Sunday, October 25, 2015
The Crucible, Now at a Campus Near You
Reason.com: The centennial of the great American playwright Arthur Miller, born in New York on October 17, 1915, has been noted in articles and recognized with commemorative events and editions. For all the tributes, Miller (who died ten years ago) seems more a relic than a living voice on today's cultural scene; his earnest old-style liberal leftism alienates both conservatives and modern-day progressives obsessed with racial and sexual identities. Yet one of his most famous works, The Crucible—a mostly fact-based dramatic account of the 17th century Salem witch trials—is startlingly relevant to today's culture wars, in ways that Miller himself might have recognized.
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I had never thought of the parallels between rape victimizing and The Crucible before reading this article, and yet it is so obvious and clear. Rape culture is a complex issue not only in theory but in actually speaking about the subject. My generation seems to be the most sexually open generation since the roaring twenties, and as such sex is easier to talk about in a more casual sense. But because the previous generation is still coddled into more conservative thoughts, and are currently running the country, issues like women’s rights and rape culture aren’t as out in the open as much of the younger people would like it to be. I know a significant amount of women who have been sexually assaulted and just take is as part of being a woman and that there is nothing that can be done. The fact that people still think that getting assaulted is part of growing up is disgusting. I refuse to have children because I fear the same will happen to them and it is unfair to bring someone into this world when people accept rape as if it is fate. I think that when people stop making sex into some sort of sin so that it is more easily spoken about. Once an issue is out in the open, it can be changed and society can grow from people speaking their minds.
I get the parallel that this article is drawing, but I completely disagree with the point. What it comes down to is that witches weren’t cursing people in Salem, but people do get raped in college. That is just the depressing and horrifying reality of it. The Crucible is about mass hysteria caused by a non-existent or incredibly rare threat. Something that isn’t actually as prevalent as people believe it is, but suddenly everyone sees that threat around every corner. Rape and sexual assault in college is not the boogie man. It is an actual threat. As for the “believe the victim” mantra, that isn’t saying if someone is accused of rape that person should be immediately convicted. An accusation doesn’t make a person guilty, I agree with that. And I’m definitely against the internet lynch mobs that can form if a person is publically accused of rape, though I disagree with large groups forming to attack an individual in almost all contexts. However, believe the victim is just saying that if someone you know comes to you saying they have been raped, believe them. Don’t ask them if the are exaggerating or if maybe they led the perpetrator on, or suggest it might not be what they think. It doesn’t mean colleges should expel someone on the grounds of an accusation alone, but it does mean they should take accusations seriously. Also, a key part of the Crucible and the types of situations it represents is that people are accusing people more or less willy-nilly on absolutely no grounds. People might put pressure on accused communists to reveal the names of other communists to avoid punishment. Last I checked, rapists aren’t pressured to name other rapists in order to escape rape charges. And as for the parallel about false accusations, do false accusations happen? Yes, but given the statistics I have seen, mass hysteria over the fear of false accusations is probably closer to the story of the Crucible than fear of rape.
I originally skipped over this article in favor of others because I thought it was just a discussion of college productions of The Crucible. It was only when I had a discussion about it with Julian that I went back and found the article to read it. That in itself is an issue. While I think excessive trigger warnings are annoying and unnecessary, suddenly breaking out a full-blown discussion of rape in the middle of an article that appears to have nothing to do with that at first glance could be seriously harmful to someone's mental health.
Now, regarding the article itself, I see the parallels she is trying to draw. But frankly I could not disagree more with this author. Rape is a real issue and victim-shaming is a real thing. This terrible problem will only start being solved when people start talking openly about sex and sexual assault instead of tip toeing around the problem. It hardly opens up the discussion and makes victims feel safe talking about their experience when they are being compared to the girls in the Crucible and seen as wildly throwing around accusations based on bitterness and revenge.
Reasons why this article is absolutely, incredibly, horribly wrong:
1) 2%. That’s it. 2%. 2% of rape accusations are false. Let that sink in. 2%.
2) 97%. 97% of rapists receive no punishment for their crimes.
3) 20% of women will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. That’s one girl out of the freshman DP’s who will be raped.
4) The reason that the girls in the Salem Witch Trials went to such extremes was due to their lack of voice in society, because sexism stifled their ability to be heard. Sound familiar? If not, just look at what media does when someone accuse someone else of rape. Look at what this author is doing.
5)AN OUTDATED PLAY ABOUT WITCHCRAFT AND MCCARTHYISM IS NOT PROOF THAT RAPE CULTURE DOESN’T EXIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIKE AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT EVEN A BIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT’S LIKE USING BOOK OF MORMON AS PROOF THAT VACCINES CAUSE AUTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OR USING THE GLASS MENAGERIE IN YOUR PRO-LABOTOMY CAMPAIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT MAKES NO SENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my god. Is this article even real? Just when I think that the world is moving forward in terms of equality and social awareness, I read something like this and I remember that many people still aren’t with the times. I can’t explain the amount of frustration I feel, especially as a young woman who knows what it’s like to experience sexism as an inherent part of everyday life, when I hear such brash and unfounded claims like this. It has been researched and stated time and time again that the percentage of false rape accusations is very unlikely to be any higher than 2%. The whole idea of “the girl who cried rape” is such a sexist, unhelpful, and disgusting way of looking at the sexual assault problem in America, and totally invalidates the experiences of every woman and girl who has had to prove themselves at every point of their life in order to be believed or respected by anyone in any position of authority. It blows my mind that, even while there are so many incredible female activists who are working so hard to share their stories and make steps towards a brighter future for young girls, there are still people who, when hearing of someone being raped, will say “But what if they’re lying?!?!”. The point of what feminists are trying to convey could not be any more completely missed. I also hate the complete dismissal of “campus rape culture”. Around 1 in 4 women in institutions of higher education are raped. This is a complete and total reality that cannot be explained away with some vague and completely unfounded reference to a play concerning witchcraft.
Like Helena, I originally passed over this article until talking to Julian about it. What this article is not okay. The interpretation of "The Crucible" as a statement about college rape cases is not okay. Miller wasn't writing about this. It was not his intent to make a statement about this. Just because you can compare a subject and your misguided uninformed view to an astounding peice of literature does not mean you should. Young has perverted the Crucible to gain meaning that it never should have had.
Also, Young's very world view is wrong. Rape on college campuses is a huge problem. I does not lurk in the shadows. Due to idiots like Young, who believe that rape victims often lie about their experiences, the public has adopted victim-shaming. This is not okay. Victims often don't even report their assaulter. It's a horrible reality that needs to change. Articles like this do not help.
No. Just no. Witch hunts are not the same as a rape case. Sadly, rape exists; witchcraft does not. This whole article pretty much ignores the fact that only 2 percent of rape accusations are false. 100 percent of the witchcraft accusations were false. That is a huge difference, something the author of this article must not understand. The author is grasping at air to try and deny that rape culture does actually exist. This article makes me really angry how it is using a play that was written as an allusion to McCarthyism to deny women their voice and ability to stand up for themselves.The fact that the author is a woman really annoys me as well. By writing this article, she has contributed to the misogynists arguments, hurting herself, and others of her gender. Also, when I first started reading the article, it just seemed that it would be talking about college produced versions of the play. The topic turned around really quickly with little back up information or introduction, further making the authors case seem less researched and professional.
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