Misogynist press is Misogynist re: Kane

[2curlydogs]

Title mine.

www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-spt-0814-ryan-column-kane-20150813-story.html

Kane investigation exposes misconceptions about alcohol and sexual assault


By Shannon Ryan

Chicago Tribune



When news broke about a police investigation into a sexual assault allegation against Blackhawks star Patrick Kane, fans shook their heads, chided tsk-tsk and analyzed his frat-boy, life-of-the-party persona. Drinking, that's what has gotten Kane into trouble, we seem to have concluded.



Kane's previous off-the-ice troubles have been well-documented — most notably, an altercation with a cabdriver in 2009 and a binge that spilled onto the streets of Madison, Wis., in 2012 — and alcohol reportedly played a major role in those incidents.


Alcohol also plays a major role in the misconception about sexual crimes and mistreatment of women. Drinking becomes an all-too-convenient excuse for inexcusable behavior.



After the recent Kane episode in Buffalo, a headline on a column in the L.A. Daily News proclaimed, "Patrick Kane just another athlete whose partying may have led to worse." Sports radio, news columns, blogs and social media accounts have weighed in on how Kane's partying is to blame for "putting himself in bad situations."




It's just the latest painful reminder of how misguided our society's conversation is when it comes to men, especially high-profile men in the world of sports, and the blind allegiance — or ready excuses — they receive when they're accused of harming women.



It can't be repeated enough that charges have not been filed against Kane and he should be presumed innocent by the law. And by the same token, Kane's reputation for drinking and partying does not equate to his guilt either. But that doesn't mean we should avoid examining how off-balance the conversation is when it comes to this story.



While I've been reminded numerous times that I should withhold judgment against Kane, rarely has anyone mentioned that the same should be said for the woman who made the allegations.




The legal defense team in a case that accused former Vanderbilt football players of rape blamed a culture of college drinking for men who recorded themselves allegedly raping a fellow student.



Earlier this week, Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague was fired for a history of sexually harassing female colleagues. Later, a Star-Tribune reporter revealed that Teague had sent her harassing text messages and behaved abhorrently toward her, and reports of similar claims from 2012 surfaced.



Yet it was initially chalked up to a bad night of drinking by Teague and the school. Minnesota had suggested he seek alcohol abuse counseling.


That's great, I thought. Is there a treatment for misogyny?



Let's use this as an opportunity to examine — and change — the hypocrisy of our stances when it comes to allegations of sexual crimes against women.



That's the alcohol double standard: When a woman drinks too much, many say that's the reason she was assaulted. When a man drinks too much, it's an excuse for misconduct.



Twitter has been spitting condemnations such as "gold digger," "liar" and "slut" against a woman without any details of the allegation.


The reporting of the allegations against Kane is not helping matters. The Buffalo News, reporting a local story, is relying on the "Madonna-whore" narrative to describe the alleged victim.



One article allowed a bar owner to speculate that a woman he saw "hanging all over" Kane was the woman who alleged the assault. Another article quoted the woman's co-workers describing her as nice and hardworking and being at Kane's home only to watch out for a friend.





This back-and-forth of victim-blaming and creating a "perfect victim" is dangerous and irrelevant. Sexual assault can happen to any woman, even a woman who drinks and leaves a bar with a man. It happens to wives, prostitutes, straight-A students, drug addicts. Perpetrators can be lawyers, creeps, star athletes, valedictorians.



Rampant misconceptions about consent and assault are a reason many victims do not report crimes. If you are speaking in these terms, you are part of the problem.



Blackhawks fans have been wringing their hands for years because of Kane's partying. But alcohol alone doesn't create a situation where a sexual assault investigation is launched.



Same for Teague's self-created mess or the Vanderbilt case. A person who respects women doesn't suddenly become a sexist predator after a few cocktails. College parties don't make rapists.



It's time to change the conversation.

[downtoearth]

Yes, yes, yes to this!

A person who respects women doesn't suddenly become a sexist predator after a few cocktails.