In an extract from her book, author Kate Harding explains how women order their lives around the fear of rape – and of being blamed for not preventing it
The current feminist moment is becoming marked by, among other things, an excess of intergenerational disrespect on all sides. Just in the last week, 78-year-old Margaret Atwood painted herself as the victim of a witch hunt by younger feminists, and 22-year-old writer Katie Way condescended mightily to veteran CNN journalist Ashleigh Banfield, because Banfield treated another young self-identified feminist shabbily on the air.
The fall of Harvey Weinstein and other celebrity sex monsters feels like a cultural turning point. The social contract between men and women is being rewritten before our eyes. There is a new resolve to make the workplace more respectful and equitable for women - for everyone. But there is also panic in the air, which could ruin this #metoo moment.
It's been just over a month since two high school football, players in Steubenville OH, were tound guilty of raping an unconscious teenage girl. One of the young men, Trent Mays, was also found guilty of sending pictures of the assault to friends. Since then, the media have been gripped by two more incidents in which young women were gang-raped at parties and had pictures of their attacks distributed on social media.
The article discusses the negative impact of feminism and rape culture in the U.S. Topics include the growing number of sexual assault against women in colleges and universities, the legality of same-sex marriages in the U.S., and a joint study conducted by the nonprofit organizations Center for Public Integrity and National Public Radio (NPR) related to the issue.
In the era of #metoo, a clear-eyed, sharp look at rape culture, sexual assault, harassment and violence against women--and what we can do about it. "A timely and brilliant book." (Jessica Valenti) Every seven minutes, someone in America commits a rape. And whether that's a football star, beloved celebrity, elected official, member of the clergy, or just an average Joe (or Joanna), there's probably a community eager to make excuses for that person. ...
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James is Dead
Whether it's murder or sexual assault, it's not the victim's fault.
Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture--and What We Can Do about It by 