Fraser Sherman's Blog

This is an Undead Sexist Cliche I blogged about almost a decade ago, that taking action against rape or harassment is an attack on men. The classic argument was that women would make false rape accusations at the drop of a hat, therefore treating rape charges seriously is an attack on men. Plus boys will be boys — to punish rapists is to criminalize male sexuality. Which is bullshit because rape is not some natural male behavior, it’s a choice. An evil one.

Mixed in with that is the old cliche that feminists don’t want equality, they want to hurt men and seize their power. Opposition to the fight against harassment and sexual assault isn’t misogynist, it’s anti-anti-misogynist, which is totally different … somehow.

Thus we get alleged rapists such as the Southern Baptist leader Johnny Hunt suing in supposed outrage that they’ve been alleged to be such. As I understand it, the allegation didn’t cost him anything — he wasn’t removed from his post, arrested or otherwise punished — but he sued anyway.

Now Alexandra Brodsky (author of Sexual Justice) says college men accused of sexual harassment are suing on the grounds going through Title IX procedures violates their rights (if you want to know why that’s bullshit, check out Brodsky’s excellent book): “The male plaintiffs of these cases are students who were accused of and penalized for sexual misconduct at their schools, and they allege that Title IX policies violated their rights specifically because of their gender. Circuit courts ruled in favor of both plaintiffs.” As Brodsky, Bolger and Singh’s paper notes, ‘this backward reasoning suggests that civil rights enforcement is a form of discrimination against dominant groups.'”

Which of course is the same logic as Alabama banning the teaching of divisive topics — mustn’t tell white boys anything that would make them even slightly uncomfortable with their privilege. No, technically it talks about making anyone uncomfortable but I doubt a teacher’s going to get in trouble for saying slavery wasn’t that bad. Or a proposed Florida bill that calling someone sexist or racist is automatic defamation. I’m willing to bet Sen. Jason Brodeur wouldn’t think saying Democrats serve Satan or dropping the n-word is equally objectionable or Fox host Greg Gutfeld saying AOC only supports immigration because she’s horny. Much the same way some Republicans are outraged to have abortion claims fact-checked or for Yelp to point out crisis pregnancy centers don’t offer medical care.

Or consider Texas, where one legislator is pushing a bill that would give tax breaks to married couples with large families but only if they’re straight and have never divorced. Republicans squeal like stuck pigs about how gays/blacks/women get supposed special benefits but they’re fine if the Right People are on the receiving end.

Similarly we have Ben Shapiro objecting that the left hates military masculinity, presumably because liberals are open to gays and women serving. And that questioning the toxic part of masculinity is yet another war on men where women won’t let them be strong leaders. Pastor Jack Hibbs is a complementarian so I would guess what he means is that men get to lead and dominate all the time — which is not the same thing.

For more examples of misogynist bullshit and double standards, read Undead Sexist Cliches, available as a Amazon paperback, an ebook and from several other retailers.

That’s the message Marjorie Taylor Greene shared recently, that conservative Christian women should dress conservatively and modestly: “It’s also good to not tempt your Christian brothers and cause them to stumble.”

This is one of the ugliest and most common undead sexist cliches, that if men commit rape or harassment it’s because women’s sexy looks and slutty ways drove them to it! The women were, as the rape apologist phrase goes, asking for it. The provocative dress defense used to be commonplace in rape trials: show the woman was dressed too sexy, imply the guy couldn’t help himself, or that she was even going out looking to get laid, the slut. Presto, acquittal!

Like all undead sexist cliches, it’s bullshit. When men rape it’s not because women “cause them to stumble,” it’s because the men make a choice to rape. The use of date rape drugs, of tactics to get a woman alone show the rapists are making calculated choices, not mindless reactions to miniskirts. Let’s not forget, women in burkhas have been raped. Nineteenth-century women in long Victorian dresses got raped. Women in conservative Christian churches where “modest” dress is the norm still get raped.

While this attitude is one that can turn up anywhere, some Christian conservatives make it worse by incorporating it into their faith. Bill Gothard’s creepy church, according to the Duggars documentary, taught women their bodies were “eye-traps” irresistibly drawing men’s attention unless suitably covered up. That tells women if they’re raped, it’s their own fault; it tells men that if they rape, they’re not responsible.

In this line of thinking there is no way a woman can dress that will protect her from blame. For too many people, just the fact she was raped proves she was at fault. Beyond that, men’s feeling of attraction or arousal is too often seen as something she’s doing to him. She’s making him feel the way he does; his arousal is proof she’s dressing too sexy. For antifeminist propagandists such as Suzanne Venker, it’s intentional: women who get sexually harassed aren’t innocent, they know perfectly well what they’re doing to men! Pastor Carl Gallups even tops that: in his eyes women who dress sexy are committing sexual assault on men.

Even if all this crackpot misogyny were true, in a sane world that would put the burden on men. If they’re animals who can’t restrain themselves, blindfold them when they go out. Don’t let them go to strip shows. Have minders to watch them in singles bars. Cage the predators, not the victims.

But the unwritten law is that restraining male sexuality is totally unjust. Boys will be boys and men will be rapists. Men are biologically hardwired to rape (no, we’re not, as I explain at the link — and the Guardian explains too). Making it illegal to rape goes against nature. Much better to restrict women by telling them not to dress sexy, not to drink, not to be alone at night. If they don’t follow the rules, blame them. If they do follow the rules, blame them anyway because few women (like most human beings) rarely calculate their actions perfectly. And if they do exercise “proper” caution blame them for being so hostile to men or so prudish about showing off their bodies. There’s no winning. And that’s the way misogynists want it.

For more on rape, harassment and victim blaming, read my Undead Sexist Cliches, available as a Amazon paperback, an ebook and from several other retailers.