Boston Globe Writer: It's Fair Game to Humiliate Men Accused, But Not Convicted, of Rape 'Given the Imbalance in the Legal System, As Far As Rape Prosecutions Go'

Boston Globe columnist Joanna Weiss, whose feminist sensibilities are clear, candidly says what many have long suspected about the feminists who dominate the public discourse on rape: Weiss thinks it's fair game to shame and humiliate presumptively innocent men who are merely accused, and not convicted, of rape, even though she also candidly admits that men are falsely accused of rape.

But don't trust me, read it for yourself: http://www.statesman.com/opinion/weiss-as-far-as-rape-prosecutions-go-theres-1488456.html

Weiss thinks it was entirely appropriate to parade Dominique Strauss-Kahn in handcuffs past news photographers eager to splash his humiliation across the front pages of the world's newspapers for the public's titillation. This is so even though Strauss-Kahn is presumptively innocent, not a scrap of evidence has been admitted at a trial on charges against him, he has not had any opportunity whatsoever to defend against charges, and he might have been falsely accused.

To justify her belief that it's fair to subject men accused but not convicted of rape to shame and humiliation, even the falsely accused, Weiss posits the following other-worldly statement that is a mirror into the feminist soul: ". . . given the imbalance in the legal system, as far as rape prosecutions go, there seems no great shame — for deterrence's sake — in imposing a little shame."

Read that again. It is among the most astounding, frightening statements this blog has ever printed.  It is wholly appropriate, in the feminist mindset, to deter rape by punishing presumptively innocent men who've never been convicted of rape.

Countless men and boys have killed themselves after experiencing the indignity of a false rape claim. I am currently working on a lengthy piece to illustrate this tragic phenomenon. Weiss doesn't concern herself with that triviality, and, in fact, she advocates piling on the humiliation of the falsely accused.

The idea that rape is deterred by punishing the presumptively innocent is morally grotesque, unjust by any measure, and makes us long for the good old days of Star Chamber.  Deterrence is properly accomplished through prison sentences imposed only after a trial and a conviction. But why wait for the trial, much less the conviction, to start the penalty phase when it comes to rape claims?  An unproven accusation is all you need. You see, in the feminist mindset, not enough rapists are punished, so we can't wait for a conviction.  A woman's word is enough.  The innocent who get snagged with the guilty are unfortunate but necessary collateral damage, sacrificed on the altar of political correctness for the greater good.

In the rape milieu, the mindset of punishing the presumptively innocent manifests itself in all manner of harsh ways. It was, for example, prominently on display last year when women's groups in Britain blocked a very modest proposal to extend limited anonymity to men accused of, and not yet even charged with, rape.  Many objective observers suspected that the effort to block that proposal was due to nothing more than a desire to punish anyone even accused of rape.

Usually feminists aren't very open about this mindset. They understand how hateful it sounds. Weiss' piece is startling for its candor. It should also be a wake-up call to everyone concerned about the rights and the dignity of men and boys falsely accused of rape.