Rape allegations mount against Bill Cosby #1

[wendiesan]

Dr. Lillian Glass was on Tricia's radio show earlier this evening. She said that a woman like Whoopi would not have been someone that BC would target to drug and rape because she would likely be too outspoken straight away. There is no doubt in my mind that BC is guilty of the charges. I hope he is left with only a dime once this is all said and done. Further, I believe that this type of behavior is more wide spread than most even consider it to be. I recall John Travolta being involved in several similar accusations. These type of people happen to have access to plenty of hush money. OMO

My bolds.

There is no typical rapist.

The perpetrators of sexual violence are not all rich. They are not all in the same profession. They are not all the same age. They are not all the same race. They have not all been abused. They have not all been indulged. They do not all lack willing sexual partners.

There is no “typical profile” of a rapist. Many defense attorneys will talk about whether their client, the alleged assailant, either fits the profile of a rapist or doesn’t. This is an invalid argument because there is no typical profile of a rapist. This is why it is good to focus on that person’s behavior instead of who they are in their community (Maas, 2007).

http://sapac.umich.edu/article/196

However, rapists are, IMO, all predators. And, sadly, again IMO, we still have stereotypes of who a rapist is that are divisive and dangerously misleading. The very fact that a rapist may have presented himself/herself as a warm, caring, helpful person who holds high ideals and is respected in the community may make a rape victim doubt her/his understanding of what has happened. The less the perpetrator resembles the stereotype, the more the victim may be disbelieved.

The scenarios being alleged by women bringing their stories to the press about their experiences with BC seem consistent with acquaintance rape (https://www.rainn.org/get-information/types-of-sexual-assault/acquaintance-rape) and with date rape (http://www.girlshealth.gov/safety/saferelationships/daterape.html). The stories describing the alleged actions of BC are, to say the least, sad and disturbing but, IIRC, remain corroborated. As well, the number of years between the alleged incidents and the reporting of the incidents raises questions about the women reporting the behaviour. I think there may be many reasons for them to have waited, but among those reasons is that in our culture we now commonly use the word "rape" to describe what allegedly happened to them all those years ago.

Although the act we now call "acquaintance rape" has probably always existed in human societies, the term "acquaintance rape" has only become part of North American culture relatively recently. The term was first published in 1978 by Diana Russell, and the first major book in the USA about the subject was published by Robin Warshaw in 1988. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquaintance_rape). The title of the book may have relevance to this case, and, if the accusations prove true, may be relevant in understanding why some women are only coming forward now: I Never Called It Rape.

Maybe now, some of these women are, for the first time, calling what they experienced by its proper name.

 

[Trino]

Why did BC chose to drug his accusers, assuming they are truthful? I'm betting a lot of them would have been willing partners. Did he think they wouldn't remember?

 

[Donjeta]

JMO I think some people probably get more kicks over the power aspect of date rape. Rendering someone helpless and having the power to do anything to someone who can't resist gives them a stronger rush than just the part of the act where the genitals rub together. Consensual sex is not as exciting for these people. The ability to give or refuse their consent gives the woman influence and status in the relationship. The rapist wants to see himself as the king and the ruler of his empire with absolute power over mere mortals and not as someone who has to negotiate to have sex with a girl (who might refuse).

Maybe partly from contempt and misogyny too? Getting their kicks out of humiliating a woman? Revenge for whatever transgressions, real or imaginary, the woman had committed in his mind? Didn't one of the women say the drugging happened after a consensual relationship was ending? (sorry I forget who) "YOU don't leave me, I will tell you when to eff off", that sort of thing.

I've no doubt he could have found any number of willing sexual partners at any time and according to what I read about his biography it seems like he did too.

 

[Coldpizza]

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