A modest proposal

In which we address the problem of yet another misogynistic loudmouth

In the latest instance of a male troglodyte holding forth on the finer social implications of rape, University of Rochester economics professor Steven Landsburg recently penned a brief manifesto on the rape convictions of two high school football players in Steubenville, Ohio, that would make any self-respecting woman-hater’s heart swell with testosterone-laden pride.

In his blog,  Landsburg  asked whether the law should rightfully discourage acts of rape in which the person is unconscious and suffers no direct physical harm.  “As long as I’m safely unconscious and therefore shielded from the costs of an assault,” Landsburg reasons, “why shouldn’t the rest of the world (or more specifically my attackers) be allowed to reap the benefits?”

Groups such as Binders Full of Women and WORD (Women Organized to Resist and Defend) — as well as many students at the university — are outraged and have called for Landsburg’s ouster. The university, in true let’s-protect-the-macho-s*@theads-among-us fashion, has taken a self-righteous stand in support of its  professor and his right to academic autonomy and free speech.

So I have a another solution to propose — and it’s one of which I am certain Landsburg himself would approve, since I am literally taking him at his own word.

So the good U of R doesn’t want to fire him outright? Fine. Then how about we invite Landsburg to the next dorm party, ply him with sufficient drugs and alcohol to render him safely unconscious and therefore shielded from the costs of an assault, and then surgically remove his man parts? After all, why shouldn’t the rest of the world be allowed to reap the benefits?

We won’t even need any sophisticated equipment. A magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers should do just fine.

 

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An open letter to anyone outraged by CNN’s reporting on Steubenville

I have a message for everyone who has been protesting CNN’s reprehensible reporting of the Steubenville rape:

Thank you.

While it is likely that CNN will continue to maintain its arrogant, self-justifying stance until (it hopes) the whole thing blows over, I want you to know that your words and your energy have not been spent in vain.

As a rape survivor, I am greatly encouraged by the sheer numbers of you who have weighed in.

You see, I was raped at a time when there was no support for the victim, any victim. I was not drinking. I was not at a party. I was not behaving provocatively. I was a 13-year-old bookworm, the shy, slightly nerdy smart girl, walking home from school in broad daylight with a stack of books in my arms.

Everyone at school knew. Everyone treated it as a joke. Danny and his football buddies, in particular, thought it was hilarious. Teachers and administrators turned a blind eye. Even my own family dismissed it as my own problem, something I would have to deal with myself. It was a lonely road to walk.

So today I am greatly heartened by your very well-placed outrage. I encourage you to keep speaking, even if CNN is too deaf to hear. Others like me hear you loud and clear.

And with every word of outrage you utter against such atrocities, we heal a little inside.

So keep writing. Keep talking. Feel free to forward this message to everyone you know and tell them to keep talking, too.

You are making a difference. You are helping, far more than you know.

God bless you all.