In an article attempting to explain the electoral victory of President-Elect Donald Trump, the Washington Post summarized a litany of ways that Trump upended expectations about what was possible for a man like him, including the notion that his boorish behavior, epitomized by his brazen statement that he could grope women without asking their permission and get away with it, would not be forgiven by the voters. Invoking the case of a woman who supported Trump, the Post wrote:
The day after The Washington Post revealed video showing Trump explaining to TV host Billy Bush how he would grab women by the crotch, a Trump supporter in Syracuse, N.Y., Shannon Barns, said that the video had only deepened her belief that he should be president. “This just put a human face on the guy for me,” she said. “I was worried that he was a billionaire and didn’t know about the lives of people like me. This showed me that he’s a man. You know in your heart every man talks like that.”
In other words, trivializing sexual assault humanized Trump for this woman, because, she claimed, every man talks like that.
He was not a fat cat billionaire so removed from the dinner table of average Americans that he could not appreciate that conversations at the dinner table can sometimes turn rancid. He was instead a living, breathing man of Main Street who deigns to sit in the locker room and talk like men do.
This is a surprising statement, not simply for the obvious reason that it serves to condone a lax attitude about sexual assault, and not simply because it comes from a woman. It is surprising because it reveals how deep-rooted certain beliefs remain about what it is to be a man and how a man is assumed to talk about women, and how these attitudes influenced perceptions of a celebrity candidate running for the highest office in the land.
First, let’s state the obvious. Trump’s remark was deplorable.
He is heard saying that his fame gives him a pass to ‘move’ on an attractive woman, to kiss her and grope her, without asking her consent, because to him, there is no need. ‘They let you do it’, he says, because women are supposedly overwhelmed and impressed by fame and fortune. The assumption is that a man adorned by the aura of success, money, fame, and power is an arresting allure that makes him irresistible. Thus, women allow him to ‘move’ on them because the patina of fame and glamour ‘validates’ his intrusion.
This is an assumption that is endemic to the culture of power, a culture of permissibility in which a man like Trump feels so entitled that a phrase like ‘Grab ‘em by the pussy’ can be said with the blitheness of one who does not think he is doing anything wrong. It is just ‘locker-room talk’. It is just something he said in passing without thinking about it. It is something he said because it is funny and entertaining and appeals to the prurient tastes of men who may be watching the show and are not immune from feeling a pang of envy for a man whose fame and power give him the liberty to ‘move on’ a woman and kiss her without asking consent. It is something he said because that is simply how men talk about women.
Despite Trump’s pretensions that behavior like this is normal and harmless and prevalent, twelve women have come out and accused Trump of sexual assault. It is probably not a stretch to speculate that there are more women out there who have yet to come out. But it should also not come as a surprise that Trump has threatened to sue the women who have accused him of sexual assault. Trump is a billionaire with resources that go beyond dollars and cents. He knows other powerful people. He has the power of the pulpit. Millions support him. He is a vociferous braggart who has no shame in throwing accusations at people.
Now, he is the President of the United States.
How does something like this happen?
It happens because, among other things, millions of people have convinced themselves that trivializing sexual assault is an offense that does not disqualify a man from holding the highest office in a land where millions of other people are tirelessly working to transcend deep-rooted attitudes that underlie what academicians and others call ‘rape culture.’
What is rape culture? Does it refer to a post-apocalyptic society like in the movie Book of Eli in which evil men rape women at will? Does it refer to a war-torn society in which rape is used as psychological warfare? Does it refer to a pre-feminist Mad Men world where men grope or make lewd comments about women in public with no fear of repercussions or even a sense that there is something not right about it?
