Rape Culture on Dartmouth College's Campus

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/340-187/17138-rape-culture-on-dartmouth-colleges-campus

Some Dartmouth College students have received rape and death threats following their public protest against the school's attitude toward sexual assault, racism, and homophobia. Dartmouth on Wednesday canceled its scheduled classes to address the growing crisis.

The college announced in a letter to students that it will hold "alternative programming… that promotes respect for individuals, civil and engaged discourse, and the value of diverse opinions." From the programming, it's not immediately clear that the school plans to discuss Dartmouth's notoriously pervasive culture of sexual assault, victim-blaming, and policies that continue to fail students (exactly what the protesters, during their initial outburst at a prospective students' event, had called for). But administrators promise that the programming will address the threats.

Many of the threats, and generally hateful sentiments, were posted on the anonymous message board site Bored At Baker, which has since been taken offline. The messages, meant to disprove the idea that racism, sexism, homophobia, and ignorance of sexual assault are real problems at Dartmouth, actually do the exact opposite. Screenshots of the anonymous comments are available from Real Talk Dartmouth:

Some Dartmouth students are upset largely at the fact that the protest interrupted a students' event on campus. However, the protesters likely felt they needed to interrupt an important campus event to get any attention at all. Previous pleas for the school to pay more attention to helping victims of sexual assault have certainly fallen on deaf ears.

[mercuryblues]

1. At UConn

http://thefeministwire.com/2013/04/an-open-letter-in-response-to-the-backlash-at-uconn/

I’m sure you’re aware by now of the violent and vitriolic reaction to the open letter written by UConn senior Carolyn Luby, on this very website. All Luby suggested was that the University might turn an eye towards the seeming culture of total unaccountability within its omnipresent sports program (just last week, for example, all charges against Enosch Wolf for the alleged violent battery of his girlfriend back in February were dropped on vague promises of “counseling”) instead of a visual re-branding scheme designed to further centralize the athletic department’s stranglehold on the cultural space of the entire University. That’s it.

We all know what happened next. The slackjaws came out in full force shouting obscenities and threats and intimidations to shut Luby up, because let it never be thought that you can speak your mind at this place of learning and be allowed to get away with it. I won’t bore you with their viciousness and evil threats, which always seem to lack in inventiveness (I’m sure you’ve seen this sort of thing before). But the sheer number, levels of violence, and more disturbingly, the victim-blaming (i.e. “she deserved it”) and overall lack of concern, should make any humane member of this community reconsider what it means to be a Husky.


<snip>

If Luby can be threatened — physically and emotionally — for simply trying to start conversation about the aforementioned, the University has failed in its mission unequivocally.

That President Herbst hasn’t come out in condemnation of this is a shame.


This letter gets it right. While there only a few players that are violent against women, they are protected by everyone. When someone speaks out about it, they are threatened with rape and death. The president of the college has not taken action against the threats. Maybe she will, by changing the school's motto this time .

[redqueen]

2. It was a lesson in anti-feminist propaganda techniques when a right wing piece about this letter was

posted in GD.

I hope people came away with a better understanding of how insidious this backlash is.

We should have learned it when someone started a blog for the sole purpose of smearing Adria Richards, and that effort in smear tactics was shared here dozens of times.

[ismnotwasm]

3. If someone started a post right now on Adria Richards

You'd get the same 'I'd fire her' bullshit. I missed the right wing letter though

[redqueen]

4. Yep. Many at this site are in denial about the undercurrent of anti-feminism here,

and on the left in general.

Anyway, here you go.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022760216

[ismnotwasm]

5. Oh that

I read about that issue and didn't realize anyone had picked it up here.

What was appalling and frightening was the rape and murder threat-response to the original article. The left needs to realize that anytime rape culture is mentioned as a force to be addressed, RAPE threats are an all too typical response. Instead of being horrified and recognizing we have a huge hate problem, 'feminists' are touted about as either over-reacting or causing the problem.

Upside-down world.

[mercuryblues]

6. a special kinda something

I guess as long as it bashes a female it is okay. Even if it is lies. That OP wasn't even spin, it was outright lies.

You know you are gaining ground when they have to lie about you.

[GeoWilliam750]

7. They learn this at least partly from their parents