Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Mahri Irvine" <>]

Dear All,

 

(apologies for cross-postings)

 

I hope that you have been fortunate enough to miss the media coverage of the
atrocious
<http://www.theeagleonline.com/opinion/story/dealing-with-aus-anti-sex-briga
de/>  article a male undergrad at my school spewed forth about how there's
no such thing as "date rape," and how drunk girls are clearly asking for
sex. (Happily, so many students on campus have protested that the editors
have since apologized
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/30/AR201003300
3766.html>  for their decision to run the article.)

 

I am now bringing this to your attention to ask for any assistance you can
provide in the raging debate that is being spread over campus regarding free
speech and censorship of student newspapers. Our main argument is  that
presenting the topic in such a calloused fashion is a violation of our
student conduct code, which states that free speech/dissent is allowed
unless it, in part, "endangers the safety of any person on campus." Because
we have been receiving reports (written online comments) about students
being triggered by this article, we believe that this defense is accurate.
(The editors did not include any type of warning about this article having
potential triggers). Additionally, this article can be interpreted as
condoning rape, as the journalist suggests that all women who get drunk are
"indicating" that they want sex... therefore encouraging perpetrators who
agree with this type of rhetoric. 

 

However, our school
<http://www.theeagleonline.com/opinion/story/letter-from-the-vice-president-
of-campus-life-and-the-provost/>  administrators state that this type of an
article is considered free speech.

 

I am also criticizing the editors for allowing such an inflammatory and
misogynistic article to be published in the first place; the editors'
argument that they wanted to "start
<http://www.theeagleonline.com/opinion/story/letters-from-the-editors/>  a
dialogue" about this topic is irresponsible: 1) since legal definitions of
rape already exist, it seems inane for this "conversation" to even take
place, and 2) the decision to publish this article in a university newspaper
provides this victim-blaming journalist with an image of power and
authority. (Note that the editors did not include a counter-point article
refuting his arguments).

 

If any of you have any knowledge of similar scenarios that have arisen on
university campuses, please let me know-it would be great to have some
resources for a forum that is planned for Monday. Additionally, the
journalist is planning his own forum next week to play up his martyr status
and protest how his free speech rights have been allegedly suppressed by the
student body. I would like to be know that we are in the right to protest
this type of article and that our protests are not "censorship," but rather,
an intense community reaction to rhetoric that is at best, malicious
victim-blaming, and at worst, hate speech.

 

Thanks,

 

Mahri Irvine

Doctoral Student

American University

Department of Anthropology

 

"Critiques should be coupled with collective action. Just as reality without
critique equals self-delusion, critique without action produces only
nihilism and despair." -Randall McGuire (Archaeology as Political Action,
2008:39)