People.com: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reveals She Is a Sexual Assault Survivor
CNN digital and ABC News at least did a little better:
CNN: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she's a sex assault survivor as she recounts Capitol chaos
ABC News: AOC Reveals she is a sexual assault survivor while recounting Capitol siege
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 1 in 4 women have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime, and approximately 1 in 5 women in the U.S. has experienced a completed or attempted rape. With 126 women in congress, that means at a minimum, 25 of them are survivors of sexual assault. But I suspect that because most rapes and attempted rapes go unreported, that these percentages are far too low. Of the women I know, the percentage is much closer to 4 out of 5 or more who have experienced sexual assault. Perhaps AOC's courageous revelation will help change these statistics. I hope so. But meanwhile, it seems like these outlets missed 99% of AOC's story.
Which outlets managed to see beyond a titillating headline?
Rolling Stone: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Said Something Genuine, So Of Course Men Reacted Poorly
Rolling Stone did a great job of addressing infamous Twitter contrarian Michael Tracey, who called her heartfelt sharing, "emotional manipulation," and that "(AOC) invoked her alleged sexual assault in order to shame as abusive those who don't uncritically affirm her histrionic account of what occurred at the Capitol. If you don't see the manipulativeness inherent in that rhetorical tactic, you are delusional."
The Stone notes, "Tracy's categorization of AOC's account as 'histrionic' is particularly telling, given the irrefutable evidence that she has faced threats to her life while in Congress" and "AOC has spent the majority of her political life coming under harsh scrutiny from (mostly male, mostly conservative) political commentators who are so enraged by her youth, her vigor, her eloquence, her social media fluency, and her preternatural political savvy that they've been forced to conclude that it's all a load of bullshit" and that these "echo the tactics that men frequently use to negate or downplay women's experiences with sexual violence. When a sexual assault survivor comes forward, it is not uncommon for people (mostly, but not always, men) to refute the veracity of their account by in part blaming the victim for the attack."
In response to Tracey's tweet, Jessica Valenti wrote "For misogynists, it's not just about disbelieving women who come forward about sexual assault - it's about painting them as the real wrongdoers." And here is Valenti's perfectly worded gem of truth:
To sexists, women are the real perpetrators because we've victimized men by holding them accountable.
- Jessica Valenti
"You made me do it to you."
Sound familiar?
That's how the abuser adopts the protective armor of being the victim.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
1
