[MASSIVE trigger warning.]
A video obtained by the (graphic pictures of rape at this link) Global Post shows Gaddafi being raped by a Libyan rebel before his execution. Speculation suggests he may have been raped by a stick, knife or the barrel of a machine gun.
I should have known not to read the comments.
A couple of people saying “rape is bad” and a whole fuckload of people saying that Gaddafi deserved it or that it would be absolutely hilarious to rape Wall Street bankers.
No.
No, no, no.
I cannot believe that in two-thousand-fucking-eleven we are still having this fucking discussion. No one deserves to be raped. Rape is not some kind of fucking punishment that you can deserve by being enough of a douchebag. Just like it is not okay to starve people, and it is not okay to waterboard people, and it is not okay to tear out people’s fingernails with pliers, it is also not okay to rape people. That entire comment section needs to take Remedial Decent Human Being.
In a lot of ways, we turn a blind eye to certain kinds of rape survivors. Of course, women who are insufficiently virginal can be “punished” with rape. Female undocumented immigrants are very likely to be raped, to the point that some will take birth control pills before crossing the border; some asshats argue that undocumented immigrants should be afraid to report their rapes for fear of deportation. Queer rights groups have pointed out the tragic cases of LGBT people, particularly in South Africa, who are raped in order to “turn them straight.”
And then there’s prison rape. Over two hundred thousand people are raped in American prison every year; each survivor is raped, on average, three to five times over the course of a year, which means that approximately eight hundred thousand rapes occur in the criminal justice system every year. This is a human rights crisis. And what do we get?
Oh, yes, Sublime, repeated anal rape in prison is clearly an appropriate punishment for date rape, in much the same way as beating people up is an appropriate punishment for assault and battery.
I am not sad Gaddafi is dead. My thoughts and support are with the Libyan people; I hope they can create a truly free, just and democratic society, free from the tyranny of Gaddafi. But human rights abuses (and make no mistake, rape as punishment is a violation of Article Five of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) are not a cure for human rights abuses. And it is tragic to me that such a crime mars their moment of freedom and glory.
Well fucking said Manuel!! I was reading all these stupid comments on the vein of “well I’m not going to say I’m sorry for that Tyrant that I knew not a single fucking thing about from that country I don’t know a single fucking thing about…” seriously, How SHEEP can people be?? anyway I am glad you already wrote a comment and save me some time and anger!, also incidentally, I found out about that petition this morning and signed already.
Mod note: Edited to remove ableist term. Please do not use ‘retarded’ on this site.
I agree completely with: rape is not used in any way within a civilized society. I generally feel the same way about murder (although I suppose there are a few exceptions). However, Col Gaddafi is not one of those exceptions. In fact, what has left me wondering if humanity deserves to survive is the widespread garbage talked by people in the vein of “I’m not shedding any tears for Gaddafi” or whatever — in some way, supporting the NATO-installed death squads that have displaced Libyan democracy (yes, Libya has been a democracy ever since the monarchy was overthrown in the… Read more »
monkey said: “My God, that Sublime song makes me ill.”
Me too – and there are 900 eleventy asshats on Twitter/Facebook quoting it like it is some kind of ultimate wisdom.
People just disappoint the shit out of me sometimes.
“Live by the sword, die by the sword. Unfortunately if you decide to live that way you dont get to decide whether the sword is dirty or not.”
No, but others do, and we can judge them for their actions. Rape is not a valid method of punishment.
Live by the sword, die by the sword. Unfortunately if you decide to live that way you dont get to decide whether the sword is dirty or not.
TB I sadly doubt that. The most I’m expecting is that this will show up in a few places but won’t lead to any of those “”real and frank ” discussions that people call for when a high profile situation like this breaks (which are ususally one sided anyway and thus ultimately just give people the opportunity to gain some activist street cred on the subject).
“Just like it is not okay to starve people, and it is not okay to waterboard people, and it is not okay to tear out people’s fingernails with pliers, it is also not okay to rape people.”
Frankly, I think I would have been substantially less upset if they’d torn his fingernails out before shooting him instead.
Though I hate the man personally and think he deserved a bullet through the brain, this was disturbing. After all, a bullet is rather humane and fast. This was degradation and those who say that no one deserves to be raped are right.
Well, at the very least this may shine some light on the male victims of war time sexual assault.
oh god, I should not have followed that link. In those photos, I didn’t see a war criminal, or a terrorist, or a dictator. I saw a man in pain and fear. And even though I’ve never even held a shred of respect or liking for Gaddafi, I still couldn’t bear to see that kind of pain. I’m reminded of a Terry Pratchett quote, which might be somewhat tangential, but frankly, I need the distraction. It’s from ‘Men at Arms’, and I’m going to paraphrase because I don’t have my copy on hand. “If you’re ever held at swordpoint by… Read more »
“I cannot judge those who rape a rapist, but I can say for sure that they lost an opportunity to drag a bit of humanity a bit out of the mud.”