This is not my understanding of what is meant by rape culture in today’s world. We have, in fact, made some progress. It is, rather, subtler and more insidious. The Women’s Center at Marshall University defines rape culture as ‘an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.’ Examples of behavior that give rise to rape culture, according to the Center, are blaming the victim (“She asked for it!”); trivializing sexual assault (“Boys will be boys!”); sexually explicit jokes; tolerance of sexual harassment; inflating false rape report statistics; publicly scrutinizing a victim’s dress, mental state, motives, and history; gratuitous gendered violence in movies and television; defining ‘manhood’ as dominant and sexually aggressive; defining ‘womanhood’ as submissive and sexually passive; pressure on men to ‘score’; pressure on women to not appear ‘cold’; assuming only promiscuous women get raped; assuming that men don’t get raped or that only ‘weak’ men get raped; refusing to take rape accusations seriously; and teaching women to avoid getting raped instead of teaching men not to rape.
Proving the causal relationship between any one of these behaviors and an actual case of rape is probably elusive.
The point instead is that these kinds of actions collectively give rise to common attitudes about gender relations, and that these attitudes spawn an environment in which the likelihood of rape increases when women (or men) find themselves in sexual situations in which they are uncomfortable or unsafe. It is an environment in which assumptions about what is common behavior for men breed a sense of entitlement or bad judgment that leads to rape. It is a culture in which behavioral cues, doubts about what constitutes consent, peer pressure, alcohol abuse, and psychological manipulation can go violently awry and lead to rape. It is a culture in which a sequence of irresponsible decisions can lead young men like Owen Labrie to rape a girl as part of a campus ritual or like Brock Turner to rape a girl who is lying unconscious after a frat party.
This is a culture that is going nowhere fast when a Trump supporter reports that the Access Hollywood video humanized Trump and convinced her to vote for him. It is going nowhere fast when a woman trivializes sexual assault not simply by condoning Trump’s remark and implying that ‘boys will be boys’, but declaring that the video was a crucial factor convincing her to vote for Trump. It is probably not a surprising remark to those who study rape culture, except perhaps for the fact it was made by a woman. It is remarkable nonetheless, and serves as an example that should be appreciated by all who worry about rape culture, because it reveals just how deep-rooted certain attitudes are that contribute to rape culture.
This woman did not merely forgive Trump for coarse behavior. This woman conveyed her belief that coarse behavior humanized him and was a crucial factor in her support for him. Voters often express a desire for a leader they can share a beer with, someone who can relate to them, someone whom they can trust because he talks like they do. For this woman, Trump talks like men do. She knows in her heart that every man talks like that. It was a deciding factor in convincing her that Trump knows about the lives of people like her.
This is, of course, only one anecdote. But the fact remains that Trump was elected president, so millions of other people also condoned his statement, and it does not seem farfetched to presume that they also believed that Trump’s remarks were an innocuous case of ‘boys will be boys’ and perhaps also made him relatable to them. I am not one who believes that Trump was elected explicitly on a platform of sexism, racism, or xenophobia. I believe he was elected by riding a torrential wave of anti-elitism in America and benefitted from a profoundly weak opponent nominated by the Democratic Party. People voted for him in large measure because they see a successful entrepreneur who is bound to no one and can come ‘drain the swamp’ in Washington. They voted for him in spite of, not because of, his inflammatory rhetoric about race and gender.
That said, however, I worry that Trump’s election sent a message that America will tolerate a man who traffics not only in race-baiting and xenophobic rhetoric, but shamelessly and thoughtlessly trivializes sexual assault. I worry that the perception that his behavior is normal among men is so endemic among his supporters that, even if they disapprove of what Trump said on the merits, it nevertheless humanized him and did not prevent the election of a blatant sexist to the highest office in the land. I worry, therefore, that a Trump presidency will serve to perpetuate the mores of rape culture that should have been obsolete long ago. Unfortunately, rape culture is alive and well in Trump Nation.
