We haven’t really talked about the case of Lara Logan, the CBS foreign correspondent who was separated from her crew in Egypt and then sexually assaulted. It’s been depressing watching it play out, not only because of the depressing nature of the crime, but also because people are cruel. Echidne of the Snakes has monitored some comment sections and Has some thoughts:
The loathsome comments are of two major types: The first type describes Muslims or Arabs as animals and so on. The second type, the one I’m going to analyze here, consists of victim blaming. It is Logan’s fault if she gets assaulted, in short.
There is a third type, too, which is about the desire of the commentator to join in with the gang rape of various too uppity women in the public eye or a wish that some other female celebrity had been assaulted instead.
Here is her examples of the types of victim-blaming some commenters engage in:
1. This experience teaches women that there are jobs women just cannot do. They get raped if they try and should stay at home, reporting on high school football games. I include that example because I came across it three times in the first 200 comments linked to above. Thus, women can be reporters but only about something which doesn’t let you advance very far in your career or truly compete with men. And the reason is not the women themselves but what can be done to them by some men. Thus, it is the victim who should pack her bags and go home, while the assaulters don’t get told to do that.
2. This experience teaches women that gender equality is impossible and that they should accept it and not to try to horn into the military services, for instance. Sorta like vive la difference but from a misogynistic point of view. Something like a sexual assault is Just The Way Things Are, and we should all be reminded of the value of traditional gender roles. Except, of course, in the case of Muslims who shouldn’t have them.
3. Logan is good-looking and blonde. She should expect to be assaulted under those conditions.
4. She dresses seductively. She should expect to be assaulted under those conditions.
5. What happened to her was a proper revenge for all her years of spouting liberal dogma and her assumption that she can just flit about in a man’s job.
My advice – don’t be that person. If you’re unsure whether your being insensitive, don’t say it or type it. If you’re still having trouble, read this great post about the reality of rape. Rape can happen to anyone, anywhere. It’s most likely to happen when you’re vulnerable. It’s a sensitive topic and one where an imperfect medium like the Internet or Twitter makes for easy misunderstandings. Take the case of journalist Nir Rosen who resigned from NYU after a series of tweets about Logan.
His tweets from Feb. 15: “Lara Logan had to outdo Anderson. Where was her buddy McCrystal.” But there was more: Yes yes its wrong what happened to her. Of course. I don’t support that. But, it would have been funny if it happened to Anderson too.” He was referring to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who suffered beatings during his Egypt coverage. He also called Logan a war monger, saying, “Jesus Christ, at a moment when she is going to become a martyr and glorified we should at least remember her role as a major war monger.”
You can see why these comments provoked outrage. Rosen was an insensitive jerk. He resigned his NYU fellowship and did an interview where he tried to explain his actions. I think he’s truly remorseful.
3. Do you think your statements have been misperceived? Yes and no. Its difficult to try to explain why you were a jerk (or an asshole). On twitter I often banter and argue with various acquaintances about subjects like the morality of wikileaks, the war in Afghanistan, etc. We don’t regard it as a place to make serious statements, after all, at least I thought, it’s just silly social media, but that was idiotic of me and showed terrible judgment. I heard that Ms. Logan was roughed up like many other journalists, I had not realized it was something more serious. I thought I would provoke a friend on Twitter, childishly, and then the exchange grew and suddenly statements that I could not possibly mean were being taken seriously and I was hurting people I didnt even know without any intention. I am not suggesting that making such jokes are ever okay. I have known women, and actually quite a few men, who have been sexually assaulted, and in the last eight years I have often reported on such abuses. When you’re in war zones you develop a black humor and make jokes about your death, other people’s deaths, other terrible things, writers and photographers do it, as of course do Bosnians, Iraqis, Somalis and others as a coping mechanism. But taken out of context this can be deeply hurtful, especially when made by a man. A man should never joke about women being abused or harassed.
4. Are you genuinely sorry for what you wrote about Logan and how are readers supposed to believe that? I feel like when you have done something so offensive and stupid, even trying to explain it seems like you are justifying it and what you say will be taken out of context. So I need to state that my views on women’s rights have always been quite radical (in defense of women). Moreover the last eight years of working in the Middle East, parts of Africa and Asia (like Afghanistan) and in Mexico only further outraged me, because I have seen first hand how brutally women are treated there. And we are only a little bit better in the West. The status of women in the United States is also deplorable. I have spent eight years risking my life as a journalist and also as a consultant to several NGOs and humanitarian organizations to bring attention to victims of injustice and to give voice and empowerment to the weak. By joking around with some friends I betrayed all that and betrayed my family, friends and supports, and I brought shame upon myself and them.
Here’s my advice – if you find politics has something to do with how you feel about the victim of a sexual assault you probably need to step back. As far as Rosen goes, losing his job seems like an extreme reaction. He seems genuinely remorseful but he can’t take back what he originally said. Hopefully we can all learn a lesson.