Convenient apologies: Twitter thread takes a ‘stab’ at men explaining away sexual assault
A Twitter user took a dig at such perpetrators by using ‘stabbing’ analogy to highlight the how sexual assaults are looked at in comparison with other crimes.
A deluge of complaint of sexual harassment within Hollywood against producer Harvey Weinstein, film-maker James Toback and actors Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman among others have emerged.
After allegations of sexual assault, the accused often follow a similar scripted narrative to explain their behaviour. They use phrases like “lapse of judgement” and “it was the liquor” or claim penance and offer half-hearted apologies “till the dust settles down”.
Kate Harding, a feminist author, took a dig at such “explanations” by using a “stabbing” analogy on Twitter to highlight how sexual assaults are looked at in comparison with other crimes.
“I am sorry for all the times I stabbed men, just a little, in my previous workplace. After years of counseling, I stopped stabbing men,” Kate Harding tweeted in a hilariously sardonic thread that has gone viral.
Harding’s tweet spurred others to share how sexual assault slowly transforms into classic victim shaming, few days after the incident.
“My childhood was bad, I barely even stabbed them and some of them are liars. But I am truly sorry & will be spending time with my family,” she tweeted taking a swipe at those who downplay such assaults and blame outside factors for their depraved behaviour.
Harding’s tweet thread, satirising an assailant’s conventional apology, has received over 27,000 retweets and has struck a chord with her followers.