MovieChat Forums > The Newsroom (2012) Discussion > The rape victim's website, where do you ...

The rape victim's website, where do you stand?

posted 10 years ago by SEAL412
129 replies | jump to latest

I felt that was a hard choice. I think Don was making a strong case that it could be used to put people down or make a situation worse.

But when that actress, idk who she was, made her case that she was raped and there will never be any trial or any case it was really maddening. I imagine this crap happens at colleges all the time, esp at frat parties.

These guys high five each other and a girl lives in fear for the rest of the night.

Now Don made a strong case. But the truth is couldn't someone, as he put it, "take revenge" nonetheless? I mean couldn't anyone anywhere accuse someone on the internet.

Yes this website could be misused, but aside from Charlie's death, I thought it was one of the most poignant scenes in the series.

Where do you stand? Was Don right, or the victim?

[–] jidf32 10 years ago

This boils down to a battle of the sexes. But if we are to be logical here, you'd know that this site would also be used to destroy the lives of many innocent guys. Let's make this more relatable to all feminists. What if your father, son or brother was falsely put on blast on such a site by a girl all because he turned her down, or even cheated on them? Yes, cheating is bad, but is ruining said boys future forever okay?

[–] Aim-JE 10 years ago

What about the lives of the girls who are raped but never get justice? I think the website would be a good idea for victims who never get their day in court. The girl in that episode went to three different places to report the rape, all to no avail. However, I also agree with Don when he said there was zero chance that it wouldn't be used for revenge, and no innocent guy should ever be falsely accused of such a heinous crime.
I'm still hesitant to say I was raped about five years ago when my then-boyfriend pinned me down and sodomized me, knowing that was the one thing I told him I never wanted to do. It's embarrassing and shameful and I still ask myself if it was because of something I did. Do guys ever wrestle with those kinds of feelings?

"This guy just telephoned a psycho-killer to come down and psycho-kill us!"

[–] neerood 10 years ago

No. The way to address inadequate justice is to work on improving justice, not creating fresh new harm and creating untold numbers of new innocent victims.

When you were raped, the steps are report to the police and hospital. Millions of charges are laid and investigated every year. Despite the disproportional hype being given to the unfortunate exceptions, justice is still by far the best path we have. If you're a decent person, going the revenge and vigilante path will just make you feel worse about yourself.

[–] jidf32 10 years ago

But what justice is served then? It's a small yet meaningful modicum of justice but the cons of it all out weigh the pros. Don was right, innocent people can also. Merlin Santana, an actor lost his life because of a girl who falsely accused him of rape. So many other people have been affected by false accusations. I get that there are women who are raped and there isnt justice for them, but providing such a platform in my honest opinion would be a bad thing. Especially if the "girls" can post their stories in anonymity. Then that will give way to internet trolls and delinquent boys who play crude jokes on their friends too. in the End, it would not be worth it

[–] Scott-101 10 years ago

Don was right that a website like that would be disastrous. It derailed my life severely when I was falsely accused of a sex crime. The stigma is incredibly strong.

I think it's a valid criticism that it's a problem that there will never be any trial. Society should ensure that there is a trial.

I could also see how Don not doing anything within his journalistic power to get a rape trial is insensitive but Sorkin is always insensitive.

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[–] Screen_Queen 10 years ago

Don made a good case, but I was 100% with the girl. If you argue for the possibility of someone using the site for revenge as a reason that the site should be taken down, then that's also saying it outweighs the justice that these girls deserve that the act of putting up the site declares. And that's not true. The truth is that women are always told how to protect themselves from getting raped, but men are not told not to rape. Women fear for themselves because of what they think men will do to them. Have you ever thought about why it's so easy for girls to lie about being raped and so easy for people to believe them? Because it happens all the time. These people are absolute filth for lying about rape, but this should never be allowed to devalue the testimonies of actual rape victims. In fact, saying "but people lie about rape all the time, why should I believe you?" should be a completely invalid reason for not believing a rape victim. Because the moment we automatically assume they're lying, that's the moment justice becomes nonexistent.

It's a really fine line, but if you think about it - if people did their jobs and prosecuted actual rapists, it wouldn't have to be such a difficult debate. Too bad the law sucks at doing its own job.

We're running around like we don't care
It's gonna leave its mark somewhere.

[–] leon1989 10 years ago

It's an awful situation but im going to have to go with Don.Like he said there is no possibility that some innocent guy's life wont be ruind by the site.

