the courier
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Monday 24 February 2020
Debunking the myths around sexual assault
Pheobe Hurst demonstrates the dangerous weight of Rotunno's comments about Weinstein
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arlier this month Weinstein’s lawyer, Donna Rotunno, made a shocking statement when asked if she had ever been sexually assaulted; Rotunno stated she had never been assaulted as she would “never put herself in that position.” What we fail to realise, in our mass consumption of Weinstein’s trial, is the way in which it has reinforced the myths that our society possess around victims of sexual violence Weinstein was first charged in May 2018 with rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct, by the New York Police. Since then, his trial has rarely left the public eye, with a simple Google search resulting in hundreds of articles focused on this topic. What we fail to realise, in our mass consumption of Weinstein’s trial, is the way in which it has reinforced the myths that our society possess around victims of sexual violence. The hashtag #whyIdidn’treport has worked to emphasise how there is no typical victim. The movement has shared stories of women, men, and children, sometimes alongside photos of the clothes that they were wearing at the time. The hashtag works to
undermine the stereotypes and myths that surround victims of sexual abuse; that they were somehow responsible or accountable, or that it could have been prevented. However, despite its profound influence we are still seeing time and time again, a cycle of disbelief towards sexual assault victims.
Rotunno’s comments highlight how we still hold preconceptions of what a sexual assault victim should look like
Rotunno’s ignorant comments, which have been thrust into the public eye due to the trial, highlight how we still hold preconceptions of what a sexual assault victim should look like, while also holding strict judgments of how they should react and respond to such trauma; victims reacting outside of our expected response being accused of false reporting. Weinstein’s trial, what with its plethora Image: ABC News on YouTube
of celebrities and high-status individuals involved and commenting on it, has perpetuated the myths surrounding sexual assault victims through the constant reinforcement of such misconceptions by high profile individuals, Rotunno being one. The general public is unable to escape the constant bombardment of victim stereotypes, and thus, the cycle of disbelief or suspicion towards a victim’s story remains unbroken. As a result, it becomes very difficult for the trial’s consumers to break away from the myths surrounding sexual assault survivor’s that they are constantly being told to believe, hindering our progress of the treatment and response to such a vital issue.
SOAPBOX GETTING DRUNK
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TOAST OF THE WEEK
Image: David Shankbone on Wikimedia Commons
The real problem with celebrities coming out
Patrick Young discusses the issues of public scrutiny faced by celebrities when they come out
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any people have made their own responses to Jameela Jamil and Philip Schofield’s coming out. Yet they seem to be missing the big picture- It absolutely nobody’s business but their own. First, Philip’s coming out took a lot of guts, coming out at any age is hard, but coming out later in life is a challenge I will luckily never have to go through. The response to his coming out has been overwhelmingly positive, with even his wife and daughter’s saying how “proud” they are for him. However, some people have made allegations that he only came out to avoid being outed by The Sun, due to an alleged affair he had with and aide that he “pressured” into sex. This, as of writing this, has no real credibility, and seems to undermine the beauty of Schofield finally being able to accept who he truly is. Moreover, many people, have rightly commented on how his wife must be feeling, but instead of looking at it from the perspective of a Philip, they seem to be vilifying the man, and implying his marriage was purely selfish as he is gay. Similarly, the response to Jameela Jamil coming out as queer, has garnered mixed responses. The star of The
Alex Walker
used to love getting drunk. I did it every weekend, dancing until 5am, sleeping all day. During Freshers, it reached a new level. Every night a new club, new drinks, new one-night stands, a bigger debit card bill. Constant hangovers, replacing drunkenness, replacing hangovers. But now it feels different. Sure, the Arctic Monkeys comes on and I dance like a freak, and sure, I’ll get nice and tipsy now and then, and feel great. But the rest of it’s just boring. I wake up dehydrated, hungry, tired, and stinking of booze. And worst of all, full of regrets. All I seem to do on a night out is make mistakes, and they always end up coming back to haunt me. Sometimes, I’d rather just lie in bed alone, or cuddle up with my girlfriend in front of the TV, and save myself the trouble. Then again, I’ll still put myself through it, all over again.
