John Worboys and NAMALT

[wherethewildthingis]

Forgive me if I struggle to articulate this a bit. I've been reflecting on why the tabloids are all jumping up and down about John Worboys. Generally these are massively mysogynist papers which excuse and minimise rape and male violence.
Do people think it's like the ultimate NAMALT-look at this monster, this is what a rapist is , not your average bloke down the pub? So it kind of deflects from the real picture of how men behave (as a class?)

Yes I completely agree. He ticks most of the 'monster' boxes: assaulted strangers, used violence, very prolific, offender profile very idiosyncratic.

As you say, the function of 'monsters' in a rape culture is to distract everyone from what the most commonly occurring forms of sexual violence look like so that men (as a class) get a free pass and women don't recognise the violence that is being done to them

I don't know if I'd call it a namalt though. It's almost the opposite: (almost) all men aren't like this (so they must be good guys by default)?

This is good
www.newstatesman.com/politics/feminism/2018/01/why-women-are-so-angry-about-release-black-cab-rapist-john-worboys

Pretty much, yes.

If all rapists are monsters, it deflects from the idea that the chances are that you know someone who has raped or is raping someone.

What we do know is that rape is usually a serial offence (cf the numbers of serial rapists DNA being found in the backlog of rape kits in almost all US States).

It's an exercise in deflection.

The monster fits the myth that monsters rape and men protect women from monsters. Only seven percent of rapists are strangers.

That's a good article assigned.

And yes, wildthing, I agree that there is very much an element of Worboys being the "face of rape" that it's acceptable for everyone to hate and monster. It's all part of the script about rape -it's something that happens down a dark alley with a stranger.

Very good article

Excellent article , thank you for sharing.

Yes, I was saying this yesterday. He's a 'proper rapist' -at least a hundred women, who were strangers, and who were 'being sensible and not putting themselves in danger' in getting a cab. He's not like all those 'not really rapists' who only forced sex on a wife or girlfriend or a woman too drunk to consent.

NO JUDICIAL REVIEW

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42747687

I was just going to post about this. Words fail me. Utter contempt for women. No surprise there. Wrote to my MP weeks ago. No answer. No surprise there either

Makes me sad but doesn't surprise me at all.

After all we're 'only' women...........

Yup, if he'd raped men, he wouldn't be coming out so soon, let alone with everyone just throwing their hands in the air and saying they can't do anything.

Good news

Sadiq Khan is launching legal action to challenge the Parole Boards decision to release Worboys