[–] meikido 10 years ago

I really hate this topic. Not because it isn't important but because it is simply impossible to solve.

I do understand why the laws are how they are. Innocent until proved guilty does make a lot of sense.

But aside from sense and logic it simply leaves rape victims in a very defenseless position. They are pretty much told: "I'm sorry you got raped, well, if that REALLY REALLY happened, but you just have to live with it and with your rapist not being prosecuted for the greater good."

A lot of stuff that makes sense on paper feels very wrong if you think of the affected people for a moment.
I do not know what to do about this but leaving it like it is, which means most rapes are going unreported, can't be an acceptable solution either.

Maybe we need to think outside of the box, maybe we need to try to build more awareness. Not only on the front of warning women how to avoid being raped by caring all kinds of tools with them and only going outside at certain times and such (which has been done for years) but also trying to see what our culture does that makes this crime so common.
And no *beep* 'it's nature' and such excuses, I mean, really looking at media, education and society.
I refuse to believe that nothing can be done and that the status quo is good and should be upheld even though it causes so many victims without a voice.

[–] yahko_kun 10 years ago

I personally feel that rape is as almost as a derogatory word as depression to some people. Its something that people dont believe is real. Its not something tangible as a physical assault because the victim is trying to hide the wounds as quickly as possible.

I think the human race is equipped with doubt, and when rape happens doubt takes over because a person thinks what had I done wrong, what did I do rather than why did the other person did it to me. As time is passing by a person suppresses it off and doesnt want to share it even with the police or people who can help.

If I were to be raped I would surely support a website like that, especially if I went to the police, went to my school, went to all the proper authorities which let me down. I dont want to turn into Jodie Foster in The Brave One and start killing my attackers one by one like some crazy vigilante.

[–] lancer165 10 years ago

The website problem is one thing but I am one who would suggest that where aggravated rape occurs and is proven I have no problem with the death penalty.
I have no problem with the death penalty when rape is POWER fix.
I have no problem with the death penalty in the case of the obviously older person 'raping' a child [this might of course be seen as racist considering the nations that marry children to old men]. Mind you does that included the Gerry Lee Lewis type areas. And again just how many children would lose their daddies if this was law.

I also believe that lying 'victims' should be punished severely should the accused be a potential death row individual. Rape is a terrible crime and says so much about the perpetrator.

Naming and shaming might be a useful tool. We had it in the middle ages stocks etc. And of course BRANDING.
With piercing and tattooing so prominent perhaps RAPIST on the forehead could be an attraction to the many sickos or a red flag to the normal.

My treatment of rapists in general would double the food available unless it was the farmers who were the rapists. But it would also mean that female population might have a greater choice.

Even drug induced 'rape' is a horrible horrible deed. Life imprisonment?? and a viagra drip.

[–] meikido 10 years ago

Draconian laws don't work either as proven over and over in history.
People who rape because they want to don't look at their possible victim pondering if it's worth it or not. They just act on their desire.
If they would think about possible future punishment they wouldn't do it in the first place. Many men describe their fear of being wrongly accused of rape as being haunting and it doesn't seem like a great experience to have. Just look around at how often people complain about how wrongly accused men are treated even though they haven't been convicted. You hear talk about their lifes being ruined. And? That still seems to have no effect and that's just for people being wrongly accused. If you've actually done that you get all of that plus prison.

What are you imagining? A guy standing atop an unconscious victim thinking "Well, for being publicly shamed and having my career ruined and maybe even going to prison I'm going to do it but for death penalty, nah, not gonna do it".
That's not how crimes like that work. That might work for crimes that need to be planned beforehand but it does not work for crimes that involve decisions based solely on basic emotions and desires which are made in a matter of seconds.

[–] AH_Fan 9 years ago

Was Don right, or the victim?

The victim was right.

1st, the purpose of the website isn't to prosecute the accused. The purpose of the website is to protect potential victims by informing them of those who may have committed rape.

2nd, Don's argument that the website could be used for "revenge" is a weak argument. The victim can just put a disclaimer on the front page of the website that no charges were ever filed against the accused and that the accused are alleged (not convicted) rapists.

The victim can also modify the website so that when a victim posts an accusation, the accused can go onto the website and post a response or rebuttal to the accusation. That way, readers of the website can read both side's of the story and decide for themselves who was telling the truth. And a journalist like Don can't argue against a forum where both side's have the opportunity to tell their side of the story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOwfRyd9avY

[–] 9 years ago

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