Rape allegations mount against Bill Cosby #3

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I know, right? During one pause when I think the audience would usually clap they didn't do anything and at the end they didn't appear to be clapping enthusiastically. I wondered what the producers had to do. I would have gotten up and walked out.

Canned laugh/clap track?

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

With all due respect, you've spent months dismissing, minimizing, and justifying. I have neither the time nor inclination to post links to your statements but off the top of my memory, I've seen posts made by you that claim vengeance, altered memories, personal responsibility, waiting too long and all sorts of other reasons these women weren't believable. It's all examples of victim blaming.

I get waiting for the truth to come out - but that's not what you did. I get wanting to presume innocence - though I'd argue the court of public opinion hardly hinges on a legal presumption. It IS possible to support people who are claiming they are victims without demonizing the alleged suspect. You wait for the facts if you must but in that waiting, you also don't incur further harm by continuously questioning the 'motives', lifestyles, memories, choices, histories, etc. of those claiming to have been victimized. Because let me tell ya, from personal experience - it is the very reason people don't speak up.

Please imagine - your trust in someone else has been broken; your body has been violated; you feel ashamed, dirty, and stupid for not knowing better - while in reality, you were probably manipulated by a sexual predator. You keep all that yuck inside until you feel it's going to crush you so you finally confide in someone...only to be told maybe you shouldn't have worn your blouse with a button open, or perhaps you don't remember what happened clearly; or maybe if you'd made better choices it may not have happened. Most people who are sexually assaulted are victims of someone they know - someone they trust - even sometimes, someone they love.

In so much as we have to remember innocent until proven guilty, we too have to accept that regardless of either conviction or acquittal, it does NOT mean a crime didn't occur. It doesn't mean victims don't deserve to be supported and validated until and unless there is a reason not to. As has been pointed out numerous times, false allegations of sexual assault are very, very rare - why make all victims pay such a heavy price for the sins of a few liars? (2% according to the FBI, well in line with false allegations of most major crimes) Why, how, does anyone expect a victim to prove they've been a victim in order just to be believed that they've been victimized?

All JMO



https://rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-offenders
http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/03/examples-of-rape-culture/
http://msmagazine.com/blog/2013/05/28/rape-splaining-10-examples-of-victim-blaming/

Extremely well written post, Britskate! :thumb:

If...while following the legal term of "innocent until proven guilty"...

shouldn't we extend this objectivity to the accusers?...

"Victims until proven otherwise"?

JMO

 

[La Louve]

Canned laugh/clap track?

That was my thought too.

Television is all smoke and mirrors. This whole situation is a cautionary tale about who we put on pedestals.

 

[Donjeta]

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/critics-want-bill-cosby-removed-from-hollywood-walk-of-fame/

Critics want Bill Cosby removed from Hollywood Walk of Fame

 

[BritsKate]

That was my thought too.

Television is all smoke and mirrors. This whole situation is a cautionary tale about who we put on pedestals.

Agreed but I also think this whole situation holds a spotlight up to the ugliness that is rape culture - I hope so, anyway.

A study in victim blaming was conducted over here - participants were given several scenarios of sexual assault. Over 50% of both male and female respondents concluded a victim was at least partially responsible for his/her own assault. The most likely to judge were 18-24 year olds...that tells me we're getting something seriously wrong.

Of course, we also live in a world where the rape conviction rate for England and Wales stands at a whopping 5.7%; an ER nurse cautions a rape victim to be more careful next time; a judge tells a teenage victim she seduced her much older rapist; and a politician seeks to define 'legitimate' rape.

I just don't know how many more Steubenvilles or Cosbys it is going to take - it seems for all our forward progression, we're still never far away from telling a rape victim her skirt was too short.

 

[CuriousPortlander]

Sen. Gillibrand Joins Call to Revoke Bill Cosby's Presidential Medal of Freedom
by Frank Thorp V Jul 10 2015, 6:46 pm ET

U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand on Friday threw her support behind an effort to revoke Bill Cosby's Presidential Medal of Freedom in light of recent reports and allegations of sexual assault by the actor.

A petition started by the group PAVE (Promoting Awareness/Victim Empowerment) has gained more than 94,000 signatures on the White House's website, and calls for the White House to revoke the award.

..."She supports this group's effort because we need to set a clear example that sexual assault will not be tolerated in this country, and someone who admitted to using drugs for sex no longer deserves the nation's highest honor," the statement said.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/bill-cosby-scandal/two-democratic-senators-join-call-revoke-bill-cosbys-presidential-medal-n390276

 

[CuriousPortlander]

Should Paine College Rescind Bill Cosby’s Honorary Degree?
WJBF Weekend Evening Anchor By Mike Miller Published: July 10, 2015, 4:39 pm

AUGUSTA — Did you know that comedian Bill Cosby has an honorary doctorate degree from Paine College?

Cosby has dozens of honorary degrees from colleges across the country.

Now some Boston University students are calling for his honorary degree to be taken away.

