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Comments
Not for a remedy, because the chances are basically 0, but for the people that come after her. Typically the reasons for not going to the police are a low likelihood of arrest and conviction, but more importantly, having to "out yourself" and talk through what happened over and over - the stigma. The more people report to the police as a matter of course, that will erode away the stigma and perhaps lead to changes in the legal system that make more winnable cases. Over the past few years I've read numerous articles written by people who were raped [can we stop using the term 'rape survivor'? If we've learned anything, it's that a vast majority of rapes are not of the beaten-and-raped variety. People survive things that ought to have killed them, like cancer, or a terrorist attack, or an encounter with police] and one of the sticking points is seeing their assailant walking around [campus, the job site, the social circles] NOT feeling the stigma.
Anyway, Stoya's "outed" now. She won't be more stigmatized by going to the police at this point. Sure, it's a token gesture, but one I think is valuable down the line.
HOWEVER, back when it was just Stoya, it seemed like another high profile rape accusation that could be false. It's not like we've had a shortage of them. There was the dude who accused Bryan Singer (and was convicted of fraud this month in an unrelated investment scheme). There was last year's UVa woman, whom we ALL had to believe because frat systems amirite? You know, until we found out that it was all Rolling Stone's fault for publishing it and believing her story.
Not that I don't believe Stoya. But, back when it was just her words against him was when The Frisky dropped him as did other porn companies. A false rape accusation can still fuck up innocent people's reps if not proven false.
Yes, women who actually do go to the police with rape charges are treated unfairly (and there are shitton of untested rape kits still out there). But, publicly and professionally ruining a guy based on one ex's tweet seems harsh.
That's how it seemed at the time. If these accusations have been a long time coming and there are other women coming forward, then there might be merit.
The reality is that a small percentage of reported rapes are false and/or fraudulent. Unfortunately, it's these false reports that get much of the press. Maybe it's because these accounts are so sensationalized (i.e. the UVA frat case); and/or maybe it's because celebrities are more susceptible to false rape allegations because of their fame/wealth...and thus get more press
Regardless, the false reports taint the legitimate claims of everyone else...and I don't know what the answer to that is, except to change the culture so that the gut response is to believe woman upon initial report, and not do the "innocent until proven guilty" slut shaming routine.
That seems unfair. I think that a sex worker should be able to report a crime committed against her, whether she was assaulted, her property was stolen/damaged, whatever. A crime is a crime, how can she not have the right to report it, regardless of her occupation?Police reports are how it typically comes out that such behavior is even going on, and it's also the only way to have the offender face justice for their crimes. Statements made on Twitter are not valid as evidence in a trial; previous police reports against that person are.
Saying an accused rapist is "innocent until proven guilty" is not slut shaming in and of itself. Saying "you can't rape a whore" is slut shaming. Saying "I don't have enough proof to paint this guy as a rapist, and I'm not going to forever treat him like one based on one ex's accusations" is reasonable.
An overzealous application of EH&S laws by an antiporn bureaucrat could seriously affect the studios. When I saw the studios reacted so fast my thought was this is a professional HR system protecting workers and the organization from a bad employee.
Many of them don't report their assaults to police. One of them, who has no reason to lie to me, told me a police officer in NY forced her to give him oral sex or he would arrest her.
Your analyses are always really clear and I've heard you on Savage's podcast so many times I can hear your voice reading this piece. Excellent.
this comment captured my feelings on this matter almost as if i had been posting myselfbut written better.
katgoturtounge
Most don't result in convictions because only 1/3 of rapes are reported to police, sometimes the victim refuses to testify in court even after filling a report, DNA exonerates 1/4 of the accused when rape kits are tested*, or there's otherwise reasonable doubt. None of that is "rape culture."
*In cases of stranger rape, it's worth noting that eyewitness identification of strangers is notoriously unreliable, and only accurate about 1/2 the time in any crime. That the wrong person was accused does not mean the victim was lying; it can be an honest mistake.
Except it wasn't just "ONE ex".
This case seems similar to Bill Crosby's, where for years women he assaulted kept silent because they were afraid no one would believe them, until someone couldn't bear it any longer, and risked speaking out. Then others were able to come forward.
A friend of mine was abused and raped by her wealthy, influential father for years. When she tried told her mom, she wasn't believed; so she tried to kill herself, several times, both by actual attempts and indirect attempts with reckless behaviours. Then her uncle came and took her to the police. When the police started investigating, many other young girls came forward, and he was finally convicted and went to prison; almost two decades later than it should have been.
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2680216975…
https://www.propublica.org/article/false…