RH Reality check recently posted a really great book review of Dr. Patti Feureisen’s revised second edition of “Invisible Girls: The Truth About Sexual Abuse.” Since I don’t want to repeat the review word for word, I highly recommend you check out the post by Brittany Shoot.Â
What I will say is that the post is interesting not only due to the subject matter –sexual violence and the more subtle sexual abuse that occurs in so many contexts–but also the reaction to the review. Some of the comments at the bottom of the page are downright virulent. One reader in particular seems to feel that books that expose sexual violence as pervasive and damaging to young girls and women are simply an offshoot of  ’whiny feminism.’
Another commenter on the post wrote a rather convoluted attack on comprehensive sexual education. His post included this paragraph:
“Honestly, if these stats are true (and not just another case of gross exaggeration re: sexual abuse appearing on this site) I really need to reconsider my support of comprehensive sex ed for young people. It’s no wonder parents want to lock up their girls..The message of education in hopes of healthy sexual teen relationships strikes me as absurd in light of these stats. With comprehensive sex ed aren’t you just giving girls a false sense of security and setting them up for abuse?”
While I’m not sure I understand how he has linked comprehensive sexual education with an increased risk of sexual abuse and/or assault, this is exactly the kind of situation that I find both frustrating and frightening. In my mind, accurate and comprehensive sexual education should equip both young men and women with the knowledge and power to make informed sexual decisions. Preventing sexual abuse and assault should be a component of this education, but is really a much larger cultural/societal issue. We should not confuse teaching healthy sexuality to teens with reshaping our cultural norms as they relate to sexual violence and the position of women.
I’m going to register @ RH Reality check so that I can comment that effect at the bottom of the article. Allowing confused people to connect these issues makes it more difficult to clearly advocate for the continuation of comprehensive sexual education and the ending of sexual abuse and violence.
I hope you will do the same and take some time to comment here and @ RH reality check!
Several news sources are now reporting that Roman Polanski, the academy award winning director of The Pianist and other films, was arrested this past weekend in Switzerland.
According to the New York Times article detailing his recent arrest, “Mr. Polanski was initially indicted in 1977 on six felony charges that included rape, sodomy and providing a controlled substance to Ms. Geimer. He eventually pleaded guilty to one count of having sex with a minor but left the country after becoming convinced he would be sent back to jail after having a 42-day psychiatric evaluation in state prison.”
While I happen to like “Rosemary’s Baby” (another of Polanski’s films) and “The Pianist,” I find it troubling that he has remained free for the past thirty some years.
It seems that many people in Hollywood, however, are shocked and upset that he has been (finally) arrested to face extradition charges. While there has been some concern about the fairness of Mr. Polanski’s trial/plea agreement, he admitted to and was convicted of having sex with a thirteen year old girl.
What I don’t understand is why so many people in the entertainment industry have come forward to protest against his arrest. Roman Polanski forced a young girl to have sex, and then spent most of his adult life faced with little other than the inconvenience of limited travel to the US and other extradition friendly countries. While his victim has since said that the supports the dismissal of his case, she has never recanted her story and he has never denied his actions.
Roman Polanski may be a talented filmmaker, but he is also a convicted felon who fled rather than face punishment.
While the New York Times and other news outlets have never shied away from including the details of the original assault case, they also invariably mention the murder of Mr. Polanski’s second wife, Sharon Tate. Although her violent death (while pregnant) at the hands of the Manson gang must have been incredibly painful for Mr. Polanski, I can’t help but think that the rehashing of this aspect of his personal life is done so as a bit of crime-mitigation. Namely, dealing with the murder of his life somehow makes his sexual assault of a teenager more understandable/reasonable.
I’m sorry that Mr. Polanski suffered after the death of his wife, but I’m more sorry that so many people seem willing to forgive his actions against a young girl and his unwillingness to face the consequences.
