Call it what it is
It seems that we have a really difficult time in our culture calling rape "rape." Plus we are inclined to give celebrities a free pass when it comes to sexual assault. In a recent reference to Kobe Bryant:
"No one mentions Kobe Bryant's little transgression anymore as long as he's playing some fierce ball. Kobe Bryant had sex with another woman [italics mine]. He held a press conference with his wife next to him (sporting a new diamond ring). . . . ," says Justin Herndon, director of publicity and news for The Publicity Agency.
Bryant was prosecuted for rape. The charges were dismissed when the victim decided not to testify. But at his press conference, he apologized to the woman acknowledged that she was not consenting. That is rape.
Roman Polanski is facing extradition from France back to the U.S. to be prosecuted for rape. Much to my disappointment, many celebrities are supporting him; Whoopi Goldberg says it isn't "rape rape." Does she mean "real rape"?
Polanski admitted drugging the teenager and sodomizing her. At any age, with either gender, this is rape. Then he ran to avoid incarceration. There don't seem to be too many disputed facts here.
Yet in response to the arrest of Polanski, some men and women are saying that he should not have to face the legal consequences for his rape of a 13 year old because. . . . . .
He is a great film director.
His mother was murdered at Auschwitz.
His wife was murdered by Charles Manson.
He's old.
He's very happy living in Europe.
His victim has moved on.
None of these facts has anything to do with whether he raped the girl. And if this isn't "real rape" I'm not sure what is.
The U.S. government is proceeding with his extradition. To not do so would be a mockery of the Violence Against Women Act and all that we have worked for the past 30 years.
I hope that faith leaders, instructors, media, and activists can use this opportunity of media coverage of the Polanski situation to talk about "real rape" and the importance of accountability for those who rape.
"No one mentions Kobe Bryant's little transgression anymore as long as he's playing some fierce ball. Kobe Bryant had sex with another woman [italics mine]. He held a press conference with his wife next to him (sporting a new diamond ring). . . . ," says Justin Herndon, director of publicity and news for The Publicity Agency.
Bryant was prosecuted for rape. The charges were dismissed when the victim decided not to testify. But at his press conference, he apologized to the woman acknowledged that she was not consenting. That is rape.
Roman Polanski is facing extradition from France back to the U.S. to be prosecuted for rape. Much to my disappointment, many celebrities are supporting him; Whoopi Goldberg says it isn't "rape rape." Does she mean "real rape"?
Polanski admitted drugging the teenager and sodomizing her. At any age, with either gender, this is rape. Then he ran to avoid incarceration. There don't seem to be too many disputed facts here.
Yet in response to the arrest of Polanski, some men and women are saying that he should not have to face the legal consequences for his rape of a 13 year old because. . . . . .
He is a great film director.
His mother was murdered at Auschwitz.
His wife was murdered by Charles Manson.
He's old.
He's very happy living in Europe.
His victim has moved on.
None of these facts has anything to do with whether he raped the girl. And if this isn't "real rape" I'm not sure what is.
The U.S. government is proceeding with his extradition. To not do so would be a mockery of the Violence Against Women Act and all that we have worked for the past 30 years.
I hope that faith leaders, instructors, media, and activists can use this opportunity of media coverage of the Polanski situation to talk about "real rape" and the importance of accountability for those who rape.
Replies
My youngest, of 6 kids, will turn 13 in a few months. Over the years, I\'ve known lots of other 13 year olds. Some were still like tiny little kids, playing with dolls or cars, climbing trees, not that different from what they were like a couple years earlier. At the other end of the spectrum, my best friend at 13 was emotionally and mentally mature beyond her years -- and she looked like she was 18...a tall Swedish beauty who, without meaning to, captured the attention of men wherever she went. Hardly anyone believed she was so young.
All this is to say...I don\'t care how the girl looked, how mature she seemed, how she may have moved on since then --- what Polanski did was a horrible crime against a child. It\'s been mind-boggling to me that anyone would attempt to minimize that in any way. I don\'t care what supposed great things someone has done or what unspeakable tragedies they have endured, no one should get a free pass to drug and rape anyone, especially not a child.
The \"rape rape\" thing is infuriating to me. It\'s as if the laws don\'t matter, consent doesn\'t matter -- what matters is some people\'s own ideas of what rape is. If my rape, or someone else\'s rape, isn\'t horrific enough or stereotypical enough or \"whatever\" enough to meet their crieria, we\'re just supposed to shut up and let the rapist go free, especially if he is more \"important\" than we are.
Rape is Rape - A 13 year old little girl - How sick - Polanski should be shot, hung or take the lethal injection. The man is a monster.
Worse yet, this one isn\'t even an age thing - it would have been rape at any age. This is \"rape rape\" - unless you think your director getting you drunk and refusing to listen to know isn\'t rape. Great video/rant by Jay Smooth( illwisdom.com ): http://womenandhollywood.com/2009/10/07/must-watch-polanski-rant/
Refusing to listen to \"NO!\" that is.
As for the rationalizations. Far more people than Polanski lost father, mother, and more in Auschwitz - most of them said \"Never again!\". This excuse is deeply insulting to the survivors of the Holocaust.
I agree that it is an insult to Holocaust survivors. Also, no matter what tragedies a rapist or his family may have endured, it does not lessen the suffering of the rapist. I don\'t find any healing or solace in the fact that one of the men who raped me had lost his wife. Even if I found out his life had been nothing but pain, loss, and sorrow, I would not think, \"Oh, that\'s different. Suddenly what he did to me is not that bad. I feel so much better.\"
I didn\'t mean to imply that if the victim was older, it would not have been \"rape rape\". It\'s just that age 13 is significant to me, and I reacted to that. And I\'m sickened by people excusing the molestation and rape of children that age by saying things like, \"Well, she wasn\'t exactly innocent\", \"She looked much older\", \"He was mature for his age\", \"She was acting seductively\", \"13 is not that young\", etc.
Rape is rape no matter the age of the victim. But there is something especially evil about raping a child.
Oops. I meant to say \"...it does not lesson the suffering of the rapist\'s victim.\"
I agree completely. And the effects are odd. I used to love Whoopi. Now I really just can\'t. I just don\'t listen anymore so again it\'s a part of me tuning out of \"society\" gosh and she was one of the ones I used to love to listen to. Thanks for talking about this ... proactive as opposed to my negative tuning out cutting off type of thing.
And Kobe ... It just show to me how careless and thoughtless people are...what does it say about people the sports casters the media decision makers ect. There was an article recently of how his housekeeper had to quit cause it was an unbearable environment to her...so it just shows his home life is not healthy either. He was on the front page of a magazine last week as if he has done nothing...fortunately Obama was on the front page of a magazine near by.
\"Rape Rape\"??!!!!!! I want to vomit...