Read more: http://wjbf.com/2015/07/10/should-paine-college-rescind-bill-cosbys-honorary-degree/

 

[IndianSummer]

For me this will always be true. Because unless we keep the mindset that people have to be proven guilty to be guilty, We then do no justice to the innocent.

For me without proof, there is no guilt.

Wow. Sad in so many ways.

JMO!

 

[Donjeta]

I imagine the multitude of women who actually consented to sex with him, may have a difficult time believing that for some women he felt compelled to drug and rape, for his perverted pleasure. JMO

How right you are. (Also I think some women in his life who he never even made a pass at might have a hard time thinking he has such a lot of victims and they were spared.)

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...ess-for-3-years-defends-him-never-drugged-me/
'He never drugged me': Bill Cosby's 'mistress' DEFENDS him from dozens of rape allegations, saying shamed comedian was 'respectful and didn't need to use sedatives to get sex'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...t-need-ply-women-drugs-sex.html#ixzz3fZoxypVd



Woman who claims she was Bill Cosby’s mistress for 3 years defends him: 'He never drugged me'

Taylor speculated that a man with Cosby’s fame would not have a hard time finding women to have sex with.

“I respect the women and I can’t dispute it but I don’t believe a lot of it,” she said. “He didn’t need to do anything to get women to sleep with him. Women are attracted to men with money and power. At the time he was one of the most powerful men in Hollywood.”

I think she's missing a couple of important points here.
1. None of the accusers are saying that Cosby has drugged and raped everything that moves and never had consensual sex once in his life.
2. Having had consensual relationships proves nothing about whether you have raped people.
3. If you drug and rape unconscious people it's not simply about being able to get a woman to sleep with you to achieve sexual release, it's also about getting your kicks from having the power over another person.

Someone in the comment section is saying that her Barbi Benton timeline doesn't match.

She said she met Cosby in 1979 and went on double dates with Hefner and Barbi Benton.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ansion-party-boy-steady-bunny-girlfriend.html

According to this Barbi Benton did know Cosby and his girlfriend for some time but only dated Hefner until 1976. Her Wiki says she married some other guy in 1979.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion...urden-proof/nIbCv5AukmhDkA14YsgmJN/story.html

Bill Cosby case shows women carry heavier burden of proof

If Scott and others believe the standard for verifying rape allegations is an admission of wrongdoing by the accused, then it’s little wonder that sexual assault survivors so often choose silence. Rape is woefully underreported, and it’s the pernicious disregard for victims and their stories that helps sustain what is an epidemic of violence against women.

In a recent statement, former supermodel Beverly Johnson, who claims Cosby drugged her in the 1980s, but did not sexually assault her, said, “It is unfortunate the amount of proof required to make a woman’s voice valid.” For Cosby’s alleged victims, all they’ve ever had as proof was their voice and their truth. Now, because of Cosby’s own words in a decade-old deposition few ever expected to see, some of these women’s most strident critics are forced, at last, to listen.

The moralizing Emperor Bill Cosby has no clothes: Darcy cartoon
¨http://www.cleveland.com/darcy/index.ssf/2015/07/cosbys_carnal_corruption_darcy.html

Even without the deposition admission, the allegations made by the women were credible. Cosby's m.o. was nearly identical in each account given by dozens and dozens of women. The women, most now in their 60's and 70's have nothing to gain financially, beyond some form of justice, in revealing they were drugged and raped. The admissions took courage, not greed for money and fame.

The release of the deposition should put an end to TV Journalists demurring to Cosby's requests and demands that he not be asked about the allegations. For a guy who has been outspoken in holding people morally accountable to refuse to be held accountable himself is the height of hypocrisy and arrogance.

http://madamenoire.com/545720/letter-apology-bill-cosbys-victims/
An Open Letter Of Apology To Bill Cosby’s Victims
Bill Cosby has yet to publicly admit his wrongdoings, but that day may never come. I am sorry he’s not the one apologizing to you now, although nothing he has to say could possibly make up for all the damage he’s done and pain he has inflicted. It’s safe to say Bill Cosby is only sorry the world now knows the truth, but that pales in comparison to what you are owed. “Sorry” will never be enough, but maybe it can aid you in your ongoing road to recovery.

 

[Donjeta]

Project 21, a conservative African American public policy group, says Cosby, 77, was treated unfairly by a federal judge this week who unsealed documents in which the comedian admits to secretly giving women drugs with whom he wanted to have sex.

Archbishop Council Nedd II, a founder of Project 21, accused the women who say Cosby raped them of being “opportunistic.” After waiting so many years to come forward, the women should be prepared to "live with whatever transpired," he suggested.

http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-kno...p-defends-bill-cosby-from-opportunistic-women

A representative for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce responded to requests for Cosby's star to be removed from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, explaining that the monument will not be taken down.

"The answer is no," Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Leron Gubler said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. "Once a star has been added to the Walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Because of this, we have never removed a star from the Walk."

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity...fame-despite-complaints-2015107#ixzz3fZoZp3j1
Follow us: @usweekly on Twitter | usweekly on Facebook

Central State University officials confirmed Friday that they have covered up Bill Cosby’s name on a campus sign in front of the Camille O. and William H Cosby Mass Communications Center.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local/cosby-name-removed-from-csu-sign/nmwwL/


http://www.app.com/story/entertainment/people/2015/07/10/bill-cosby-truth-come-tv/29978215/

Did Bill Cosby drug people during a 1990 episode of "The Cosby Show?"

