Writer Decries Rape Culture, Then Is Threatened With Rape

This is a sensitive topic, I've tried to write this in a way that is informative, without enough specifics to be triggering, but I'm putting this in bold above, just in case. This post might be trigger to sexual assault victims or rape survivors. All links in this post come with a similar warning.

The above headline is stolen, verbatim from this article at The Root. A brief summary of the issue: about five days ago, a very accomplished journalist/opinion-writer/pundit by the name of Zerlina Maxwell went onto the Sean Hannity Show to discuss the issue of rape and how it can be prevented. Sean Hannity had worked himself into something of a lather over some (admittedly poorly chosen) words by a State Senator from Colorado, from Maxwell's own summary of the whole situation (at Feministing):

Maxwell went on to say, basically, that the first conversation society needs to have is with men, telling them bluntly "not to rape". For those of us familiar with the concept, Maxwell was obviously talking about rape culture. Hannity, and some other conservatives, thought she was an idiot, who either didn't understand that laws against rape are apparently sufficient "proof" we tell men not to rape and that rape is bad, or that's so hepped up on denying women their right to own firearms, she'd say anything to justify that.

These responses, of course, don't actually engage with what Maxwell was talking about at all, and play at a level of willful obtuseness that is simply shocking. Apparently the only way to stop all this rape that's happening is to arm women, or, I guess, get them to stop dressing in such attractive clothing.

As if to prove the point (and break your heart) the internet decided to help out by proving Maxwell's point for her. For those interested, the absolutely hideous and disturbing insults, threats, and comments Maxwell's been inundated with on her Facebook page and Twitter account are represented in some of these links. I'm not going to reproduce them here, Suffice to say exactly what the (stolen) headline from The Root sums up so aptly. Maxwell appeared on a conservative show, for a conservative audience, and asked them to recognize the existence of rape culture. She did so not only by talking about current events and news stories, but by bravely revealing her own status as a rape survivor. For this she was mocked by the more serious and level-headed members of the conservative opinion world, and threatened, bullied, and harassed by the very people who perpetuate the rape culture she spoke of, all whilst they continue to deny it even exists. It would be funny if it wasn't so got-damn sad and tragic, and more than a little terrifying.

I've been paying attention to stuff like this as long as I've paid attention to anything, and I've vented plenty of outrage over the years as stupid news stories and (largely directed at) dumb conservatives. A lot of that I've vented right here on SGCE. But for obvious reasons, I think this one broke my outrage, I don't even feel terribly angry, just listlessly sad. This is so fucking depressing I don't know what to do with it, other than turn it over to y'all.

Apparently, laws against people killing hasn't prevented people from using guns to do so either...

Sorry, don't mean to distract from the main topic of this thread, but it is a related stream in that rape and gun culture mix all too well together, particularly when guns (like cars or other nonliving objects) are glorified as sexual objects along with the scantily-clad (or naked) women they are often paired with (heck, it's even a feature here on SG). Not to worry, I'm not going to go on some judgmental tirade, but I think it would be fairly imperceptive if someone didn't point out the fact.

The irony is that, often enough, it is a woman who's got the gun pointed at them forcing them to do something they'd rather not do, like getting raped. Apparently, this type of threat has reached virtual proportion through the gun debate itself (which Maxwell had the misfortune of discovering). I'm truly disgusted in conservative media and it's supporters (not that I wasn't before, but apparently my disgust has yet to hit bottom). Another thing, it's astounding to think that Hannity, who placed so much emphasis adversely politicizing the fertility rights of women, could so easily advocate gun violence as a first resort to preventing rape. How's that gun going to prevent pregnancy in cases of date rape?

I thought it was worth nothing that Maxwell took pains to point out that Hannity did nothing that would justify or even explain the backlash against her, and was supportive of her describing her own sexual assault. That makes me like him a teeny-tiny-little-bit-more, and it's worth differentiating (I feel, anyway) the commentators who are calling her "bizarre" (Glenn Beck's "The Blaze") or "idiotic" ("Chicks on the Right"), from those whose hostility descends into violence and threats.

But, yeah, y'know what? We have a large segment of the culture that is all enamored with gun porn (and I say this as someone who completely is, myself, really), and sees guns as the answer to all problems, and we have another segment of the culture that thinks that the onus for stopping rapes is on women to change their behavior, not rapists to change their's. The crosscurrent of those two cultures is where Maxwell, sadly, finds herself, so you shouldn't feel like you're going off-track if you want to discuss how those two relate, Fell.

That's one, of many, parts about this story I find so disturbing. There's no shortage of studies pointing out that most rapes are not perpetrated by a stranger with a weapon in an alley or during a home invasion. The scenario that most people describe when they talk about rape is a very far cry from what constitutes most rapes. There's similar studies that point to how many men have committed a rape, but don't consider themselves rapists, or what they did rape. It seems like those arguing logically (ie, not threatening or insulting) Maxwell are convinced there is only one scenario of rape, and that armed women every where could stop that cold. It isn't like factual information isn't presented to them or out there for them to challenge themselves with. They simply choose not to recognize it.

Also, as far as a wider conversation about rape culture, I think it's clearly one of those issues that bleeds outside of any easy left/right mapping. Cases wherein celebrities commit or are accused of rape, such as those against Julian Assange or Roman Polanski, show how quickly people nominally considered to be very liberal will throw in with arguments that perpetuate rape culture.

Specifically to the Hannity thing, I wonder whether this will be one of the moments that blows up in the right's face. We had the Akin and Mourdock moments that cost those guys their jobs.

Perhaps I'm looking for an upside here, but if there's some possibility that the vicious reaction to her appearance causes blowback for Hannity and Fox, I'd at least think something good came from it.

Part of it is a lack of understanding of what rape culture is and everyone's role in it. As a college aged kid...I remember scoffing at the notion of rape culture because "I'm not a rapist....my friends aren't rapists...how can there be a whole culture of rape if I can't see it?". A position that now in my late 30's...I clearly no longer hold.

Your average male adolescent/young adult doesn't get that you don't have to commit rape to contribute to rape culture. They don't see that coercion, pressure, etc; are part of that. They see that behavior as necessary skill sets in the process of trying to get laid.

I think what's most depressing to me...as an adult...is not only seeing how prevalent it is...but that it's accepted and in some instances found as funny in pop culture.

I dunno......hopefully this reply doesn't come off as aimless babbling.

Unfortunately, the only thing that will happen to Hannity for this is more "prestige" among his knuckle-dragging fandom for "standing up" to Maxwell.

Hannity didn't do anything other than disagree with Maxwell, she went out of her way to disassociate him from the harassment she's been getting and say he was supportive of her statements on his show. The guy might be a useless talking head and needlessly controversial, but trying to turn this story into a liberal/conservative point-scoring game is really fucking dumb and adds nothing to the conversation.

This trope of "Gun up and shoot all the rapists" is so bloody predictable and frustrating, that imma just leave this here.

I wouldn't say he did nothing. No, he's not responsible for his fans, but he did push the idea of violence-over-education, which is something he should be called out for. He advanced the idea that rape-culture cannot be changed. Again, something he should be called out for. He basically called for women to don a 9 mm burkha.

It's not dumb and it's not point-scoring.