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“A dream you dream alone is only a dream; a dream you dream together is reality.” — Yoko Ono
Nov
20
J-E-T-S! What does that spell? SEXUAL ASSAULT!
Filed Under assholes, marketing, misogyny, objectification, patriarchy, pop culture, rape and sexual assault, sex and sexuality, sexism, sexual exploitation and harassment, violence against women and girls | Posted by Cara |
So. Reader Mom from Outside the Toybox sent this disturbing little story along to me. By the time I got home from work, it seemed like just about everyone else had already blogged about it. But it also seems like there’s not a lot of analysis, either. On the one hand, the story kind of speaks for itself. On the other, I really do feel like it needs to be put into a broader context, being the crazy, liberal, overreacting feminist that I am. Watch out for the sarcasm up ahead.
At halftime of the Jets’ home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, several hundred men lined one of Giants Stadium’s two pedestrian ramps at Gate D. Three deep in some areas, they whistled and jumped up and down. Then they began an obscenity-laced chant, demanding that the few women in the gathering expose their breasts.
When one woman appeared to be on the verge of obliging, the hooting and hollering intensified. But then she walked away, and plastic beer bottles and spit went flying. Boos swept through the crowd of unsatisfied men.
Marco Hoffner, an 18-year-old from Lacey Township, N.J., was expecting to see more. Not from the Jets — they pulled off a big upset over the Steelers. He wanted more from the alternative halftime show that, according to many fans, has been a staple at Jets home games for years.
“Very disappointed, because we’re used to seeing a lot,” Hoffner said.
The mood of previous Gate D crowds — captured on video clips posted on YouTube — sometimes bordered on hostile, not unlike the spirit of infamously aggressive European soccer hooligans. One clip online shows a woman being groped by a man standing next to her.
Sunday’s scene played out for about 20 minutes, and at least one woman granted the men’s request, setting off a roar as if the former star running back Curtis Martin had just scored a touchdown. Martin was actually nearby, being honored on the field in the official halftime show, which had a far less intense audience.
Ah, the mob mentality. Gotta love it.
I think that it goes without saying that this kind of behavior should never be acceptable. I also think that it should go without saying that this is not just a game, but for those of you eager to troll, let me clarify: sexual harassment is not a game.
And neither, shockingly enough, is sexual violence. I know, I know this is hard, but please try to stick with me here. You see, women are not objects. Women are human beings who deserve control over their own bodies. And yes, this type of behavior actively promotes sexual violence.
What’s that I hear you say? Something about me being a crazy liberal feminist who overreacts to everything and doesn’t know how to have fun? Yeah, I knew you would, which is why I predicted it earlier in the post. See? I’m getting to know you really well. The problem with your suggestion, though, is that I’m right. Let me explain: throwing things at women who don’t obey your orders — particularly, your sexual orders — is both misogynist and violent. Groping women you don’t know is sexual assault (and nope, not funny). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Back to the intelligent crowd: this is the stuff that rape culture is made of. Men acting together to validate their actions? Check. Treating women as sexual objects and nothing more? Check. Reacting violently when a woman does not bow to their sexual demands? Check and a half. And this is in fact a small reason why I’m writing this post: when some asshole comes here to claim that rape culture is a feminist conspiracy theory, I have a beautiful (hideous) microcosm that I can reference.
And as you would expect with a rape culture — seeing its name and all — those meaningless little words they hurl (along with their beer bottles and spit) give way to actual sexual assault. In fact, it ends in videos of sexual assault ending up on YouTube.
And if you really do believe that breast-groping is as bad as it gets (and seriously, isn’t that bad enough?), you really are sadly naive. Oh, and also probably lying to yourself, too.
Does anyone believe that breasts are the most private body part being groped? I don’t. Does anyone else believe that this type socially-sanctioned behavior doesn’t encourage men to act in a sexually violent way once they’re home, or on their way there, or in the bars afterwards getting even more drunk?