Which is to say, in a significant part of America.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images
If you’re concerned about trivializing sexual assault, look no further than your hero, Bill Clinton. I find it amazing Democrats didn’t think it mattered that Bill Clinton fooled around with an intern in the Oval Office.The same Democrats suddenly become so prudish when Trump uses the “p” word. First off, there is no rape culture in America. Go to the Middle East and you WILL see a rape culture. Go to where Boko Haram steals young girls. There is rape culture there. In America, rape is a problem, but it’s not a culture. As far as Donald Trump goes… I… Read more »
Men get blamed for a lot of things — spreading their legs too wide “manspreading”, Mansplaining, being too protective of their women – “neandrathal” .. Now there’s a new study saying the smiling and being charming to women is actually predatory. I am just myself. Overall, men have a higher sex drive and testosterone – it’s nature. I am tired of being shamed by media as a male. People accusing Trump doesn’t bother me because when 90 percent of media is anti trump, it’s obviously biased. The polling was biased. I am willing to see what he actually does, instead… Read more »
And women have more progesterone. Women have at least as much sex drive as males, they are just naturally much pickier and, socially, cautious. That… has nothing to do with anything else, though. A high sex drive doesn’t excuse seeing sexual assault as not that serious.
The more guilty is the guy, Trump, who cheated on his wife. Do you really believe a woman ignoring her husband’s cheating behavior is as bad?!
Garbage article with a bunch of allegations and as usual no factual evidence very poor excuse for journalism
You are full of dangerous denial!
I agree! It’s amazing how they say all these things about Trump when Bill Clinton is a proven sexual predator. I heard one Democrat woman say she is glad a sexual predator won’t be in the WH. (She believed Trump would lose) Bill Clinton would have been roaming around the White House with nothing else to do but sexually harass interns. No facts. They come to these conclusions by hearing the same liberal talking points again and again. We just suffered through the WORST economic recovery since WWII. I am so grateful we dodged the Hillary Clinton bullet. Our country… Read more »
John Lennon On Fatherhood,Feminism And Phony Tough Guy Posturing by anti-violnce,anti-sexist educator Jackson Katz
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackson-katz/john-lennon-on-fatherhood_b_800333.html
GREAT NEW ARTICLE,JOHN LENNON’S JOURNEY TO FEMINISM AND WHY IT MATTERS TO US IN THE ERA OF TRUMP BY JOE RAIOLA
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-lennons-journey-to-feminism-and-why-it-matters_us_57f9601ee4b090dec0e71412#comments
My other blog,A Lot Of Strong Research And Other Important Information On The Harms Of Pornography
https://wordpress.com/posts/alotofstrongresearchotherimportantinformationontheharmsofpornog.wordpress.com
HERE IS MY NEW BLOG,DEBUNKING COMMON SEXIST MYTHS OF GENDER
Here is my new important blog called,Debunking Common Sexist Myths Of Gender and I also include a lot of your important educational videos like this.
https://wordpress.com/posts/alotofresearchstudiesotherimportantinformationdebunkingcommonse.wordpress.com
140 HORRIBLE THINGS DONALD TRUMP HAS SAID ABOUT WOMEN FROM HILLARY CLINTON.COM
https://www.hillaryclinton.com/feed/a-running-list-of-all-the-worst-things-donald-trump-has-said-about-women-its-long/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=tw&utm_campaign=20161023feed_trumpwomen
Just one of countless examples, in 1988 when Michael Dukakis ran for president,he got emotional during a speech and cried and many people said it showed what a kind caring person he is and that he would make a good president. But when Patricia Schroeder also ran for president that year,she also cried,but many people said it proved she was too emotional as a woman to be president!
Women and men,girls and boys are often perceived,judged and treated very differently for the *same* behaviors.
And Hillary is far from ”weak” another common sexist woman-hating gender myth! She was pretty strong to take all of the unjustified woman-hating verbal attacks she has gotten for 30 years and she got it even worse during this campaign, I saw horrible woman-hating comments about her on so many different message boards and news magazine sites,sadly some by women too.Men even mentioned her vagina etc.
Randy, all I meant by ‘weak’ is that Hillary was not a formidable candidate. I believe Biden, Sanders, or any of the generic Republicans could have beaten him head-to-head. Hillary had too much baggage as an establishment candidate in an election season in which everyone outside DC hates the establishment.
I believe Hillary had a great chance of beating any Republican. Trump was not my first choice, but I knew he was the only Republican who could beat Hillary.
