Blogger replies to "Schrödinger’s Rapist" essay

Essay here. Excerpt:

'Before I get constructive, I have to take a few paragraphs to cite a reasons why this article is insulting towards many men.

First, there’s the “you are a good guy” dialog. This is presented in such a way that suggests Starling has some sort of empathy towards men. Almost immediately, it becomes clear that these words are not written in empathy nearly so much as a failed attempt to placate. There’s also the student/teacher metaphor used in the writing. This sets a dominating and oppressive tone towards men. Feminist should know by now that being oppressive is not effective.

Beyond the tone and approach, this piece blatantly promotes the notion that all men are rapists until proven innocent. Rape is a horrible crime and those found guilty of rape are usually strongly punished. However, accusations of false rape often destroy the lives of innocent men. While the damage done to the victim in false charge cases rivals that of rape cases, the punishment for false charge is relatively insignificant. Being falsely accused of rape is a real and terrifying concern for many men. Starling’s approach of openly labeling men as guilty does not help bridge the gap with her supposed audience of men.'

The subject matter essay was posted here on MANN on Oct. 13, 2009.