Woman, mattress, rape, performance art

[Simfan34]

Student vows to carry mattress everywhere until her alleged rapist is expelled

(It's not the best article, but I just wanted to show this isn't some non-event no-one outside certain circles cares about. This is a much more informative one.)

I'm not particularly in the mood at the moment to go and describe my thoughts about this, not only because I am tired but also because they are so confused, ill-formed, and convoluted that I've tried suppressing them altogether. This is perhaps because any real opinion is predicated on one of two extremes, neither of which are particularly pleasant, or plausible for that matter.

-The administrative system and police are completely and utterly useless and no stock should be placed in their actions; despite the complete and utter lack of evidence the rapist must be punished, due process be damned.

-The woman is lying through her teeth, as are the several other women (two or three, I think) who have alleged this man raped them, and she is seeking to exploit her false tragedy for blatant self promotion and media attention, and to manipulate the university.

I mean... I fail to see a middle ground here. Which is why it's so awful. Also here are some key phrases of other bad things:

Performance art
Campus activism
Evidence
Phasing of consent
Mechanics of anal sex
Witch hunt
Media involvement
University disciplinary panel

So I am... interested in your... opinions on this... matter.

[Simfan34]

Here is her account of what happened:

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Which the panel apparently had difficulty understanding:

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http://theblueandwhite.org/2014/02/11/accessible-prompt-and-equitable/

[Simfan34]

Oooo, a Republican poster creating a thread about rape.  And in which "she's lying through her teeth", too!

Do go on.  *grabs popcorn*

Clay Aiken and Richard Murdock would be proud! Well, this and the fact that we are a breath away from vindicating rape culture by letting it take over the Senate.

Clay Aiken? Besides that note how Joe Republic apparently wants you to think I believe "she's lying through her teeth". Had a Republican made an ad with such contextual distortion, Joe would have made a thread on it by now.

I am just pointing out the two possible solutions here are either a lynch mob to run the alleged out of town or to do nothing at all about this woman's predicament. Both are equally unpleasant.

I am just hoping the Atlas community could perhaps explain things clearly so that I might not feel so conflicted about all this. Certainly, I want to hear.

[Simfan34]

UPDATE: Dean of the undergraduate college runs into Sulkowicz, awkwardness ensues.

Some more updates:

They've made listicles about it.

A website has been set up where people can sign up to help Sulkowicz carry around the mattress.

Here's a video of her explaining her project to the campus newspaper.

Interestingly enough, here is a video of none other than the alleged rapist, Jean-Paul Nungesser, explaining his project (a short film) to the campus newspaper, last year- seven months after the incident.

So I am interested in your opinions on this... matter.

What are you doing?

I don't know. I just don't- I really don't know what can be done about this. I suppose you (and Joe) are interested in my opinion about this. Then again I doubt you are.

But having seen her carry that mattress myself, as well as having the issue quite literally shoved in my face- campus is being swarmed with reporters-  it's impossible to not think about it. But you actually don't see people here talking about it, or at least I haven't.

I personally haven't talked about it with anyone sans one or two close friends who can be relied to generally be of the same mind as me. I still think there are only two real firm "positions" one can have about this, as I said before, both of which are rather terrible, so I imagine talking about this- despite the fact it has completely enveloped our university and attracted international attention- would be close to sheer horror. Which is why I wanted to bring it up here rather than just thinking about it.

But I'm not sure what to think. Bacon King (and others), raised up the issue of the shortcomings of the campus disciplinary system and sexual assault policy, which are obviously pertinent. For most of this year the university It certainly needs to be changed- which it actually has recently, and quite expansively.

The new "Gender-Based Misconduct Policy" (I am not entirely sure why it is called that), for example, states that "a person also cannot give consent under [the Gender-Based Misconduct Policy] if he or she is incapacitated by drinking, drugs, being asleep, or for any other reason," which is a rather uncompromising approach to consent (Is the drunken hook-up now non-consensual? This would seem to necessitate a rather radical configuration in social norms that I gather many of the people who call for the end of "rape culture" would not look favourably upon.).

But more relevant to the issues that Bacon King brought up is that the new policy permits advisors or attorneys to "accompany students to any meetings or hearings related to investigations."

Also fun fact: I started this post at 07:06 and finished...whenever I end up posting this. It's 11:45 right now. Wait-what the hell?! Have I been sitting here for this long?!

I'll skip over the digression about how campus activists responded to the new policy by complaining that they weren't involved in writing it and get back to Sulkowicz.

I mean, I sympathize with her. I have no reason to believe she's being dishonest about what happened to her, and so it's clear she's been through a great deal of mental anguish and distress. Indeed, my first reaction to hearing this was a rather knee-jerk distaste for her "performance art", which I generally rather dislike. I still don't consider it "art", but after hearing her explain her reasoning for carrying the mattress, I saw how it rather poignantly served as a physical embodiment of the trauma and pain she must carry with her at all times. I actually feel the mass of attention the media has given to this attests to just how strikingly it captures that feeling.

