This is a serious question.
You would think it would be a simple answer too.
A false rape allegation is when someone vexatiously accuses someone of rape when they haven't done anything.
But is it that simple? I don't think so.
Every time a high profile person is cleared through the courts we (by which I mean the media and the popular narrative) make the assumption that the rape never happened.
Yes, the accused has been cleared.
Yes, we have a legal system that deals with this.
However, just because someone is cleared, it doesn't mean the accusation was false to begin with.
Evidence is the key to any case. With this goes a (rightful) reluctance to brand someone a rapist unless you are really REALLY sure.
So when someone is in the dock and someone else is in the witness box and it is one word against another what happens?
He gets found not guilty as a woman sobbing and shaking isn't seen as evidence. (come on girls, we all know that we can turn the taps on at will and all could have been professional actresses right?)
Then.
Patriarchy turns on her and calls her a liar. She is responsible for ruining a life. She is the reason we need to protect the accused.
This on top of pulling her apart on the stand. Questioning what she wore, how much she had to drink. What kind of sex she likes even.
After all that we turn on her.
And we pat him on the back for not being a rapist.
And we talk about how false accusations make it harder to get rape convictions.
Get out of my face.
I tweeted a link to a fabulous article earlier (sorry I can't reproduce it here, am doing this on my phone, will link to it later) in response to Dan Hodges flagrant bullshittery. I would recommend you give that a read too.
I leave you with this thought though.
Just because he was cleared, does that mean it didn't happen and that the accusation was false?
#Ibelieveher
You would think it would be a simple answer too.
A false rape allegation is when someone vexatiously accuses someone of rape when they haven't done anything.
But is it that simple? I don't think so.
Every time a high profile person is cleared through the courts we (by which I mean the media and the popular narrative) make the assumption that the rape never happened.
Yes, the accused has been cleared.
Yes, we have a legal system that deals with this.
However, just because someone is cleared, it doesn't mean the accusation was false to begin with.
Evidence is the key to any case. With this goes a (rightful) reluctance to brand someone a rapist unless you are really REALLY sure.
So when someone is in the dock and someone else is in the witness box and it is one word against another what happens?
He gets found not guilty as a woman sobbing and shaking isn't seen as evidence. (come on girls, we all know that we can turn the taps on at will and all could have been professional actresses right?)
Then.
Patriarchy turns on her and calls her a liar. She is responsible for ruining a life. She is the reason we need to protect the accused.
This on top of pulling her apart on the stand. Questioning what she wore, how much she had to drink. What kind of sex she likes even.
After all that we turn on her.
And we pat him on the back for not being a rapist.
And we talk about how false accusations make it harder to get rape convictions.
Get out of my face.
I tweeted a link to a fabulous article earlier (sorry I can't reproduce it here, am doing this on my phone, will link to it later) in response to Dan Hodges flagrant bullshittery. I would recommend you give that a read too.
I leave you with this thought though.
Just because he was cleared, does that mean it didn't happen and that the accusation was false?
#Ibelieveher
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