VICE just reported that in season 7 episode 3 of "The Cosby Show," Cosby's character Dr. Cliff Huxtable hosts a barbecue with family and friends, where he serves his special barbecue sauce that ends up making his guests feel loopy and — let's just say "amorous."

https://youtu.be/P-1eEoIMX_c

 

[Donjeta]

http://www.bustle.com/articles/9596...nd-all-i-got-was-*advertiser censored*-shamed

I Saw Bill Cosby Speak At My College, And All I Got Was *advertiser censored*-Shamed

None of these allegations against Cosby are surprising to me. As a senior in college, I witnessed firsthand the disregard Cosby has for women, and how he uses his power to silence them.

He began admonishing us for perceived behaviors that didn’t suit his idea of how “the dignified ladies of Bennett College” should behave. In his words, we were promiscuous women who needed to spend more time studying and less time “across the tracks.” (“Across the tracks” referred to our neighboring school, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, a co-ed campus where many of my peers and I ventured to date, party, and even attend classes that weren’t offered at our all-women’s college.)

Cosby also told us to keep our legs closed and purchase vibrators so we wouldn’t engage in unprotected sex and become unwed mothers. In essence, Bill Cosby repeatedly shamed us for our perceived sexual and social behavior. He used a broad stroke to paint us all as black female stereotypes, and he did so without remorse.

 

[angelainwi]

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/critics-want-bill-cosby-removed-from-hollywood-walk-of-fame/

Critics want Bill Cosby removed from Hollywood Walk of Fame

But don't mess with Woody Allen's, right?

 

[wendiesan]

But don't mess with Woody Allen's, right?

IIRC, the requests may be received but will not be acted upon. I believe similar requests were made to remove WA's as well.

 

[Donjeta]

Sort of ot but related to the alleged Cosby mistress who supposedly double dated with Barbi Benton and Hefner in 1979:

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20076195,00.html
A People article from 1980 describing how she met her husband in 1977 while she was dating Andrew Prine, and again saying she and Hef hadn't dated since 1976.

So Taylor probably hasn't got all her facts straight and apparently Fox didn't check.

 

[wendiesan]

BC's alleged perversion has a name: Sleeping Beauty or Sleeping Princess disorder, or somnophilia. This paraphilia could evolve to necrophilia according to researchers.
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/07/1...on-to-unusual-sex-disorder-called-somnophilia

I couldn't see what the draw would be, but, apparently, it has been featured in novels and movies. Definitely X if not XX or *advertiser censored*.
http://therearguard.org/sleeping-beauty/
[video=youtube;QLnb73aXZTs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLnb73aXZTs[/video]
The trailer for the not-the-Disney Sleeping Beauty is disturbing, and the clip which follows even more so.
In part because it allowed me to get a glimpse into the mind of someone who would want access to a totally vulnerable, totally insensible young woman. The need to have someone completely in his power, someone who will not know what has happened to her until she awakens, someone who cannot object. Someone that, in this movie, has at least gone through the motions of agreeing to be available in such a condition as a job. And even with someone aware of where she is and what could be happening, the abuse heaped upon her body, upon her intellect, her morality is astonishing. Although shot with a perspective of objectivity, watching a human being losing her personhood to a powerful, privileged man is a horror show. It's a nightmare unfolding within an aesthetic portrayal that is mindful of this woman as a piece of art. And a piece of art can be marred, and scarred, and broken.

So, if this is the scenario BC is alleged to have put upon his victims, no wonder they describe it as a horror. Watching these few minutes really affected me. The images, the words, the utter coldness have shaken me. I may have intellectually figured out what might have gone on if the allegations were true, but this made me only too aware of how the alleged assaults could have played out. My heart breaks for any woman who has been so abused.

 

[bluesneakers]

There was a Law & Order (not sure which franchise) about this once. One of the husbands was a dentist, or something, and shared the drugs with the others. I try to be open-minded but I found it disturbing.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

Similarly, but real life:

Paul Patrick Serdula Filmed Himself Raping Women Under Anesthesia at Dental Offices

http://www.truecrimereport.com/2009/11/paul_patrick_serdula_filmed_hi.php

 

[bluesneakers]

Similarly, but real life:

Paul Patrick Serdula Filmed Himself Raping Women Under Anesthesia at Dental Offices

http://www.truecrimereport.com/2009/11/paul_patrick_serdula_filmed_hi.php

Hmm. Possibly inspired a "ripped from the headlines" episode.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

Hmm. Possibly inspired a "ripped from the headlines" episode.

Probably. I watched the shows irregularly but even so couldn't help noticing the more than occasional similarities to real-life stories.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Huff Post:

"As of midday Saturday, more than 5,500 people had signed the petition posted on the White House's "We the People" website. If the petition gets 100,000 signatures by Aug. 7, the White House will review it and respond."