Kavanaugh Case Shows We Still Blame Women, For The Sins Of Men

[appalachiablue]

The Brett Kavanaugh case shows we still blame women for the sins of men. Rebecca Solnit, The Guardian, Sept. 21, 2018. - From Anita Hill to the victims of Cosby and Weinstein, women are disbelieved, powerful men excused. When will we learn? - Excerpts:

We have been here before. We have been here over and over in an endless, Groundhog Day loop about how rape and sexual abuse happen: offering the same explanations, hearing the same kind of stories from wave after wave of survivors, hearing the same excuses and refusals to comprehend from people who are not so sure that women are endowed with inalienable rights and matter as much as men – or, categorically, have as much credibility.

We are, with the case of Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s nominee for the US supreme court, who has been accused of sexual assault, revisiting ground worn down from years of pacing. Kavanaugh denies Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation that he forcibly held her down and assaulted her when both were at high school. We have only the accounts of the participants, and these, it seems, will always contradict each other. The allegation and the denial put us back in a familiar scenario.

The last five years have been an exhaustive and exhausting crash course in how abusers and rapists (and attempted rapists) and their victims behave, and how they are perceived and treated, but the learning curve of the willfully oblivious resembles the period at the end of this sentence. We know why victims don’t report rapes.

We know that a minority of rapes are reported; and of those, a small percentage result in arrests; and of those arrests, a small percentage result in prosecutions. Only a very small percentage result in convictions and sentences. We know that the woman who accused the basketball player Kobe Bryant of rape years ago received death threats and extensive character assassination, as did some of Judge Roy Moore’s accusers, one of whom had her house burned down after she spoke up.

We know that women have been portrayed, ever since Eve offered Adam an apple, as temptresses, more responsible for men’s acts than men themselves are, and that various religions still inculcate this view, and in recent times various judges and journalists have acceded to it, even blaming female children for “seducing” their adult abuser.

We know that we – well, some of us – are just beginning to emerge from an era of women being routinely discredited, shamed, blamed, and disbelieved when they speak up about sexual assault. We are, of course, seeing it again with Professor Ford. Her credibility and character were being preemptively attacked even before we knew who she was; she was promptly doxxed when the Washington Post revealed her identity...

We know that a groundswell of feminism made it possible for many women to be heard for the first time, starting last October with the cataclysm of testimony we call #MeToo. Why should we now expect an ordinary schoolgirl to have succeeded where Olympic athletes and Hollywood actors failed to get a hearing or justice?

We have seen this all before. We saw it 27 years ago with the discrediting and harassment of Anita Hill. Hill was called “a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty” for testifying against the supreme court nominee Clarence Thomas, and that one of the ways she was smeared was as a fantasist: “Do you think it a possibility that Professor Hill imagined or fantasised Judge Thomas saying those things she has charged him with?” said Senator Arlen Specter...
Some of the same people – notably Hatch – are now gearing up to attack Ford...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/21/brett-kavanaugh-blame-women-anita-hill-cosby-weinstein

[True Blue American]

1. I really hate to say this but

Find it to be true. Male dominated Religion is at the core of a lot of it. You may correct me butcase after case is the same thing.

After listening to Kavanaugh last night his main excuse was it was not fair to him.a good Catholic boy who remained a virgin for years after High School could never commit these horible sins.
His wife sitting next to him not looking very happy.

The same scene we have seen so many times before.

[Duppers]

2. "Male dominated Religion is at the core of

a lot of it."

This is so true.

[True Blue American]

3. I have tried and tried

To stay in Church. Changed Churches. Found one based on the new Covenant, the New Testament.

But when I hear people like Franklin Graham support Trump and Republicans, see the despicable people they uphold, watch the bigotry of the old Republican Senators it makes me sick to my stomach.
I heard a male friend, just turned 70 say the other day,” I hate Franklyn Graham!” This is a man who spent his life going to Church,he and his wife. Neither one will go now.

[Squinch]

4. I'm thinking of trying Unitarians.

[True Blue American]

5. Right now I am actually in a Brethren Church

A few doors from me where the young Pastors are changing the direction of the Church.

So far i actually like their Sermons, but can not lose the anger towards what many Churches have done. Many are changing but the people in the pews are not.

As long as we have the Franklin Grahams and those like him I am not sure about the future.

What is the basis of the Unitarian? I will google it as I did the Brethren.and the Southern Baptist. I found that shocking how far they have strayed from Roger Williams, founder of the Baptist faith. But they threw out their old Leader this year,installed a new one. The old one was accused of Sexual crimes.

He worked with his friend, Thomas Jefferson so we could have freedom of Religion.my IPad loves me!

[Squinch]

6. As I understand it, Unitarians are basically this: "You believe God is a mouse with a moustache?

That's nice. I don't. I think God is something else entirely. But we both believe in "do unto others" so let's make a church together that lets us do lots of good works together."

That's what I think from talking to people and reading a very little. I grew up Catholic so it appeals to me, though I don't know if it's accurate. I'll let you know when I find out.

[True Blue American]

7. Honestly that may be

What I am searching for. Peace,harmony away from the ugliness. That is all I ask.

[appalachiablue]

8. kick