THAT story
Massive content warnings for rape, rape apologism, and police rape culture.
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So. I don’t really have words, right now. I have a lot of SHITFUCKING SWEAR WORDS but they don’t add up to anything incoherent. My whole body is tensed with anger.
There’s this latest revelation, from 3 News, that Police did have a fucking complaint and they asked her – a 13-year-old – to re-enact the fucking assault with FUCKING DOLLS. And Willie Jackson and John Tamihere are officially scum. And I’m going to be fucking angry about this forever.
If you want to call out RadioLive’s advertisers, Giovanni did the hard yards and has listed them on Twitter:
And the wonderful Ally Garrett has a post at The Wireless about self-care. May I also offer zooborns.com as a great online source of happy feelings.
I’m taking some comfort in the fact that yes, there are the detractors and the victim-blamers and the fucking scumbags who must literally be okay with rape and sexual coercion – but this week we’ve seen a lot more pushback from the side of good, and a lot more people taking that side instead of brushing off the issue.
I’m going to hold on to that.
Ideologically Impure 
I haven’t said anything about this story because probably for the first time ever I’m just so full of rage that I can’t even speak about it, there are actually no words.
What I can say is how relieved I was to see people on platforms other than my usual liberal/feminist bubble slamming rape culture and victim blaming, and raging against anyone who did partake in these. I read the comments on the Radio Live piece (I did NOT listen to it), and the fact every single one was supporting the victims and angry with John Tamihere and Willie Jackson was a ray of sunshine on an otherwise dark dark day.
It not fun living in west Auckland right now. On this issue I turn into a gun loving anaco-capitalist. Dam we should be able to be armed, and shot any fuckers who do this sort of shit. Hell girls with guns I say – doing self defense with deadly force – or just shooting there dicks off.
Does it take it happen to children, before something happens? These are children, young women with there whole life in front of them – brutalized, because boys will be boys. This is structural problem, something is very wrong with our society. We know what it is – it has a name – wise women from Emma Goldman to Germaine Greer have said what this vicious nasty little club will do to our children – and guess what – it has happened again – it will happen again and again and again until we have a radical shift away from patriarchy.
We can’t tinker, or reform this one. It has a way of creating it’s own backlash – that particular backlash has been in full swing since the late 80’s. Look how many young women think feminism is a dirty word. One of the great words in the English language – demonized. That’s because a section of males like power over women – they don’t need to beat you all or ruff you up. They just need a few of the lads to brutalize a few of you, to remind you of your place. Is enough – enough? Or you going to tinker and reform and let your daughters, sisters, nieces and mothers, grandmothers suffer under this beast? I’m not I’m over it. Any other male gets out of line in front of me – he’s for it. Damn this culture – damn us all for let this happen to children.
Well, no, adam – this was already happening to children, and nothing happened. Apparently “what it takes” is blanket media coverage – after a huge amount of head-banging-against-brick-walls by activists (the popular, negative response this has received is very very different to the response to the Louise Nicholas trial, for example.)
I think there’s a place for venting our anger with violent fantasies. But vigilante justice has a tendency to get turned around on people who are already oppressed, and we deserve a justice system – whether police-based or not – which actually protects the vulnerable.
I agree, I just been in a very high level of frustration – I’ve known about this for a while, I’m not sure if same group or another operating in west Auckland – Drugs are involved, p and wannabe gangstas. The frustration is that artificial line that runes through Avondale, Blockhouse bay areas which are next to Greenbay. It divides the old cities central Auckland and west – The police still operate with this dividing line. So on one side west Auckland police, on the other central. The attacks have been happening on both sides of this line, and some complaints – I hope they will be connected to this case soon – come from central not west. It is out and out frustration at a stupid line on a map, and a police force who seem to be constantly distracted with there own egos.
May I also say that the great work by activists and other women after the fact has been bloody wonderful. Big ups to quite a few organisations in west Auckland. Women who are use to picking up the piece – doing it again. I just wish they didn’t have to.
This story has triggered a much-needed discussion with teenage off-spring about consent and drink and what it is to be a decent human. Have been meaning to have this talk for some time but we’re always busy with, you know, rushing from here to there. (And he’s not yet into parties and drinking so I figured it wasn’t urgent…) We will have follow-ups.
I have been pleased by some of the internet discussion around this – that there is this thing called “rape culture” now seems more known and some people who didn’t used to get it say they are now starting to get it.