Dear Editor,
I would like to address the issues in the March 20 article “Nightmare on Zimple Street.” I realize the personal nature of this case to the victim, but, as a woman, I want this crime to be investigated as thoroughly and intensely as possible. Not investigating and prosecuting the crime of rape is in itself a crime — a crime of neglect, a crime against women. We cannot ignore this sexual violence: ignoring rape and sexual harassment perpetuates the crime. The fact that this particular rape is not under investigation yet, especially in light of the fact that it was a stranger-rape, increases my fear of sexual violence, and increases the fear of sexual violence in all women. When we as a society allow this type of crime to go un-punished, we legitimize the system of patriarchy and sexual oppression that none of us should have to live in.
Rape is a symptom of the deeply entrenched social ill of sexism — it is not a freak, isolated event. I don’t mean to devalue this particular woman’s experience, I only wish to point out that this incident is part of a much larger social problem. I want to help people realize that feminism was not just the fleeting ideology of women that burned bras in the ‘70s; feminism is an ongoing resistance against systems of power that control, demean and debilitate women. Rape is one of the weapons used to enforce patriarchy — though I’m not suggesting that the perpetrator had no control of his actions, or that we can excuse this crime as an unfortunate side effect of the society we live in.
What I insist is that we deal with sex crimes immediately and thoroughly, that we not hesitate to report and investigate. I understand that the victim of this incident is in a lot of pain, and that the investigation may also be a very painful process. But as a community and as a society — as men and women together — we need to deal with this in the most effective way possible. We must heal the people involved, and we must heal this social ill.
Sincerely,
Hilary Gunnels
sociology junior
[email protected]
