A cynical hot take: #BelieveWomen fails to diagnose the a central problem with testimony about sexual assault cases.
The problem is often not primarily about lack of belief, but about a lack of care. (1/5)
The problem is often not primarily about lack of belief, but about a lack of care. (1/5)
2 error theories:
(1) People often claim there's insufficient evidence for belief as a *cover*.
(2) There's often insufficient evidence for belief in *legal* settings. (Though, of course, that's not a good standard for everyday belief.) (2/5)
(1) People often claim there's insufficient evidence for belief as a *cover*.
(2) There's often insufficient evidence for belief in *legal* settings. (Though, of course, that's not a good standard for everyday belief.) (2/5)
The slogan #BelieveWomen misleadingly suggests that issues regarding sexual violence testimony could be ameliorated by fixing the norms of beliefs.
However, the problem is not primarily epistemic, but rather moral. (3/5)
However, the problem is not primarily epistemic, but rather moral. (3/5)
Insofar as there is an epistemic problem here, it often doesn't have to do with victims' *descriptive* reports.
They believe what women say happened. They just often don't believe that what they describe is egregious, deviant, constitutes sexual violence or abuse. (4/5)
They believe what women say happened. They just often don't believe that what they describe is egregious, deviant, constitutes sexual violence or abuse. (4/5)
Cf MacKinnon: "Men who are in prison for rape think it's the dumbest thing that ever happened... they were put in jail for something very little different from what most men do most of the time and call it sex. The only difference is they got caught." (5/5)
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