Is the BBC turning into Channel 4?**
I’ve been keeping informed with emails from London Feminist Network Yahoo group about this programme ‘Consent’ which is being aired this week or next week at 10pm. **Amendment: this is in fact the wrong programme name. The programmed being aired on Channel 4 at 10pm Sunday 21st Jan is called 'Consent' and then the programme I am referring to is called 'The Verdict', which is going to be on BBC2. However, these two programmes seem remarkably similar. I'm wondering if they are linked in some way?***
The problem with this programme, apart from the fact that viewers will be drawn in by the ‘cliffhanger’ idea of whether a rape victim is telling the truth or not, is that there has been no indication from the BBC that they have consulted the proper channels – so they have not sought information from rape crisis organisations or police units for rape victims and survivors and so on. AND the jury will be celebrities!!! Add to this mix Jeffrey Archer – who has been in prison himself – and you have a recipe for misinformation and the assertion that women are innate liars, especially when it comes to rape.
The entire focus of the programme will be on whether or not a woman who has been raped is telling the truth. Especially since (apparently) the rapist (the accused) will be a “famous” man. This shouldn’t invalidate a woman’s claim that a man raped her. Neither should whether a woman was drunk, wearing a short skirt or low cut top, or what her sexual history is.
When a man is raped, I doubt they bring up his sexual history or what he was wearing or how much he had been drinking. The double standard is still very much in evidence in the justice system. Rape conviction statistics are at an all time low – precisely because juries and judges bring bias with them into the courtroom (juries inevitably read about ‘false claims’ of rape in the media – which is much more pervasive than reporting about rapes that HAVE been convicted).
It is extremely difficult for a woman to admit that she has been raped, let alone go to a police station and give evidence. I imagine it would be very disempowering – having to be examined and then having to be cross-examined when you are the one that has been raped. Then having to stand up in court and see your rapist get away with it because it’s his word against yours. And women who have been through all that then have to deal with the reaction of society – if the rapist is found ‘innocent’ when he is not – then the woman will no doubt be considered a liar.
And the misperception of rapists as ‘monsters; men who are maniacs or psychos’ is rarely the case. Many men who rape are just as normal as any man you see walking past you in the street – granted, they think it’s acceptable to see women as sex objects and think it is acceptable to view women as existing for their gratification and don’t respect them – but they are generally men that have families and friends and have normal lives. The media usually just reports the cases that are viewed as particularly striking for some reason or other (ie. When it’s a case of drunken consent or one person word against another etc).
And I refuse to believe that men can’t stop once they’ve started – when a woman says no, she means no, and a man CAN stop. I seriously don’t believe that men are driven by their sex drive, and it’s impossible to stop. Why is man’s sexuality higher and more important and more uncontrollable than a woman’s? The view that men can’t control themselves paints them as uncontrollable, primeval beasts which cannot be trusted at all – and is this a flattering picture? I don’t think so – I think this discriminates against good men.
I won’t be watching 'The Verdict' and I will be complaining to the BBC at:
Phone: 08700 100 222
Textphone/Minicom: 08700 100 212
Write: BBC Complaints, PO Box 1922, Glasgow G2 3WT
There doesn’t seem to be an email address on the BBC website but there is an online complaints form at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/make_complaint_step1.shtml
**This is a reference to the fact that Channel 4 has become extremely mediocre over the past two to three years (Big Brother etc).
***If you want to complain about the Channel 4 programme which is on Sunday 21st January at 10pm, the contact details are as follows:
Advertising Standards Authority
Mid City Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6QT
Telephone: 020 7492 2222
Textphone/Minicom: 020 7242 8159
Fax: 020 7242 3696
I'm not sure whether the Channel 4 programme is the same as the BBC2 one, but people are welcome to watch and critically evaluate the programme or complain.
The problem with this programme, apart from the fact that viewers will be drawn in by the ‘cliffhanger’ idea of whether a rape victim is telling the truth or not, is that there has been no indication from the BBC that they have consulted the proper channels – so they have not sought information from rape crisis organisations or police units for rape victims and survivors and so on. AND the jury will be celebrities!!! Add to this mix Jeffrey Archer – who has been in prison himself – and you have a recipe for misinformation and the assertion that women are innate liars, especially when it comes to rape.
