The alleged murderer of Chelsea King, John Albert Gardner, no doubt is an individual manifestation of the rampant sexism in our society that frames women as objects. But his actions need to be considered in relation to a wider glorification of violence. Locking him up will do nothing to punish the larger perpetrator—the accomplice, the enabler—which is society itself.
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 Alcohol Excuse Just Doesn’t Cut It
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy holidays as much as the next person, but St. Patrick’s Day is one of the only holidays based on binge drinking (besides Purim and the U.S.’s debased version of Cinco de Mayo). It’s hard to get behind a holiday that potentially increases the risk of violence and sexual assault. Obviously alcohol isn’t solely to blame, but its constant presence in rape and assault cases is undeniable.
The Atlantic Responds to Our Roethlisberger Post
Last week I wrote about the way Ben Roethlisberger’s latest sexual assault scandal has been handled by the news media. In the piece, I pointed out that many columnists had failed to acknowledge the seriousness of the rape accusations. One of the columnists I cited in the post, The Atlantic’s Ta-Nehisi Coates, responded to my criticism the next day in a piece that drew many comments.
Apologizing for Ben Roethlisberger
Now that Roethlisberger is at the center of his second sexual abuse scandal in nine months, commentators have been forced to revise their typical skeptical responses. As it turns out, the classic approach of discrediting or blaming the victim doesn’t play as well the second time around, so, instead of maligning the quarterback’s 20-year-old accuser, many in the media have simply ignored her.