General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Let's talk about sexism on DU [View all]thucythucy
(9,042 posts)this is precisely the dynamic that blames the victims of sexual violence and abuse for coming forward. If only survivors would keep quiet about their experiences, the world would be so much better! Rape, and threats of rape are bad, but what's worse is bringing rape and threats of rape out into the light where we all have to deal with them. To do that is just so "unseemly." Again,
What happened to Cali was abuse, and that's a fact. To say that she, in responding to that abuse, should have first used "the proper channels" -- rather than gone public with the evidence of what happened -- is just so fucking typical of how abuse survivors are expected to "make nice" in the face of the most vile attacks. And then, to cap it off, they often also then get blamed for "not resisting"--not making a big enough stink about it. It's a vortex of contradictory, mutually exclusive, mind-bending social bullshit around sexual violence that has perpetuated the same evil shit for millennia.
Kudos to Cali for having the guts, the insight, the clarity of thought to do precisely the right thing here--expose the perpetrator, hold him accountable, and then to educate the community, and thus make at least this little corner of the net a better and (hopefully) safer place for all of us. She represents absolutely the best DU has to offer, and I'm proud to have her back.