Nov. 14--"She is an empty shell of a human being and a pathetic excuse of a woman, wife, mother, daughter, etc."
We're talking (still) about Kim Kardashian. I know. I'm sorry. You're sick of her. But I can't not respond to some of the vitriol being slung at this woman for the simple act of getting naked.
She didn't rape a child or siphon funds from a non-profit or sell state secrets to ISIS. She posed nude on a magazine cover, which prompted me to write a piece about how her decision doesn't make it OK to exploit other women's bodies.
I got a handful of thoughtful, supportive emails, tweets and comments. I got a lot more of the sort that opened this column.
And then there was this, posted to the Chicago Tribune's Facebook page: "I'm just waiting for the day she walks down a dark alley, has an unfortunate bad sexual encounter and then cries that she's a victim. Not that she's been enticing idiots with this stupid perversion."
Perversion, of course, is imagining another person's rape and pre-emptively announcing she asked for it. That's perversion.
Beyond that, this statement reveals a deeply ingrained misunderstanding about rape and its place in our culture. A person cannot entice another person -- even an idiotic person -- to rape.
A person's body is that person's body. She or he can buff it and flaunt it and take it up and down all the dark alleys in the world and that still doesn't make it someone else's for the taking.
If you're driving a Jaguar or a Bentley, are you enticing someone to carjack you? Should we all drive Datsuns, so as not to excite the criminals? That's a beautiful ride you've got there, but better not show it to anyone. Don't want them getting any ideas ...
If someone forcibly takes what is yours, against your will, you are the victim of a crime. That's true of your material belongings, and it's true of your body. It's true whether you showcased your stuff or kept it hidden under lock, key and a bunch of sweaters.
I don't wish an act of violence on anyone, including -- of course including -- Kim Kardashian. And if one occurred, she would, indeed, be a victim. It's inhumane to suggest otherwise.
hstevens@tribpub.com
Twitter @heidistevens13