But I absolutely can't get behind what she's trying to accomplish with this- have her alleged rapist expelled. Flawed as it might have been, the disciplinary panel did not find Nungesser responsible for what he was accused of, and nor has any court done so. Emotive as her actions might be, it doesn't make him any more legally culpable than he is now. As much as I or anyone else might believe what she said happened to her did happen and that her rapist should be expelled and punished, it doesn't give us any justifiable reason to do so. In that way this whole thing comes across as an attempt to find him guilty in a court of public opinion so that he may be run off campus, the other courts having failed her. It is an act of a desperate person with no-one else to whom to turn.

Again, I don't think she's wrong to feel that way. But it almost doesn't seem that way. This is a senior art thesis, a calculated and planned project. An organised campaign. It's not something someone overwhelmed by their demons would be able to carry out. Which makes me wonder about her reasoning as to why she did not report her rape sooner. I have never been a victim of sexual assault and thus lack the ability to truly empathise with her, but she waited eight months to file a report with the disciplinary office. And then, afterwards, it was close to two whole years until she went to the police. Shame, anger, embarrassment, frustration- I can imagine it- but I'm thrown off by her ability to now stand front and center in the public square with this when she had been so hobbled by it for so long.

I don't intend to criticise her- perhaps she did suddenly feel the need to be open about what happened to her, but that night is now over two years in the past. What can be done? What if evidence, even if there was a trial, would anyone be able to produce beyond the testimonies of the two and possibly the almost certainly unreliable recollection of people in neighboring rooms? What real evidence is there beyond Sulkowicz's word? I take her for it- but that's not how laws work. I guess my frustration in the prior paragraph comes from the utter futility of further investigation or trial- there simply is no evidence at this point; had she come forth sooner, it would be different. There would be  evidence, and justice could be served.

But for me the idea of expelling a student found guilty of no crime or deemed responsible for any wrongdoing strikes me as fundamentally unjust, and I'll admit I honestly find the idea more revolting than the idea of a rapist going unpunished. I mean, is this what people- other than Sulkowicz, who unlike the rest of us presumably knows the absolute truth of the matter- want to happen? For someone to be expelled (and presumably imprisoned) without a shred of evidence? It is one thing to reject disciplinary boards and courts of law as biased and incompetent, but it is another to completely reject the idea of the rule of law and the right to a fair trial. I really don't know- is this something people believe? Is it something they want?

That is perhaps what is so distressing about this whole affair: "justice" would be unjust, but "injustice" would be just.

What do you think should be done? Because I simply don't know.

[Simfan34]

I agree with what most of you're saying, but the fact is there really isn't any confusion about her intent here:

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The problem has nothing to do with the guy's name, which is already out there in the police report, but rather the idea that the rule of law should be thrown out the window. Is that something you see nothing wrong with?

[Simfan34]

Agreed- I see how this is completely logical from her perspective but in the case of anyone else I'm not sure how one could "support" her explicitly defined aim.

If I seem overly concerned about this (Kemp?) it's probably because one here is not only confronted with it, but apparently people are being "called out" for not helping her carry the mattress, and groups are being pressured by activists to get involved.

It's a shame the broader activism focusing on selection assault on campus has become so shrill and confrontational- because something needs to be done- rape is bad.

I wish her "objective" was to force a significant revision of how sexual assault is responded to on campus and that victims come forth so that their attackers can face justice- rather than the attempt to essentially run the man off campus. It would be more productive and less, well, disconcerting.

But I obviously understand why she would want justice for herself. The tragic thing is, however, that I don't see how it could be done, and certainly not through this.

[Simfan34]

If I seem overly concerned about this (Kemp?) it's probably because one here is not only confronted with it, but apparently people are being "called out" for not helping her carry the mattress, and groups are being pressured by activists to get involved.

I never said you were "overly concerned" but the musings/ramblings are a bit odd. Your fascination with this as well as what you call "kettle-sim" or whatever rivals that of Snowstalker's with SJWs. I'm kinda amused by it.

Well like I said, my "fascination" with this stems from the fact I've been directly confronted with it without the opportunity to actually discuss it much. I wouldn't have even bothered bringing it up here if not for the fact it has garnered a great deal of media attention already.

And I fully concede my ramblings (which is what they are) are odd- there isn't really a point I'm trying to make beyond expressing confusion and my attempts to understand things.

As for "tea-kettlism" I'd say that's best left in the IRC whence it came- where you know it's not a view that I am alone in holding, nomenclature aside.

[Simfan34]

It's now the cover story for New York magazine. Apparently our President said something about it. As did Hillary Clinton:

http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/09/emma-sulkowicz-campus-sexual-assault-activism.html

[Simfan34]

Having to see the woman who was raped constantly remind you that she was raped is pretty uncomfortable. Still, it has to be more comfortable than being raped and not having authorities care enough to do anything about it.

Thank You.

What do you suggest be done?