The entire focus of the programme will be on whether or not a woman who has been raped is telling the truth. Especially since (apparently) the rapist (the accused) will be a “famous” man. This shouldn’t invalidate a woman’s claim that a man raped her. Neither should whether a woman was drunk, wearing a short skirt or low cut top, or what her sexual history is.
When a man is raped, I doubt they bring up his sexual history or what he was wearing or how much he had been drinking. The double standard is still very much in evidence in the justice system. Rape conviction statistics are at an all time low – precisely because juries and judges bring bias with them into the courtroom (juries inevitably read about ‘false claims’ of rape in the media – which is much more pervasive than reporting about rapes that HAVE been convicted).
It is extremely difficult for a woman to admit that she has been raped, let alone go to a police station and give evidence. I imagine it would be very disempowering – having to be examined and then having to be cross-examined when you are the one that has been raped. Then having to stand up in court and see your rapist get away with it because it’s his word against yours. And women who have been through all that then have to deal with the reaction of society – if the rapist is found ‘innocent’ when he is not – then the woman will no doubt be considered a liar.
And the misperception of rapists as ‘monsters; men who are maniacs or psychos’ is rarely the case. Many men who rape are just as normal as any man you see walking past you in the street – granted, they think it’s acceptable to see women as sex objects and think it is acceptable to view women as existing for their gratification and don’t respect them – but they are generally men that have families and friends and have normal lives. The media usually just reports the cases that are viewed as particularly striking for some reason or other (ie. When it’s a case of drunken consent or one person word against another etc).
And I refuse to believe that men can’t stop once they’ve started – when a woman says no, she means no, and a man CAN stop. I seriously don’t believe that men are driven by their sex drive, and it’s impossible to stop. Why is man’s sexuality higher and more important and more uncontrollable than a woman’s? The view that men can’t control themselves paints them as uncontrollable, primeval beasts which cannot be trusted at all – and is this a flattering picture? I don’t think so – I think this discriminates against good men.
I won’t be watching 'The Verdict' and I will be complaining to the BBC at:
Phone: 08700 100 222
Textphone/Minicom: 08700 100 212
Write: BBC Complaints, PO Box 1922, Glasgow G2 3WT
There doesn’t seem to be an email address on the BBC website but there is an online complaints form at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/make_complaint_step1.shtml
**This is a reference to the fact that Channel 4 has become extremely mediocre over the past two to three years (Big Brother etc).
***If you want to complain about the Channel 4 programme which is on Sunday 21st January at 10pm, the contact details are as follows:
Advertising Standards Authority
Mid City Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6QT
Telephone: 020 7492 2222
Textphone/Minicom: 020 7242 8159
Fax: 020 7242 3696
I'm not sure whether the Channel 4 programme is the same as the BBC2 one, but people are welcome to watch and critically evaluate the programme or complain.
Labels: Feminism, Rape, Television
posted by Liz at
10:46 am
3 Comments:
When I first heard about this show, I kept thinking that it must be a sick joke. But it's *real*...How many different ways can this show harm women?
I know everyone's out to make a buck, but are there that many people in the media who are completely clueless, not to mention heartless?
By
spotted elephant, At
3:48 am
I really don't know, it just seems like everyone in the tv business is a complete misogynist - especially channel 4. I don't understand where this idea came from - it seems right out of a tabloid newspaper and I thought the BBC was better than that. I mean - we pay for it! They've probably noticed that it appears that Ch.4 has a lot of viewing figures and are trying to pull one up over them, therefore it is probably about ratings and money, yuk.
The LFN are trying to find ways to protest the airing of 'Consent' - like everyone clogging up the phonelines to protest on the evening of the show or something I think.
By
Liz, At
2:59 pm
I saw the Channel 4 "Consent" programme last night. Not quite as bad as "The Verdict" looks to be. The jury acquits on the basis of some pretty rubbish reasoning, but it turns out the defendant was guilty. Not sure what to take from that.
By
pj, At
12:16 pm
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