I was threatened with rape today, NSFW

[YoungDemCA]

42. I think the dismissal of the threats is a way to wash one's hands...

...of the human-rights crisis, social injustice, horrific catastrophe, and all-too common tragedy that is violence against women.

By that, I mean it's a way to wash one's hands of complicity in the broader culture of violence, misogyny, and sexism-the patriarchal set of social and institutional norms often known as "rape culture"-as well as responsibility for putting a stop to the violence, the victim-blaming, and the stigmatization and ostracizing of victims of violence. Not to mention, the ways in which the powerful and privileged in society, more often than not, get away with exploiting their power and privilege.

That's what all of this hand-waving and denial and victim-blaming is all about. It's a way to project the violence of the privileged onto the victims of said violence. The effect: reinforcement of the status quo, the dominant culture, the patriarchy. And since violence-sexual and otherwise-is integral to the patriarchy on multiple levels, one can conclude that sexism, misogyny, rape culture, etc. are not a bug of the patriarchy, but a feature.

To BainsBane: I am so sorry and really, outraged and disgusted by how you have been treated here. Best of luck in taking action to deal with these threats.