Good Place came out as queer following her announcement as a judge on a new Voguing dance competition. This was met with a lot of people moaning that she isn’t a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and shouldn’t judge a competition with its roots in the Harlem ball scene of the 1980s. She responded to this by coming out as queer.
At the end of the day, they are just people, so please let them live their lives
This, shockingly, didn’t help, despite her acknowledgement of the fact she is a member of this community, people accused her of lying because she dated a man prior to coming out. This has raised questions as to whether the negative response is due in part to Jamil’s status as a female POC, who is known for championing causes regarding equality. At the end of the day, they are just people, so please just let them live their lives. Image: This Morning on Youtube
Storm Ciara response: what about the north?
PHILLIP SCHOFIELD
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Em Richardson
ver since coming out as gay, it seems Phillip Schofield has been met with endless questions. Why did he wait so long to come out? Did he know that he was gay when he married a woman? How do his family feel? Obviously, someone announcing that they are gay after 27 years of seemingly happy, heterosexual marriage comes as a big surprise. However, it also takes courage, especially for someone in the public eye. Standing up and making such a big, unexpected announcement is tough. This is particularly true in this day and age, when someone’s every move can be scrutinised on social media. Luckily for Philip, it seems most people responded to the news kindly. However, he had still no idea that this would be the case when he chose to share it. He had simply decided that now was the time to live his truth, and that is a sentiment we can all appreciate.
ROAST OF THE WEEK
Victoria Osho examines the differences in governmental aid for natural disasters in the UK
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ast weekend, Storm Ciara took England by storm (literally), with heavy rain and extremely trembling wind felt throughout England and many people left at a disadvantage as a result of this horrible weather. Because of this, the government went to quick action to aid with things like food and shelter in the emergency financial aid package for areas devastated by Storm Ciara.
The response towards these tragic floods was immensely delayed while the response to Storm Ciara was immediate
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick said, “I have activated the emergency Ballwin scheme to support communities affected by Storm Ciara in West Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire.” It is completely evident that, as the storm was a national tragedy in most cases, the Government was quick to respond with adequate aid. But how about natural disasters that have affected the north alone that the Government conveniently ignored? Not too long after Christmas 2015, York faced the worst flooding in a generation, and by Monday 28 December,
the Ouse peaked at about 5.2m above its normal summer level. This was not the first time that York had been flooded, as it has consistently flooded regularly over many years. York is not even the only location in the north. In winter 2015 and 2016, floods all over the north, such as Northumberland, Cumbria, Durham and Yorkshire. Government responses being to commission up to £500 for each home affected, £20,000 to rebuild agriculture, and other forms of budgets to curb the effects of the storms, which even to begin with, was a result of constant rallying by northern protests and officials. There has been a significant cut of funding for floods over the years, and northern parts of England are more affected by these floods. Even so, the response towards these tragic floods was im-
mensely delayed, while the response to Storm Ciara was almost immediate. It has been a long-known fact that people outside the UK are only familiar with London, and maybe Manchester. However, the Government has always turned a blind eye on issues that involve the north, such as natural disasters and the direct correlation between natural disasters and poverty in the north. The Government must address their role in the fully apparent divide between life in the south and life in the north.
Image: Evening Standard on Youtube
LAUGH TRACKS
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Lorcan Flahive
loophole for comedy, and therefore a noose for quality. Laughter tracks sound little more than a half-hearted apology from a writer who has chosen a paycheque over a credible legacy. They should not be discredited altogether, as there is valid argument for them: they add a lightness to many sitcoms, with which the genuine comedy of a script is able to play. However, the tragedy comes from when these programmes begin to substitute real-life chuckles for the slightly sinister alternative of canned laughter. One quick Google of the Big Bang Theory opens up a dangerous wormhole of flat lines and awkwardness. The function of these ghoulish giggles is different in shows like this. Rather than drawing from jokes themselves, they instead highlight the fact that these occasionally strange comments are intended to actually BE jokes. Surely comedy should be able stand up without them.
