Friday, February 25, 2011

Writing as if women mattered (by Suzie)



Two Swedish women, who have been maligned around the world after they accused a celebrity of sex crimes, face more months of virtual imprisonment because the alleged rapist plans to appeal Thursday's judgment that he be returned to Sweden for trial.

You won't see this lede on any mainstream account of the decision by Senior District Judge Howard Riddle. The media, including blogs that comment on news, generally go with the best-known person and how his life will be affected. I say "his" because men hold the great majority of top jobs in politics, government, media, entertainment, etc.

In this case, the two women are keeping quiet, but what's stopping journalists and bloggers from contacting their lawyer to find out all the ways this case has changed their daily lives, their relationships, their futures. Have they moved from their homes? Do they still work? Have they lost friends? Have they gotten death threats?

WikiLeaks is selling a T-shirt that says, "Courage is contagious." I admire the women's courage for sticking it out for six months, but I don't think they caught their courage from him, and I hope they didn't catch anything else.