Yes, she had tons of baggage, but Democrats didn’t care about that.
And Bernie Sanders? That’s a scary thought. Socialism never works.
“She was pretty strong to take all of the unjustified woman-hating verbal attacks she has gotten for 30 years and she got it even worse during this campaign.”
Laughable. She is no victim.
Oh but I forgot. The politics of the “progressive” left is that of victimization.
I wasn’t surprised at all when I learned that Donald Trump won the election even when all of the polls kept saying Hillary had a 80-90 something % chance because I knew that because of common deep rooted sexist gender myths,and gender stereotypes and the irrational woman-hatred and sexist prejudice built into the whole very gender stereotyped,sexist,sick woman-hating male dominated society,he would win and I was right! Type in Hillary Clinton next to gender stereotypes and see a lot of things come up about this.
I meant type Hillary Clinton gender stereotypes on google.
Give it a rest! She lost because of who she was as a candidate. Not because she was a woman. The electorate signaled a long time ago they dd not want an insider. The Republicans got the memo. The Dems did not. Case closed. I have been on this site for several years commenting. One of the things I have consistently mentioned is how women here in America refuse to take responsibility for their behavior. In other words “life happens TO them.” If they fail at something, it is not their fault they failed. If there relationship or marriage fails,… Read more »
Jules, I can’t disagree with much of what you are saying.
Trump was the one crying everything was rigged. Straight American males blame women for getting beaten, raped and killed and defend the criminals who do that to women.
But it’s women who refuse to take responsibility, somehow. Right on, little male.
In 2012 Trump in a tweet called the electoral college vote a disaster.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-calls-electoral-college-a-disaster-during-2012-tweetstorm/
In this 2008 video interview with Donald Trump he’s asked about Hillary Clinton and he said that she’s very smart, and strong and that’s OK and he said that he thinks she’s a very nice woman and that at a minimum she’ll be remembered as a great senator. http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/19/politics/trump-ny1-clintons/ And he now says this again on 60 Minutes. http://www.justjared.com/2016/11/11/video-donald-trump-says-hillary-clinton-is-very-strong-very-smart-in-60-minutes-interview/In this 2008 video interview with Donald Trump he’s asked about Hillary Clinton and he said that she’s very smart, and strong and that’s OK and he said that he thinks she’s a very nice woman and that at a minium she’ll… Read more »
DONALD TRUMP & BILL COSBY LOVED & WERE INVOLVED WITH PLAYBOY & TREATED WOMEN THE SAME WAY IT DOES!
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/05/politics/trump-playboy/
This is a very good,important article but you didn’t name the major teacher and normalizer of rape culture,woman hatred,dehumanizing objectification of women,sexist inequality and violence,PORNOGRAPHY!
ACCLAIMED RADICAL FEMINIST PSYCHOLOGIST PHYLIS CHESLER,WHY WOMEN STILL WON’T VOTE FOR WOMEN
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/10/15/phyllis-chesler-delaware-odonnell-harry-reid-sharron-angle-republican-democrat.html
THIS PETITION TO STILL GET HILLARY CLINTON ELECTED PRESIDENT ON CHANGE.ORG IN JUST 2 DAYS, 2 MILLION PEOPLE ALREADY SIGNED IT!
https://www.change.org/p/electoral-college-electors-electoral-college-make-hillary-clinton-president-on-december-19?recruiter=352233676&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive
GOOGLE SEARCHES FOR NUCLEAR SHELTER ARE SKY ROCKETING AFTER DONALD TRUMPS VICTORY!
https://www.indy100.com/article/donald-trump-win-victory-us-presidential-election-google-search-nuclear-shelter-7407356
SENATE MINORITY LEADER
Senator Harry Reid said in this video that Donald Trump is a nightmare,a sexual predator and the most unqualified candidate for the president ever.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/harry-reid-donald-trump_us_5825d9a4e4b0c4b63b0c3e79?
Do you really think Harry Reid was of sound mind? Really? Have you heard his cowboy, poetry festival rant? That was years ago.
