The Presumption of Innocence as Gaslighting, and oh Kylo-no!

[lavendertook]

Being falsely accused of sexual assault has got to be, in part, infuriating, if indeed you think that's what is happening to you. But even if you are falsely accused (2 to maybe 10% of sexual assault accusations), it is still nothing compared to being sexually assaulted and having your personhood violently and intimately reduced to someone else's

Comments

[romeny]

Here's the thing, They did believe B-F I'm sure of it because she was entirely credible. They just don't think it should matter because "Ya know, boys will be boys." If they really thought she'd been lying They would have ordered a complete FBI investigation. As you say this is where the Gaslighting comes in as they pretend to only believe Kavanaugh and are working hard to convince the public.

I was a victim of a sex assault in college, I wasn't raped but I've never forgotten that moment of fear when you think it might happen. Never told anyone either as I thought it was my fault and was ashamed and embarrassed. I finally told my husband after yrs of marriage because I just didn't want anyone to know.

We have to show them that Yes these things do matter, that we count as we vote them out of office in November.

[lavendertook]

I'm sorry you went through that and very glad you escaped and finally were able to talk about it. The internalized misogyny we all get indoctrinated into is the worst. *hugs you*

And truth to the fact that they just don't care--and you're right that if they didn't believe her they would have been investigating. She and we are of lesser importance than them and theirs in their hierarchy of being--a mixture of survival of the fittest and the Puritan legacy of the Elect--that having more is evidence that you deserve to have more because you are better. I just had to write out the way they are trying to mess with our reality to get them out of my head. I sure hope a landslide of people come out to vote them out in November.

[lovethosehobbit]

EXACTLY! I was appalled when Trump said "...think of how this has affected all the young men out there..." WHAAAAA???? What about how being raped or sexual harassed affects the woman? It's as if to say, 'this is just the way it is sister so stop your whining'

[addie71]

I'm really hoping to see a big turnaround after the mid-terms. I know a lot of people who voted for Trump, or didn't vote at all, who are very discouraged with this administration. Hopefully they will turn out in November.

[febobe]

That's what worries me. Too many people don't believe their one vote makes a difference. I keep trying to talk to my dad about this; he's one of those. If everyone who fears their one vote doesn't matter turned out, it would be enough to swing the election one way or the other. I used to believe my one vote didn't matter. Now I'm determined to make sure it matters...and to vote in such a way that I can be proud of what I chose, even if my "side" didn't win. At least I don't have to live with knowing I helped put people in office I didn't want there. I might not have been able to keep them from ending up there, but by golly, I'm not going to help them by staying home on election day....

[addie71]

At least I don't have to live with knowing I helped put people in office I didn't want there. I might not have been able to keep them from ending up there, but by golly, I'm not going to help them by staying home on election day.... Yes!!!

[febobe]

Hey, I've got a new cry to replace lock her up!

VOTE THEM OUT! VOTE THEM OUT!

*prepares to go fly her blue flag all over her ballot*

[lbilover]

McConnell didn't want Kavanaugh to be nominated. He and the rest of that crew knew this guy came with major baggage. But Trump wanted him because of his views on presidential immunity. So they did everything in their power to hide his background and, as usual with that crew, they succeeded. They know very well he did what Dr. Blasey Ford is accusing him of. THEY DON'T CARE. He could have assaulted a dozen women, like Trump has, and they would still have found a way to get him on the Supreme Court. They have zero morals and don't give a shit about anything but consolidating power, holding onto it, and getting as rich as they possibly can. Are they afraid? I don't think so. They may see their tenure coming to an end, but they've raped us figuratively so thoroughly that they will go on their merry way rich to the end of their days, which is what they wanted, leaving us with a grossly biased Supreme Court and lower courts to fuck everything up for decades

[lavendertook]

Truth to all you say! Yup--I just hope we are lucky enough to see some of the clean up work during our lifetimes. Nothing is going to heal all the kids our country have taken from their families and sent to live in cages and tents in the dessert and the damage to Latina/o families. Nothing's going to heal the families whose father, husband, or son was shot for being black, or the refugees from around the world who need to be taken in. We'll be lucky if we can leave a habitable planet to the next generation. I hope this is the last hurrah of the deplorables (with a focus on the obscenely wealthiest of them) before the long clean up begins if we can get through the next 2 years--one can hope. *hugs you*

[lovethosehobbit]

Gee, I wonder why Trump would need Presidential immunity if he's innocent of all the claims against him? sigh. How did we ever get to this place?

[febobe]

I've read that probably 90% of rapes go unreported, which means that the actual percentage of false accusations would actually be something around 0.05% or so if all rapes were considered. Something like that. Point being that (a) false accusations are nearly as rare as hens' teeth, and (b) as you so wisely note, not being able to get your own way or what you want is not the same as being violated. There's a difference. That's what I hate about the "ruining his life" comments. (1) It's not ruining his life; it's just ruining his getting what he wants, and only babies and little kids expect that they should get what they want every time, no matter what they want or what they've done, and (2) what about HER life? Pretty sure these guys have already actually ruined their victims' lives in very real ways.

*hugs snugs loves*

[lavendertook]

That's a really good point about the percentages there considering the low percentage of reported rapes and important to factor in. Thank you, bb--I will pass that on!

Truth to everything you say! Yup, they don't care--they're social Darwinists--survival of the fittest and they think they are more deserving than the rest of us.

*loves and snuggles*

[febobe]

*thankiesnugs* Exactly. What horrifies me beyond measure is the reaction - or lack of one - these people have when I point out that childhood cancer survivors ended up with health problems through no conceivable fault of our own, making us uninsurable as adults unless we get jobs where we can vanish into the masses of large employers like my med center, which I chose partly b/c I knew that among the then-about-12K employees, one more cancer survivor wouldn't even register a blip on the radar. I ask what they think about that, and the fact that often our treatment damage eventually renders us unable to work at all. They don't have reasonable answers. They just say everyone should take care of himself/herself, without even acknowledging that some people are literally unable to do so, despite our best efforts to do JUST PRECISELY THAT. These people are so hung up on the pipe dream belief that we could all pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps if only we tried hard enough that they honestly don't give a damn. How cruel is that

[lovethosehobbit]

Beautifully stated, my dear friend. While I am depressed by the out turn of the nomination, I feel more invigorated to fight, fight, fight for our rights and vote in November. Let's get these assholes out of there and put something akin to human beings in.