Politics-What's on your mind?

[GeorgiaMa'am]

I was listening to NPR's All Things Considered, and heard an interviewee state that, as regards rape victims, we must encourage the culture to not only believe what they have to say, people must also consider their experiences to be important. For example, most people (even Republicans) believed Christine Blasey Ford was telling the truth about Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulting her, but they did not consider it important enough to deny Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination.

This highlighted what has been a blind spot for me - I have believed, I think, that of course everyone believes rape is important and serious. But now that this has been pointed out to me, I have realized that _of course_ there are many people, probably mostly men, who don't consider it important at all, or of little importance. Very disheartening when thinking about the human race.

I also think my belief was a creation of the way I was raised, to be a white, Southern "lady", whose "virtue" was to be protected at all costs. I had not thought about this particular issue beyond my own experience. It had to be brought to my attention by this interview; on the surface of it, of course what I believed is true, i.e., rape is a terrible crime. I had just not seen it from a bigger perspective, i.e., not everyone feels that way.

[dark_crystal]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaMa'am

I was listening to NPR's All Things Considered, and heard an interviewee state that, as regards rape victims, we must encourage the culture to not only believe what they have to say, people must also consider their experiences to be important. For example, most people (even Republicans) believed Christine Blasey Ford was telling the truth about Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulting her, but they did not consider it important enough to deny Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination.

This highlighted what has been a blind spot for me - I have believed, I think, that of course everyone believes rape is important and serious. But now that this has been pointed out to me, I have realized that _of course_ there are many people, probably mostly men, who don't consider it important at all, or of little importance. Very disheartening when thinking about the human race.

I also think my belief was a creation of the way I was raised, to be a white, Southern "lady", whose "virtue" was to be protected at all costs. I had not thought about this particular issue beyond my own experience. It had to be brought to my attention by this interview; on the surface of it, of course what I believed is true, i.e., rape is a terrible crime. I had just not seen it from a bigger perspective, i.e., not everyone feels that way.

I think that because we are white Christian ladies in the South, a rape of US is a terrible crime-- against our fathers/husbands/protectors/family/class, but most of those same men that would swear vengeance on our perpetrator are likely to have committed their own assaults against women who were NOT us, and would not see those assaults in the same category.

AND they would tell us to suck it up pretty quick if we went around acting traumatized for more than 60-90 days following the crime.