Credible

Credible

Adult nonfiction
"Unbeknownst to us, we are shaped by a cluster of forces that I
call the credibility complex. Those forces corrupt our judgements,
making us too prone to discount the credibility of accusers and
inflate the credibility of the accused. The most vulnerable women
experience credibility discounting at its most extreme, while men who
are protected by greater status or position are the beneficiaries of
massive credibility boosts."
Again and again we wonder what the Hell is going on. A man who
boasts of sexual exploits and has women claiming that they were not
consensual is elected president. A man who is accused of rape by a
former classmate is placed on the Supreme Court. A champion
collegiate swimmer who raped an unconscious woman serves only three
months in prison.
In her Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers And Protect Abusers
Deborah Tuerkheimer tells us what the Hell is going on. There are
three truths that need to be established for an accuser to prevail in
a sex crime case: the incident happened; the accused was to blame;
and the incident actually mattered. In each of these decisions, due
to what she's named the credibility complex, males are privileged over
females and the advantaged are privileged above those of lesser status.
Did it happen? We're biased to believe that the accuser is
either out and out lying or somehow confused about happened, perhaps
mistaking consensual sex for assault. This is complicated by the wide
spread belief that rape is done by monstrous strangers to blameless
victims even though it's far more likely to occur at the hands of
people who are at least acquaintances, sometimes intimates.
Who is to blame? I'm sure you're familiar with this aspect.
What was she wearing? How was she acting? Was she drinking?
Basically what did she do that incited him to act? Blame and shame
happens at all levels from friendship circles through institutions
like schools to the judicial system.
Does it matter? Even a case where it's been established that a
sex crime happened and that the accuser was at fault, say the case of
the champion swimmer, can still be derailed by the idea that in the
overall scheme of things the incident doesn't matter as much as some
other factor, perhaps a brilliant future being nipped in the bud. The
swimmer's father stated that because he was working so hard to get to
the Olympics his son should not be punished for "twenty minutes of
action."
In a smooth blend of scholarship and personal narratives of
accusers Tuerkheimer shows us not only how cruelly biased our society
is in this matter, but why it matters immensely and why we should care
enough to do all we can to change our society from one where we have a
credibility complex to one where there is a communal condemnation of
sexual misconduct. Each of us can play a role in this very necessary
societal transformation.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm getting ready to perform in the first drag
show on campus since 2019: polishing my routine and creating my
outfits. It will be tomorrow evening. Even though UMaine has gone to
masks optional I will be dancing masked. The place will probably be
packed and people will be yelling. It's the kind of event where I'll
err on the side of safety, especially where so much information is
coming out about COVID being a risk factor for stuff like diabetes and
heart disease. (Jules)
I don't want her taking any chances. (Tobago)
A great big shout goes out to the planners, performers, crew, and
audience, especially all who will attend masked.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway



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