When a culture produces this much sexual assault, it's not an accident

[niyad]

When a culture produces this much sexual assault, it’s not an accident

This isn't just about Harvey Weinstein or Donald Trump.
Updated by Ezra Klein@ezraklein Oct 23, 2017, 2:20pm EDT

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“Harvey Weinstein is now a big problem for Democrats,” wrote CNN’s Chris Cillizza. “The Democrats cannot ignore their Harvey Weinstein problem,” wrote the Week’s Ed Morrissey. “Yes, Hillary — and the Democrats — Do Have a Harvey Weinstein Problem,” wrote the Daily Beast’s Keli Goff. Headlines like these were inescapable in the days after the Weinstein scandal broke. They are not wrong so much as they are incomplete. More than a dozen women have accused Donald Trump of sexual assault, telling stories that often mirror the stories told about Weinstein. Trump, of course, received advice and debate prep from the late Roger Ailes after Ailes left Fox News over a series of sexual harassment allegations.

Speaking of Fox News, over the weekend, the New York Times reported that Bill O’Reilly was still at the channel, after he settled a sexual harassment accusation for $32 million — in total, he’s now known to have settled about $45 million in sexual harassment accusations. Fox News signed him to a lucrative contract after that payout happened. So perhaps it’s really Republicans who have a Donald Trump problem, or a Fox News problem — after all, Fox News and Donald Trump have had more influence over the GOP than Weinstein ever had over the Democrats.

But let’s stop hiding behind these sorts of headlines. It’s America that has the problem. Pick an industry and you’ll hear stories. Journalism is being rocked by an anonymous list of men who are said to abuse and harass women; BuzzFeed is investigating a number of its senior employees; and Vox’s parent company, Vox Media, fired its editorial director after an investigation revealed misconduct. In Hollywood, there are now 38 women accusing director James Toback of sexual harassment. Rumors of sexual assault have spilled into the open about comedian Louis CK, actor Ben Affleck, and others.

Last week, the hashtag #MeToo took over social media. Virtually every woman I follow, on every social platform, no matter the industry or walk of life they came from, shared stories of harassment, abuse, and worse. I read searing tales from reporters and techies, chefs and yogis, civil servants and mountain climbers. There is a pervasiveness to sexual assault in America that defies the word “problem.” When a system creates an outcome this consistently, this predictably, in this many different spaces, you have to at least consider the possibility that the outcome is intended, that the system is working as designed.

Perhaps we need to do more than try to root out the worst abusers. Perhaps we need to rethink our sexual culture too.

. . . .

https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/10/23/16517948/sexual-assault-america-weinstein-trump

[BigmanPigman]

1. Half the population wants us to stay barefoot and pregnant

and what makes me feel really sick is that many women feel that way. Religion, politics, and economics are the most obvious sources for the unchanging view of women in modern society. AAAAHHHHHRRRRGGGGG!!!!!!

[raccoon]

2. Right. It's not an aberration, it's s the system itself that produces this. MT

[Nitram]

3. I suspect it is an issue in every large city around the world.

It's just now being widely reported in the US. The fact that it is not being reported elsewhere is for the same reason it wasn't previously reported in the US. Society just hasn't accepted that women's reports of rape should be taken seriously.

When I was an English teacher in Japan in the 80's I once assigned an article from a US media newspaper about the prevalence of rape compared to the number of reports that were filed with police or that resulted in convictions. I asked if it was a similar problem in Japan, and my students assured me it was not. Over the years, however, I heard numerous first-hand accounts from Japanese women who had never reported being raped - or, if they had, the police blamed the victim for dressing provocatively or being drunk, and it went no further. Parents discouraged their daughters from reporting rape because it would hurt their marriage chances or bring shame upon the family.

If anything, the US is ahead of the rest of the world in finally allowing the story to be told and publicized. Remember, it was in the US that sexual abuse by Catholic priests was first exposed. The initial reaction in Europe was that it was an "American problem." Then, little by little, it came out that it was a problem in every country with a population of Catholics. It turned out that it wasn't an American problem, it was a universal problem.

[niyad]

4. thank you for your response.

I do have one question. do you believe this is a problem only in the larger cities, as your post stated?

[Nitram]

5. No, not only in large cities, but the anonymity of a big city might provide predators with

more opportunities than a small town would. But certainly family members and family friends are just as dangerous in small towns. And I think the number of rapes goes up dramatically as the population increases. More people, more crime, more rape.

[niyad]

6. agreed.

[Eliot Rosewater]

8. Southerners in the civil war were against abolishing slavery for many reasons, not just

economic.

Slavery allowed white men to rape black women whenever they wanted and the truth is they raped white women as well with little difference legally.

Today it isnt about the South but about men who have right-wing bias to their thinking.

The idea that a woman can report them for anything, pisses them off.

[hoping4betterdays]

7. Our problem is the fact that rape isn't considered a crime to all.

Rape is one of the most heinous & evil things a person can endure but rape still isn't considered a crime to all. Rape is weapon of self-entitled people "majority men" to inflict power. And we have a lot of self-entitled men in positions of power making our laws. Just looking at court cases you can see the rape isn't an issue to them or a problem. Too many judges, police officers, politicians etc have sided with the rapist or sexual harasser over the victim. Society shames the victims. Society has almost always blamed the victim instead i.e. her clothes were too tight, she's showing cleavage, she's asking for it etc. Even the rapist himself will blame a 3yr old girl for getting raped claiming she i.e. seduced him or let him. And men are not just the blame, we have a society of women who turn a blind eye to rape too when it's convenient for them. That 3yr old girl could cry to her mama that she was raped & show visible wounds & her mom will say she's lying. She'll believe her rapist boyfriend because she doesn't want to lose him. What she benefits from him is way more valuable the her child's safety. It also happens in our daycares & schools, administration doesn't want to look bad so instead of reporting & stopping abuse they turn a blind eye to it. Rape is a taboo & uncomfortable subject that society wants you to keep to yourself, they've got too much to lose to help you.

Self-entitled people are selfish & narcissistic they really believe they are entitled to everything they want. They are even willing to steal it. They don't consider it stealing or rape because technically in their mind they own you already. Self-entitled men have always seen women & girls as property all throughout history, even in the bible days. They started out selling their daughters as brides which is rape considering the girl has no choice. Really it was prostitution since the father received a dowry. Daughters, wives, sisters & mother's are only seen as livestock for breeding purposes. Rape wasn't even considered a crime back then either, if a girl was raped her rapist had the option to marry her to stay safe. But what about the girl, she's being signed up by her father & family to be raped continuously for by her husband for the rest of her life. Not to mention being forced to raise his children.

The MeToo movement is just a start in the right direction for getting attention. These predators were depending on victims silence & society blaming victims to keep stalking prey. Rape has to be a crime in all of our eyes if we want it to stop. Society has to start teaching this is in sex ed. No means no, sex without consent is always rape. Our boys need to grow up being held to higher standards not just the girls. Dress codes can't be just about not getting the boys distracted. That goes for the men too. A woman should be able to walk down the street buck naked with out anyone trying to hurt & rape her.

[niyad]

9. welcome to du, and thank you for that excellent post.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

10. Great analysis 👏🏾

Thank you! I'll be rereading this.