‘Nothing has changed’: Cornell assault case reignites female fury
It was the screen grabs that did it.
Over the last week, as news spread about the lawsuit filed by Jane Doe, a former Cornell student who alleges that she was gang raped by seven Chi Phi fraternity brothers in 2024, the tenor of the reaction on social media can perhaps best be described as white hot fury.
For many women, it was as if seeing the vile messages shared that night — the accused offenders advertised “free” sex on Snapchat, saying “you can walk in and whip it out” — had roused an army of sleeper cell agents into action. This incident, judging by the online outrage, was not just another #MeToo moment: It was cause for a flip-the-table, burn-it-all-down primal scream.
As the actor Rati Gupta put it: “Maybe instead of Me Too, this round is [Expletive] Off.”
6 replies
Possibility and progress are two distinct things. Like a tree, possibility only becomes progress when it is nurtured, protected and allowed to grow. When chainsaw-swinging misogynist fascist maniacs are tolerated, the possibility is ripped up by the roots. It takes generations to grow and we have to be watchful, tireless and militant the whole time. Many of us saw possibility and assumed that was progress, but until we crush misogyny, patriarchy, and injustice, destroy those who propagate it, and keep it crushed for the lifetimes of our daughters and granddaughters and their daughters, there will be no meaningful progress.
The Dobbs decision shows there has not only been no progress, in terms of misogyny we've gone backwards since the 1970s. It's supposed to be two steps forward one step back but it feels like it's been two steps back for every inch we've crawled forward.
Which doesn't mean we give up.
Dig in your claws and keep pushing.
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That is because nothing has ever been done. I have said this many times already. Everyone woman I have ever had the privilege to discuss this issue with has been SA and raped multiple times in their life including my grandmother, mother, wife, and daughters.
We live in a society inundated by sexual assaults. I fear for my youngest daughters and granddaughter. My father, who was a state level wrestling champion, was also raped by man. This violence must stop and should have stopped several decades ago. The me too backlash is real with officers, prosecutors, and judges all deciding to informally work together to prevent justice. The amount of rapes in my community that go unpunished is staggering.
To clarify, since you seem quite confused, talking about one subject doesn’t mean that nothing else outside of that subject exists.
Talking about female fury doesn’t mean that there aren’t men that similarly feel rage about this.
You’re welcome to join in.