Arguing Semantics While Women Are Being Sexually Assaulted is the Right-Wing Way
(warning, graphic sexual language ahead)
Yesterday on Facebook I posted an article about how Faux News host Laura Ingraham lamented the face that all of these "new" sexual assault allegations were putting a damper on holiday parties. The exact wording was "sexual harassment and abuse."
The article in question had the headline: Fox complains women reporting rape will make Christmas parties less “festive”. I picked up on the headline and used my own comment: Yeah, just imagine how awful those holiday parties will be when you can't look forward to raping a co-worker.
Imagine my surprise (not) when a casual friend of mine who is well-known for his right-wing views but typically doesn't feel the need to crap on other people's pages with them decided to take umbridge at the wording.
That's right, not the behavior. The wording.
We're "throwing around the word rape" in his eyes.
Well thank you right-wing white male, I'll consult with you before I use the word rape from now on.
That's sarcasm, by the way.
In reading the "Me Too" posts over the past few months, I came across a number that talked about sexual assault happening at company Holiday parties. A number of women had no idea what really happened or who it was with. One story in particular, the woman said the party was at a hotel where the company had secured rooms to prevent people from driving drunk and the party was held downstairs. She probably drank too much at the party but I remember this part of the story "I'm not sure what happened - if somebody put something in my drink. Normally, I'm not effected to the point I pass out after a couple of drinks. One minute I was at the party, the next I was waking up in my hotel room. I felt like I'd been raped."
Are you going to tell this woman she wasn't raped? Are you going to say she's "throwing around the word rape" when all she has is a feeling?
I don't care about the legal definition, which likely involves penetration. If a woman is drugged, undressed, and brought back to her hotel room and things happen to her against her consent, that's rape in my book. I don't care if a guy just rubbed her boobs and jerked off, thinking that was "different." It's rape. I myself am a survivor of date-rape which I didn't talk about for decades because I blamed myself, the way some men want us to: I drank to much, I sent the wrong message, I should have not gotten in the car with him. I still would never parse words or argue semantics with a woman who says she was raped.
The words used were "sexual harassment and abuse." What defines "abuse" here? It's a wide definition, everything from groping to rape. It's meant to cover it all.
But the white male right-wing Republican wants to argue about using the word "rape" instead of condemning the culture that has brought us to this point. They want to re-frame the argument and take it away from the fact that women are being harassed and assaulted on a regular basis to the words we use. He wants to tell me when it's okay to use the word "rape."
Just like the white people who want to define when it's okay for African-Americans to experience racism.
Needless to say, he's gone from my friends list. Even people I thought were more moderate Republicans have been showing their true colors, especially the male ones. They'd sell their soul to the devil to stay in power.
Yesterday on Facebook I posted an article about how Faux News host Laura Ingraham lamented the face that all of these "new" sexual assault allegations were putting a damper on holiday parties. The exact wording was "sexual harassment and abuse."
The article in question had the headline: Fox complains women reporting rape will make Christmas parties less “festive”. I picked up on the headline and used my own comment: Yeah, just imagine how awful those holiday parties will be when you can't look forward to raping a co-worker.
Imagine my surprise (not) when a casual friend of mine who is well-known for his right-wing views but typically doesn't feel the need to crap on other people's pages with them decided to take umbridge at the wording.
That's right, not the behavior. The wording.
We're "throwing around the word rape" in his eyes.
Well thank you right-wing white male, I'll consult with you before I use the word rape from now on.
That's sarcasm, by the way.
In reading the "Me Too" posts over the past few months, I came across a number that talked about sexual assault happening at company Holiday parties. A number of women had no idea what really happened or who it was with. One story in particular, the woman said the party was at a hotel where the company had secured rooms to prevent people from driving drunk and the party was held downstairs. She probably drank too much at the party but I remember this part of the story "I'm not sure what happened - if somebody put something in my drink. Normally, I'm not effected to the point I pass out after a couple of drinks. One minute I was at the party, the next I was waking up in my hotel room. I felt like I'd been raped."
Are you going to tell this woman she wasn't raped? Are you going to say she's "throwing around the word rape" when all she has is a feeling?
I don't care about the legal definition, which likely involves penetration. If a woman is drugged, undressed, and brought back to her hotel room and things happen to her against her consent, that's rape in my book. I don't care if a guy just rubbed her boobs and jerked off, thinking that was "different." It's rape. I myself am a survivor of date-rape which I didn't talk about for decades because I blamed myself, the way some men want us to: I drank to much, I sent the wrong message, I should have not gotten in the car with him. I still would never parse words or argue semantics with a woman who says she was raped.
The words used were "sexual harassment and abuse." What defines "abuse" here? It's a wide definition, everything from groping to rape. It's meant to cover it all.
But the white male right-wing Republican wants to argue about using the word "rape" instead of condemning the culture that has brought us to this point. They want to re-frame the argument and take it away from the fact that women are being harassed and assaulted on a regular basis to the words we use. He wants to tell me when it's okay to use the word "rape."
Just like the white people who want to define when it's okay for African-Americans to experience racism.
Needless to say, he's gone from my friends list. Even people I thought were more moderate Republicans have been showing their true colors, especially the male ones. They'd sell their soul to the devil to stay in power.
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