Feminist writer and campaigner Kirsty Strickland says BBC Radio 4's debate about the leaked 'Trump Tapes' completely missed the point about rape culture
LAST FRIDAY, tapes were released of presidential candidate Donald Trump boasting about being able to sexually assault women.
In the unearthed recording, from 2005, Trump could be heard telling a laughing Billy Bush: "I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything … grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
Trump defended his comments as "locker-room talk" and something that happens in the "real world". In response, the Radio 4 today programme hosted a debate with author and Everday Sexism founder, Laura Bates. The premise of the discussion was whether or not men should have a space where they are free to discuss women in sexual way.
Let’s break this down. A radio programme hears audio of a presidential candidate admitting to grabbing women without their consent. The BBC takes this reaction and spins at dizzying speed to questioning the reasonableness of women.
Let’s break this down. A radio programme hears audio of a presidential candidate admitting to grabbing women without their consent. Hundreds of thousands of women respond on social media by sharing their experiences of sexual assault with the hashtag #NotOkay.
The BBC takes this reaction and spins at dizzying speed to questioning the reasonableness of women.
Can men just not say ANYTHING anymore? Is it PC gone mad? What happened to being able to compliment a woman?
This scrambling for 'balance' when discussing sexual violence is as commonplace as it is counter-productive. At its heart is the false notion that because our newspapers are filled with stories of women being harmed by men, that we must already spend enough time examining the reasons why. So outlets look for a new angle in a misguided attempt to say what hasn’t been said.
Does us talking about the #Trumptapes make things better or worse? Laura from @EverydaySexism takes us to task. #r4today pic.twitter.com/6QBrgrmYJS
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) October 11, 2016
The segment with Laura Bates was introduced as a discussion on the "gender politics" that decided the way one sex talks about the other. Before the debate in the studio, we heard from Radio 4’s locker-room correspondent (BANTZ), who spoke to a football team about whether Donald Trump’s statements were representative of how men talk about women.
Astonishingly they all said it wasn’t; that of course, it is to be expected that men speak about women in sexual, often objectifying terms, but alluding to sexual assault? No. Never. They wouldn’t dream of speaking about women in a degrading way, just "tactics" such as: "Where you are going to get the best women, your tactics towards getting them, and what you are going to do with them when you get them."
So often, when a high profile man behaves in a way that warrants legitimate criticism in relation to women, the defensive stance is adopted and we hear calls for "understanding".
After introducing Bates and letting her speak for a whole 12 seconds on Trump’s comment about sexual assault, presenter Justin Webb interjected: "Yeah but if you put that to one side, is the rest of it acceptable?"
Bates tried to point out that it is disingenuous to try and separate Donald Trump’s rampant and documented misogyny from his 'I grab her' admission, as the two are intrinsically linked in the culture that gives men the impression they are entitled to access women’s bodies.
Ignoring her, Webb interrupted again: "So any description that objectifies women is an assault?"
The idea here is to give the impression that women are too thin-skinned and fragile, that we equate casual sexism with violence. Because what better way to dismiss the experiences of women than to suggest that maybe we are just offended too easily?
Disregarding the core of Bates’ argument, Webb summed up what he thought was the most pressing matter at hand.
"The serious issue is whether it is acceptable for men to talk about women in a sexual manner without feeling guilty about it.
This is driven by entitlement. Entitlement to our space, our time, our endless understanding, our bodies, and, crucially, the benefit of the doubt.
"We want to be able to say whether we think a woman is sexy."
Had Radio 4 done even the briefest of research on #NotOkay they would have seen women sharing the realities of assault, not offence at the misogynist language that we hear every day.
We know how some men speak about us. Bitch. Slut. Whore. Cunt. These words serve to fuel the culture that dehumanises women to the extent that some view us as nothing more than objects to be taken. However, in the aftermath of the Trump Tapes, it wasn’t his use of misogynist language that provoked the strongest reaction.
Trump described the sexual assault of women. Grabbing them by the crotch, kissing them, violating their bodies and their space – because he wanted to and he COULD.
Because you can when you are a white man, a famous man, a good swimmer or can kick a ball. You can when you have a 'bright future', 'good prospects' or 'so much to lose' if you are held to account for your crimes.
You can if she was drunk, if she was sexually active, if she wore a short skirt or flirted with you. You can if you are powerful enough that nobody is going to question your actions for fear of the consequence.
In conducting their whole debate through the comparison of the 'locker-room', the BBC danced to Trump’s vile tune. It reinforced his narrative and sought to minimise his behaviour.
So often, when a high profile man behaves in a way that warrants legitimate criticism in relation to women, the defensive stance is adopted and we hear calls for "understanding".
This is driven by entitlement. Entitlement to our space, our time, our endless understanding, our bodies, and, crucially, the benefit of the doubt.
The Today programme attempted to turn a discussion about the scale and impact of violence against women into one where women are too easily offended. In doing so they demonstrated the magnitude of the problem we face.
In conducting their whole debate through the comparison of the 'locker-room', the BBC danced to Trump’s vile tune. It reinforced his narrative and sought to minimise his behaviour.
Laura Bates was robustly cross-examined for phrases she did not use, and acts she did not conflate.
This is rape culture.
The BBC was wrong to undermine attacks on women as a violation of the free speech of men.
The BBC was wrong to undermine attacks on women as a violation of the free speech of men.
Balance doesn’t mean denying the reality of lived experience. In the light of this misguided segment, the BBC would do well to learn that for the future.
Picture courtesy of Gage Skidmore
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