Quote of the Day

[Content Note: Rape culture.]

"One of these accusers said that he grabbed both of her hands and asked for a date. If you took out the words 'Bob Filner' and inserted the word 'Ryan Gosling,' you wouldn't have a problem."—CNN contributor and criminal defense attorney Darren Kavinoky, discussing the Filner harassment case with Faith Jenkins and Don Lemon, who both told him he was an asshole. (I'm paraphrasing.)

Sexual harassment is not a compliment. And it is not determined by how "cute" someone thinks a harasser is.

It is determined by consent (or the lack thereof), by safety (or the lack thereof), by what is appropriate in a professional setting. If Ryan Gosling grabbed a female member of a film crew without her consent, and held her in place while he asked her out despite her evident discomfort, she'd feel sexually harassed, and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference how cute he is.

It might well make a difference in how likely he'd be to be prosecuted, though—thanks to narratives about how good-looking men don't "need" to harass (or assault) anyone, and how women "should be" flattered by any attention from a good-looking man.

This is rape culture.

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