouldn’t end:” Someday, damn it, we’ll have a treehouse of our […]
SNEAK PEEK: Sergeant or Sex Object?
“Up the skirt, pull down the panties.” That’s reportedly how U.S. military recruits learn a certain rifle movement during boot camp. With sexualized language teaching routine military procedures, should we be surprised that the military too often punishes victims of sexual abuse rather than the perpetrators? Natalie Wilson’s article “Culture of Rape,” looks at the […]
The Rape of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’
“The Swedish novel upon which this film is based was originally published under the title Men Who Hate Women. I prefer this, as it better articulates the sinister dynamics at play.”
Newsflash: USA Swimming = Catholic Church?
20/20 has broken news of pervasive sexual misconduct and abuse by coaches in USA Swimming, the governing body that oversees all levels of the sport, including the Olympics. Thirty-six coaches in the past 10 years have been banned for secretly videotaping, molesting, and/or raping young swimmers. But like the Catholic Church, USA Swimming apparently kept […]
Swedish Town Mobs Supported Rapist
When the Swedish investigative television show Uppdrag granskning (Mission Review) received a tip about an innocently convicted rapist, it set out to investigate a legal case gone wrong. Instead, it discovered a solid rape case that was nonetheless opposed by a town mob that firmly defended the rapist with arguments about his kindness, popularity and good […]