Today in Rape Culture

[Content Note: Sexual assault; rape apologia.]


This is, of course, an observation I have made many, many times, regarding a number of prominent men who have somehow, cough, managed to "survive" allegations of sexual assault — or, in some cases, like Mike Tyson, returned to public acclaim even after rape convictions.

For as long as I have been writing about the rape culture, which is a very long time now, it has been frustratingly, exasperatingly, rage-makingly true that allegations of sexual assault do not ruin men's lives or careers.

Donald Trump was elected as President of the United States of America after being accused of sexual abuse and bragging about sexually assaulting women. That should have put paid the lie that sexual assault allegations negatively impact prominent men's employment prospects.

And yet still we hear the same tired case being made, every time a woman, or a man, makes allegations against a prominent man.

It is demonstrably false.

But its veracity is beside the point. The people making the argument don't care if it's true. Its purpose isn't to insert some searing bit of honesty into their rape apologia. The objective is merely to convey that they care more about sex abusers than they do their victims.

Mission accomplished, every time. What's true or right has nothing to do it.

As is so often (always) the case with the rape culture.

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