This is a logic loop. Those who rape rapists become rapists. If they cannot be judged for their actions then their subsequent rape would be wrong, but of course you just said you can’t judge someone for raping a rapist.
There’s a simpler way of doing this. Rape is wrong. Unequivocally and always. Whether it’s done to a “good person” or a “bad person”.
Actually, “eye for an eye” came about as an improvement over the former method of justice, which was Disproportionate Retribution.
But still, two wrongs don’t make a right.
Simon wrote : I just hope that them Libyans can put all this sorry bloodlust and madness behind ‘em, and go on and be a free country now. Sadly it is kinda normal in a situation of power vacuum. We saw it in X-Jugoslavia, in post saddam Iraq and now we are seeing it in Lybia. This leads me to some memories. i remember watching a documentary about italy in ww2 on the italian state tv RAI. And there was a story of a man, who got beaten up by hte blackshirts. The blackshirts used to drag the opponents (socialist,… Read more »
@monkey: Also, most of those who count rapes, specifically don’t count prison rapes as rapes, so as far as those who make policy are concerned, prison rape isn’t rape.
Controversial but… One of the oldest forms of justice known to man is the eye for an eye justice. I think that a great deal of people will see an “eye for an eye” they see a poetic balancing. It is laymans karma. We can object to it if we recognise the barbarism, and we should because humanity will grow stronger from the objection, but I cannot condemn it because I (to some extent)see the poetry too. I cannot judge those who rape a rapist, but I can say for sure that they lost an opportunity to drag a bit… Read more »
Not watching the vid. The whole thing’s a debacle. Sure, people suffered under Ker-Taffy, and suffered bad. But even old Ker-Taffy didn’t deserve to have nothin’ forcibly shoved up his butt. I just hope that them Libyans can put all this sorry bloodlust and madness behind ’em, and go on and be a free country now. Though it occurs to me, that centralised government in some places is a really bad idea. I mean, you elect some person, and they get it in their head that they’re leader. So they start solidifying that with rules. And then they groom family… Read more »
@ AB
Heh. That summary was amusing.
balconyscene, I watched the video on youtube without sound and read the comments. It’s like a micro-version of what happened to Gaddafi – people using righteous anger to justify actions (or in this case, language) which would be considered oppressive and abusive in other contexts. Apparently, the father is a weak homosexual piece of female genitalia who’s taking orders from his wife and deserves to be raped prison, and the mother is a female dog and genitalia who’s furthermore sexually promiscuous and take payment for sexual services, and probably acts as she does because she got raped. One commenter would… Read more »
“The other part of that equation is that treating people inhumanely will eventually cause them to act inhumanely.”
Yep. It’s arguably the largest flaw of most prison systems, the US’ included. We get so caught up in vengeance that we shoot ourselves in the feet, so to speak. Increased brutality in prisons merely ends up hurting us, because those folks eventually leave prison and take the effects of brutality with them.
The other part of that equation is that treating people inhumanely will eventually cause them to act inhumanely.
Yeah.
I’ve been reading stuff like this even as I read this thread, but about a different monster:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2056582/Judge-William-Adams-beats-disabled-daughter-Hillary-16-YouTube-video.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
I came across it a few hours ago, on Stormfront of all places.
You know you’ve messed up when even white supremacists call foul on it.
Granted, some of that amounted to “I hope he gets r***ed by an n-word in prison.”
…yeah.
Anyway, I would recommend against watching the video included, it’s a trigger for anyone with a conscience, much less anyone who’s suffered real abuse.
I just realized that prison rape is even more horrifying due to a very grim fact: YOU HAVE NO WAY OF AVOIDING YOUR ASSAILANT(S) LATER.
My God, that Sublime song makes me ill.
“I’m not at all surprised my friends, simply saddened by these events.” Well you are where you should be in the process, Velah. The faster you get through the disgust, and then the anger and onto the sadness, pure simple sadness, the better off you are. “Someone seriously needs to start a class-action lawsuit against the federal government for prison rape on Eighth Amendment grounds. And use the goddamn Fourteenth Amendment to go after state prisons, too; that’s what it’s there for.” PJ, good for you for getting the right amendments. A suit like that has already succeeded. A man… Read more »
@pocketjacks;
You’re totally right about liberals. I remember when they took out the Somali pirates and on many so-called “progressive” sites there was hardcore cheering for the cowboy actions because, well, it made Obama “look good.” Sigh.
Someone seriously needs to start a class-action lawsuit against the federal government for prison rape on Eighth Amendment grounds. And use the goddamn Fourteenth Amendment to go after state prisons, too; that’s what it’s there for. Yeah, I know, they’ll claim they’re not doing anything wrong, it’s the prisoners. (There merely just look the other way and encourage it as a de facto component of the criminal justice system.) I don’t care, just raise the shitstorm. @ monkey, This sort of attitude is by no means limited to conservatives. Liberals need acceptable targets to prove to themselves they aren’t all… Read more »