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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Last Cosby Defenders Throw In The Towel
Its hard to believe that there could be new developments in the Bill Cosby story, considering that the alleged rapes happened years, often decades ago, but here we are: The Associated Press managed to get a court to release documents, despite Cosbys lawyers fighting them tooth and nail, that reveal that Cosby admitted to premeditated drugging of women for sex. The documents, from a 2005 lawsuit from one of his alleged victims, show that Cosby admitted to buying Quaaludes for this purpose in the past and to drugging at least one woman with three half-pills of Benadryl.
So what does this mean? Since the alleged rapes largely happened so long ago that the statute of limitations has passed, the only real relevance of these new details is in the court of public opinion. Even though more than 30 women have accused Cosby, a huge number of Americans have either defended Cosby or remained skeptical about his guilt. Will this new revelation, which basically amounts to a confession, change their minds?
This deep unwillingness to listen to women and tendency to take a mans word over a womans even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary is a chronic problem when it comes to sexual violence, even when were not talking about famous men like Bill Cosby. As RAINN analysis shows, theres a felony conviction in only 5 percent of rape cases. That is well beyond innocent until proven guilty and shows that eyewitness testimony is simply disregarded in rape cases to an extent that isnt true in all other crimes. Fixing this situation requires everyonenot just cops and judges, but ordinary Americans who might sit a jury one dayto rethink our attitudes towards rape accusations.
As cynical as I can be about these things, its also undeniable that decades of feminist work on these issues has raised awareness and has made it easier for victims to come forward with some assurance of being believed. This case has already seen one sign of progress. Even people who are skeptical about the allegations admit that if he did do it, that was indeed rape. A couple of decades ago that might not have been the case. Certainly theres enough cultural evidence to suggest that even as late as the 80s, a lot of people didnt really consider it rape to attack women in this way. Fast forward to recent years, when the national attitudes after the Steubenville rape case showed that people had really come around to the idea that attacking a drunk or passed out woman is criminal, not just boys being boys.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/new-cosby-revelations-quaaludes
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Excellent read - much more at link.
Novara
(5,851 posts)Drugging people so they can't consent is RAPE, not sex.
restorefreedom
(12,655 posts)calling it sex
pissing me right off. why are they afraid to use the word rape?
Stuart G
(38,445 posts)Every word Cosby or his lawyers have ever said about this issue is lie.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)I'd like to see his lying ass in front of an all female jury...
Stuart G
(38,445 posts)He is finally proven to be, what he really is...a serial rapist.
exboyfil
(17,865 posts)with an underage child. Still he has defenders and he travels freely in Europe.
Both of them should be behind bars.
Stardust
(3,894 posts)realFedUp
(25,053 posts)Coz on earth, he's toast, no matter his facade.
Stardust
(3,894 posts)markpkessinger
(8,401 posts). . . a 'pet' whom they could hold up for themselves as an exemplar of what a 'respectable' African American male should be, and by which, paradoxically, many justified their own biases against African American males who didn't conform to his black-man-made-safe-for-white-consumption image.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)The "token" black success story.
Skittles
(153,193 posts)uponit7771
(90,364 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Whoopi Goldberg soldiers on.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026948301
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)realFedUp
(25,053 posts)Although through viewing the show, she's not that intelligent.
Omaha Steve
(99,708 posts)I believed this a long time ago. K&R!
OS
Avalux
(35,015 posts)After all his work with kids and playing a funny, great guy - none of that will matter when he's dead and buried.