He knew he had to step down because even he knew he was losing it.
I would never hold up Mitch McConnell as a good source and I’m a Republican (technically). I think he’s a putz! You don’t think Harry Reid is too?
https://youtu.be/vYuKPiEqFdc
Searches For The Word Misogyny Hve Spiked After Trump’s Victory
http://www.merriam-webster.com/news-trend-watch/searches-for-misogyny-spiked-after-trumps-victory-20161110
SCIENTIFIC PROOF THAT SUPPORT FOR TRUMP IS DRIVEN BY ANGER AT WOMEN HUFFINGTON POST NOVEMBER 1
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scientific-proof-that-support-for-trump-is-driven-by-anger-at-women_us_5818bcc8e4b0990edc339ddb
CNN REPORTS ON MANY HATE CRIMES AFTER TRUMPS ELECTION INCLUDING AGAINST JEWS & BLACKS
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/us/post-election-hate-crimes-and-fears-trnd/?iid=ob_lockedrail_topeditorial
NEW YORKER ARTICLE AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY ABOUT DONALD TRUMP WINNING THE ELECTION BY DAVID REMNICK MENTIONS HIS MISOGYNY & RACISM
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/an-american-tragedy-donald-trump
AMERICA ELECTS A BIGOT BY CHARLES M.BLOW NEW YORK TIMES
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/opinion/america-elects-a-bigot.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=span-abc-region®ion=span-abc-region&WT.nav=span-abc-region
Hillary was *not* a ”weak” candidate at all,she is a zillion times more intelligent,and rational than Donald Trump,and has a zillion times more political experience and qualifications than him! In addition to helping women and children’s rights for 30 years. 160 republicans,both women and men in the House and Senate,and governors,are not supporting Donald Trump and president George H.W. Bush said he was voting for Hillary and so did Collin Powell! And many evangelicals spoke out against him and his mistreatment of women too. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/29/us/politics/at-least-110-republican-leaders-wont-vote-for-donald-trump-heres-when-they-reached-their-breaking-point.html CEO of Hewlett Packard computers Meg Whitman who has always voted republican said she’s voting… Read more »
Who gives a fuck about Colin Powell!! He supported President Obama in 2008!!!
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! GO HOME! IT’S DONE! IT’S OVER!
It’s really over for you guys. I’m sorry for the innocent ones, but I’ll love to see the eunuchs who support Trump, like you, getting burned.
YES! TRUMP WON! YEE HEE!!!!!
Now if the Democrats would just accept that instead of throwing everything against the wall, hoping something will stick.
The Russians – NO EVIDENCE.
The Popular Vote – America uses the Electoral College and has since 1780.
All they do is try to stop the man from keeping his promises. The people have spoken! Sorry if you weren’t one of them.
“It happens because, among other things, millions of people have convinced themselves that trivializing sexual assault is an offense that does not disqualify a man from holding the highest office in a land where millions of other people are tirelessly working to transcend deep-rooted attitudes that underlie what academicians and others call ‘rape culture.’”
I don’t know how old you are, but this all happened during the 90s.
But his attitude towards women have stayed with him to this day, and we recently have examples of what Trump was talking about with cases like Brock Turner. Brock raped a person. Donald said “grab em by the pussy” because he knew he couldn’t just all out say “rape them and get away with it.” Fingers grabbing a vagina denotes entrance. What he said was true, and it’s happening.
WHat the hell are you talking about? Can you read Trump’s mind?
If you really listen to the tape, you will hear that he was telling Billy Bush that “When you’re a star, they let you do anything…” (meaning star-struck women)
“[You can] grab them by the p***y”.
You know what he said in the tape and you know you’re wrong.
I can’t believe this one is reading his mind The only thing Trump “forced” on women were kisses. He said he just goes in gets them.
He never said he grabbed anyone. NEVER.
You have a lot of nerve when Bill Clinton. a PROVEN sexual predator, is probably your hero. You voted for his wife! This would have allowed ol’ horny Bill to get a lot more opportunities.