What is the simplest explanation for the misguided logic suffusing recent discussions of the alleged rape of a hotel maid by the former head of the International Monetary Fund? A generational disconnect? A lack of appreciation for the complex links between social issues and economics? A warning that high-brow progressive culture may be in need of some self-reflection?
Robert Kuttner, the well-known journalist and editor of the American Prospect, responded on his new blog yesterday to recent leaks suggesting that the alleged victim in the sexual assault case against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is an unreliable witness. Reports are circulating that the maid, an African immigrant, lied about her U.S. residency status on her asylum application (on a lawyer's advice), claiming a gang rape that prosecutors say she has since admitted never happened, and that after the arrest of Strauss-Kahn, she called someone for advice who happened to be in jail on a marijuana charge. More...
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Robert Kuttner, the well-known journalist and editor of the American Prospect, responded on his new blog yesterday to recent leaks suggesting that the alleged victim in the sexual assault case against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is an unreliable witness. Reports are circulating that the maid, an African immigrant, lied about her U.S. residency status on her asylum application (on a lawyer's advice), claiming a gang rape that prosecutors say she has since admitted never happened, and that after the arrest of Strauss-Kahn, she called someone for advice who happened to be in jail on a marijuana charge. More...
Don't miss:
- Dominique Strauss-Kahn case 'on verge of collapse' amid doubts over maid...
- France's women put sexism on trial in wake of Strauss-Kahn case ...
- Former French minister Jack Lang accused of 'orgy with little boys...
- Her name was Africa. His was France. Her name was silence. His was power.
- 51 Indian soldiers accused of rape while peace-keeping in the Congo...
- Sexual abuse in the US army 'staggering'
Rape isn't funny. Neither are false allegations with the explicit intent to ruin someone's life. The simplest explanation is that the maid knew just who belonged to the vacant hotel room, he had masturbated earlier, and she saw the opportunity to set him up. The prosecution's case unravelled without the defense getting involved. The misguided logic comes from the fact that some people think that false accusations (there is not even a question of consensuality; he wasn't there) should be treated as though they were true.
ReplyDeleteHear me well. If rape becomes trivialized, the fact will be at the doorstep of those who hung their hats on false accusers. This particular woman, who used a false accusation for her own gain, trivializes all genuine victims everywhere.