the rachel drama/hack, the pronoun struggle sessions, and now this (most likely) false accusation against beatnik show that there's a lot of asshats with no morality willing to use anything against the site, and we need to get a lot smarter and stop falling for it

  • TillieNeuen [she/her]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Exactly. "Believe all women" doesn't mean that women never lie, it means that accusations need to be taken seriously and not just swept under the rug because it's convenient, you know the accused and he would never, she was just asking her it, etc, etc, etc. It means to listen and investigate, and if necessary, take serious action, which is what the mods are doing. I don't see any reason for a struggle session here.

      • TillieNeuen [she/her]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Well, the point is that often women aren't believed. Reports go unfiled and uninvestigated, rape kits go untested, the default response is "it didn't happen, and if it did she was probably asking for it." So believe all women, even if she engages in "risky behavior," even if they'd been dating, even if she's a sex worker, even if he's an important man, even if they'd both been drinking, even if a conviction would spoil the life of a "promising young man." Believe that no matter the woman's circumstances or identity, her claims are worthy of being listened to and investigated. The current system is shit, especially if you're, for example, a WOC, or trans, or any of a number of things that make you worth less in the power structure that exists today.

        All that does not mean that no woman has ever lied. It just means that every accusation (no matter who makes it and how much status they have) deserves a rigorous investigation, and consequences if necessary. This is not how things go in most places today, but the mods are working to ensure that it's how things will work here. I hate to be all, "as a woman," but really, as a woman who uses this site, I find that reassuring. I'm sure it would be MUCH easier for them to latch on to some of the details from the accusation that make it seem ... questionable ... and just declare Beatnik innocent by default, but they're not doing that.