Today in Rape Culture

[Content Note: Sexual violence.]Yesterday, Aunt B and Melissa Martin sent me the hyperlink for this piece by Frank Seravalli about professional hockey player Nick Cousins, "a gifted but mouthy diva having a soiled off-ice history." Half way with the story comes this bit, about rape accusations made about Cousins and 2 teammates in August of this past year:Many wondered whether Cousins was snubbed in the Super Series and Team Canada for his alleged off-ice transgressions. Cousins and 2 teammates were arrested on August. 25 for getting intercourse by having an un named lady, recognized to the gamers, against her will. Prosecutors haven't dropped the costs, that are still pending in the court. Cousins attended counseling prior to being reinstated through the Greyhounds.The embarrassing situation gave Cousins, the Greyhounds and also the Flyers a collective black eye. This is an image that he's still attempting to shed."In the professional level, teams require that you be a grownup and behave like one," [Pittsburgh Penguins director of development Ian Laperriere] stated. "He has got a great heart ... Let us be truthful, things like that's been happening forever. You cannot pull off anything now. He can't put themself in individuals situations."He's been in danger with this particular stuff, but hopefully that's all going disappear. A part of my job is telling him he must study from that. You have to be careful what you are doing. Our prospects should try to learn from his situation."So, in summary: Cousins, who allegedly gang-raped an acquaintance, has "a great heart," but simply must develop and become more careful, and hopefully each one of these zany rape accusations will all just "disappearInch so Cousins can return to the intense business to be proficient at sports.I am unsure things i find more contemptible: Laperriere's apologia for any player charged with rape, a criminal offense that they dismisses with "things like that's been happening forever," contributing to that they appears more concerned that Cousins got caught, or Seravelli's description from the assault as "intercourse by having an un named lady, recognized to the gamers, against her will," which prioritizes the implicit rape apologia of "hey, she understood these men, okay?" over the truth that the "intercourse" was nonconsensual.Boys is going to be boys, and women is going to be laying bitches who'll make difficulties for boys with higher hearts.The entire story is all about how Laperriere and Cousins' OHL Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds coach Sheldon Keefe are attempting to get Cousins in check and perform such as the win-machine they are fully aware he is able to be. Cousins, the thing is, has "lots of potential but an undesirable status."And also the story in the whole is really a fucked-up juxtaposition of Laperriere's apologia for Cousins' alleged crime of forcing a lady related to her body what she was fighting off and Laperriere's technique to pressure Cousins to make use of his body to complete what he's fighting off, that is be a disciplined player. I am not drawing an equivalence between being raped and being appropriately challenged individuals situations are not remotely exactly the same. I'm, however, struck because Laperriere's indifference toward Cousins getting used a ladies body for their own reasons (rape) abets Laperriere's ongoing use of Cousins' body for his reasons (winning). Refer to it as trickle-lower exploitation.Through the story, there's all of this expressed hope that Cousins will mature and "study from his mistakes," but rape is all about dehumanization, and Laperriere's indifference to Cousins' character, as lengthy because he are capable of doing, is dehumanizing to both Cousins and the victim. So how exactly does Laperriere aspire to impart the content to Cousins that exploitation is wrong when he's concurrently shrugging off Cousins' exploitation of ladies and taking advantage of Cousins for his hockey prowess regardless of the humanity behind it?Naturally, he does not. He just does not want Cousins to obtain caught.Rapists account for rape. No caveats, no qualifiers. Alone accountable for a rape may be the rapist.Rape doesn't, however, take place in a void. It takes place inside a culture that tolerates rape and apologizes for rapists, especially if they're males whose physiques have to be utilized by other males to create a lot of money. That appears like something we have to discuss, too.Today, Spudsy texted me (with I'm discussing together with his permission): "Mike Tyson is on WGN morning news and they are dealing with him just like a fucking hero. Does nobody remember he's a fucking rapist?"Well. I am sure he's a great heart.[My because of Aunt B for discussing her ideas about "the part where what matters is the fact that Laperriere wants Cousins' body for their own finish. It's apparently not essential that Cousins might not be safe for his community. If Laperriere wants him, other factors" are irrelevant.]