Gang rape at Cornell shows elements of rape culture

There is much that is disgusting about the suspected gang rape at Cornell, one of America's most prestigious universities. It was in October 2024 that a young woman went to a party at a "fraternity", a male student association. She has told about how she was served large amounts of alcohol, even though she was not legally of legal age, about how she became insanely drunk and was offered the drug ketamine. It began, according to what she herself described, with consensual sex between her and two men inside the association building. After that, however, more and more men flocked to her, who both forced her to have sex and to take more drugs.

In a group chat with 57 men in the association, someone posted a message that there was "free pussy" in the house, something that was met with enthusiasm and cheers. Not a single one of the 57 men spoke up or called for help to avert what, according to the woman, has now developed into an ongoing gang rape.

In a group chat with 57 men in the association, someone posted a message that there was "free pussy" in the house, something that was met with enthusiasm and cheers

When the woman later reported the abuse to Cornell's own police force, the officers deleted her testimony in their report to the prosecutor's office, removing, among other things, that she described it as rape and that she was forced to take drugs. Unsurprisingly, no charges were brought either. After the university's own investigation, two of the seven suspected perpetrators were relegated, while the others were allowed to stay and get their fancy degrees. Furthermore, when the woman chose to drop out of her education, Cornell refused to refund her student fees, making it impossible for her to study elsewhere.

Everything is like an almost too obvious illustration of what is called rape culture. From the abuse itself via the handling by the police and university to the end result: that the consequences for the victim are far worse than for the suspected perpetrators.

When the woman has now sued the men and the university, the case has aroused justified anger, both against those singled out and against the entire system that protected them. A new prosecutor has taken up the case again and maybe now the woman can actually get justice.

Meanwhile, social media has exploded, in two sadly predictable ways. On the one hand, thousands of women have testified about similar experiences and about events that could have led there if chance had not been on their side. On the other hand, the internet's radical right-wing sewers have been filled with hate and threats against the woman, and pictures and personal data have been published on her as well as on other women who have been mistaken for her.

Nine years after #metoo, we haven't come any further than that.

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