Monday, December 13, 2010

This sums up my entire opinion where Assange is concerned:

Naomi Wolfe's most recent blog post over on goodreads:
In other words: Never in twenty-three years of reporting on and supporting victims of sexual assault around the world have I ever heard of a case of a man sought by two nations, and held in solitary confinement without bail in advance of being questioned -- for any alleged rape, even the most brutal or easily proven. In terms of a case involving the kinds of ambiguities and complexities of the alleged victims' complaints -- sex that began consensually that allegedly became non-consensual when dispute arose around a condom -- please find me, anywhere in the world, another man in prison today without bail on charges of anything comparable.
Of course 'No means No', even after consent has been given, whether you are male or female; and of course condoms should always be used if agreed upon. As my fifteen-year-old would say: Duh.
But for all the tens of thousands of women who have been kidnapped and raped, raped at gunpoint, gang-raped, raped with sharp objects, beaten and raped, raped as children, raped by acquaintances -- who are still awaiting the least whisper of justice -- the highly unusual reaction of Sweden and Britain to this situation is a slap in the face. It seems to send the message to women in the UK and Sweden that if you ever want anyone to take sex crime against you seriously, you had better be sure the man you accuse of wrongdoing has also happened to embarrass the most powerful government on earth.
ETA: It probably bears mentioning that I find the other Naomi wolf article to be supremely screwed up and victim-blaming. Referring to Interpol as the "Bad Date Police"? Not. Cool.

This whole brouhaha has (once again) led to me being seriously disappointed with many male (and a few female) so-called progressives who seem to think that since Assange did Important Things, it's okay to treat the women who accused him of sexual assault like crap. His arrest and detainment are undeniably politically motivated, but that does not make attacking his accusers okay.

2 comments:

  1. I read the article when you posted it. It broke my heart. And the sad part is the system isn't going to change.

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  2. It's so hard not to be cynical when things like this keep happening.

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