#SurvivorPrivilege

#SurvivorPrivilege

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Updated Nov 25, 2014 at 01:35PM EST by Brad.

Added Jun 13, 2014 at 02:51PM EDT by Molly Horan.

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Overview

#SurvivorPrivilege is a Twitter hashtag campaign launched in response to American conservative columnist George Will's assertion in a Washington Post op-ed article that being a rape victim in college is a "coveted status" sought after by women because of the privileges it grants them.

Background

On June 6th, 2014, The Washington Post[1] published an op-ed titled “Colleges become the victims of progressivism" by George F. Will, a Pulitzer Prize-winning conservative commentator, in which he suggests that rape is not an epidemic on college campuses and posits that if the reporting rate of sexual assaults is low, the crime rate itself must also be low. Furthermore, the author also asserts that becoming a victim of sexual assault could become a point of pride for college students, saying:

"Colleges and universities are being educated by Washington and are finding the experience excruciating. They are learning that when they say campus victimizations are ubiquitous (“micro-aggressions,” often not discernible to the untutored eye, are everywhere), and that when they make victimhood a coveted status that confers privileges, victims proliferate."


On June 9th, Wagatwe Wanjuki (Twitter handle wagatwe)[2], who was the victim of a sexual assault during college, introduced the hashtag #SurvivorPrivilege to refute the claim that such a thing exists for rape victims.


Wagatwe Wanjuki @wagatwe Follow lhe #survivorprivilege of being ioo scared to leave my dorm for fear of running into my perp. Reply Retweet ★ Favorite RETWEETS FAVORITES 27 12:18 PM-9 Jun 2014 More 14

Notable Developments

George Will's column, which came amidst an ongoing national debate in the United States over violence against women in the wake of the 2014 Isla Vista Killings, was quickly met with criticism on Twitter. According to Topsy, the hashtag #SurvivorPrivilege[3] was tweeted out more than 20,000 times within the first week.

News Media Coverage

That same day, several websites reported on the Twitter backlash against George Will's op-ed, including PolicyMic[4], Buzzfeed[5] and Feministing.[6] Following the spread of the hashtag, several blogs and news sites ran personal essays written by women who had survived sexual assault and wished to confirm it was not a coveted status. On June 11th, The Huffington Post[7] published a personal essay titled “Dear George Will -- A Few Words on My #SurvivorPrivilege.”

Call for George Will's Termination

On June 10th, UltraViolet, a group devoted to fighting sexism, launched an online petition[9] calling for Will to be fired from the Post, and Terry O’Neill, the president of National Organization for Women, told Media Matters[8] the group was calling for Will’s column to be dropped. She explained:

"George Will needs to take a break from his column and The Washington Post needs to take a break from his column, they need to dump him. It is actively harmful for the victims of sexual assault when that kind of man writes a piece that says to assault victims, 'it didn't happen and if it did happen you deserve it.' That re-traumatizes victims."


Notable Examples


Amanda Marcotte @AmandaMarcotte * 塩Follow To this day, I struggle to believe people will really support me if I have serious problems #survivorprivilege わReply Retweet * Favorite More FAVORITES 12 9:05 PM-9 Jun 2014 9-liillil洪eali)( :li IPIkalink@ 塩Follow afeministabulous 97% of rapists will never see a day in jail and their victims won't get justice. #survivorprivilege Reply t Retweet ★ Favorite RETWEETSFAVORITES 159 More 90 8:54 PM-9 Jun 2014 * Lauren Redding eel.auren Redding Follow Mourning the person I was before the r---, the person I will never be again. I liked her a lot. She wasn't as scared #survivorprivilege Reply Retweet ★ Favorite More RETWEETS FAVORITES 7:11 PM-9 Jun 2014 Danielle Dirks @danielledirks Follow Can @georgewillf please explain how #survivorprivilege works for all of those who have ended their lives? Reply t. Retweet ★ Favorite More RETWEETS FAVORITES 40 42 4:33 PM-9 Jun 2014 Nancy Schwartzmarn @fancynancynyc Follow #Survivorprivilege is having your name and photo smeared in the press, and having the good people of Steubenville call you a w----. Reply t. Retweet ★ Favorite More TFAVORITES 17 4:46 PM-9 Jun 2014 Megan McCoy @GoTeamMegan Following Being afraid to post to this hashtag is #survivorprivilege New York, NY Reply Retweet ★ Favorite More RETWEETS FAVORITES 9 17 1:17 PM-9 Jun 2014 Buffy @buffysaidthis * 塩Follow People are capable of r---. Like, regular people. Your friends. The truth is hard. But lies don't make me feel any safer. #survivo r privilege Reply t. Retweet ★ Favorite More RETWEETSFAVORITES 20 6:38 PM-9 Jun 2014 Katie Klabusich @Katie_Speak Follow #SurvivorPrivilege is having to explain my triggers to every partner I have had and will have in case I freak out on them. Reply t Retweet ★ Favorite More RETWEETSFAVORITES 32 18 12:22 PM-9 Jun 2014 Zerlina Maxwell @ZerlinaMaxwell * Follow I had to move out of my own apt bc my r----- was my roommate's boyfriend, and they didn't break up. #survivorprivilege Reply t3 Retweet ★ Favorite More RETWEETS FAVORITES 47 2:05 PM-9 Jun 2014

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Top Comments

Die_CIS_scum
Die_CIS_scum

in reply to dan_nye

I can can confirm this, I am a lying feminazi bitch. Just last night I was out at dinner when I was interrupted by a waiter asking us if I had decided what I wanted to eat yet. I didn't like the way he was looking at my boobs so I screamed "RAAAAAAAAAPEEEEEEEEEE!!!" at the tops of my lungs.
All the women in the restaurant started applauding and shouting praise at me. He tried to stutter some apology about it being his first day but I wasn't having it. With a righteous hand I slapped him. A tear started rolling down his cheek. I laughed and told him a real man wouldn't cry in public. Soon afterwards the police arrived, whereupon I immediately told the of the hideous rape I had just experienced. "YOU SICK FUCK" The policeman screamed: "You better learn not to drop the soap pal."
At this point the boy was on the ground sobbing .
"I didn't rape her!" the waiter said, through heaving sobs. "You can't just take me away with no proof!"
"Proof?" the policeman scoffed. "A women accused you of rape. We don't need evidence in cases like this. There will be no trial… we're taking you straight to prison!"

+25

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