I know that I can’t be the only one who sees the incredibly frightening parallels to how men behave during gang rape. Something that most participants would never do on their own, would never believe that they could get away with on their own, might not even believe is right when it’s just them suddenly becomes not only acceptable, but expected. We’ve got chanting crowds, trapped women, aggressive and violent men and a hell of a lot of alcohol. All characteristics. And we’ve even got those who are at least decent enough to not participate not being decent enough to stand up and say that it needs to stop:
Throughout halftime, about 10 security guards in yellow jackets stood near the bottom of the circular, multilevel ramp, located beyond the stadium’s concourse of concession stands and restrooms. One of the guards was smoking a cigarette; many fans do the same during halftime on the giant ramps, which are located at each corner of the stadium. Another guard later said they were not permitted to do anything about the chants at Gate D because of free speech laws. Yet when a reporter tried to interview two security guards after halftime, he was detained in a holding room, threatened with arrest and asked to hand over his tape recorder.
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which provides security at Giants Stadium for Jets and Giants games, is aware of the raucous and raunchy halftime show. Patrick C. Aramini, the authority’s vice president for security, parking and traffic for the Meadowlands Sports Complex, said men and women could be expelled and even turned over to the New Jersey State Police to be arrested for their participation — although he said he did not know if anyone was cited Sunday. He added that other measures, like blocking access to the ramps, were being considered.
“The problem is, you got to watch four or five hundred people sometimes in the one particular spiral,” Aramini said.
“What do we do, arrest everybody that starts chanting?”
First of all, security’s job is protection. They’re not doing it. Secondly, this is not a free speech issue — sexual harassment is not a protected form of speech (and as the detainment of the reporter shows, this is not their concern, anyway). Thirdly, the guard knows perfectly that there are more effective and plausible ways to control crowds than arresting hundreds of people. Like, you know, blocking off the ramp during halftime. Breaking up crowds at they form. Arresting the worst offenders and making examples out of them. Etc.
But wait! They’re not entirely adverse to reprimanding tools.
Denisse Rivera, a 23-year-old from the Bronx, was on a first date Sunday. When she arrived at the crowd at Gate D, several men pointed at her, signaling men at all levels to chant in her direction. After a brief moment of hesitation, she flashed them. Then she took a bow.
“I don’t care,” Rivera said when told that video clips of previous incidents, taken on cellphones, ended up online. “I love my body and I like what I have, so let everybody share it.”
Two security guards soon approached Rivera. The guards warned her about indecent exposure laws, she said, and let her go.
The actions of Rivera and the increasing inability among young women to tell the difference between female sexual autonomy and female sexual objectification is a whole other post, and in any case, not the point. The point is that the security guards have hundreds of men leering and howling at women, sexually harassing them, throwing things at them when they don’t do as they’re told and the woman who lifted up her top is the one who gets a strong talking to.
And if that’s not rape culture’s blame the victim/woman for every sexual misconduct that ever occurs mentality, I don’t know what the fuck is.
Here is a short list of those who holds some responsibility in this matter: Security. The police. The NFL. The Jets players for not speaking out against this “ritual.” The Jets and stadium owners, who could surely put an end to this if they wished. The fans themselves.
By not speaking out against sexual violence, by not taking action against this harassment and violence even though are aware, all of these people are actively condoning sexual violence. No, failing to say “stop this, this is not okay” is not passive. But it’s also at a point where the first reasonable person is going to be the “bad guy.”
It is indeed a culture. So the first step is recognizing it. The second step is talking about it. The third step is demanding that someone get up off their ass and do something. How we even get people through step one, let alone two and three, is the question.
UPDATE: With my thanks, Rich has provided us with information in the comments about who we can contact:
The security is under the direct supervision of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which is an agency created by the state of New Jersey itself. If you or anyone else would like to contact them and protest this grievance, you can e-mail them at
Or you can contact Richard Codey, the president of the New Jersey Senate and outspoken critic of this Jets fans’ ritual. His contact number and e-mail are available here:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/Codey.asp
I wish the NFL could take legal or regulatory action, but it can’t; this is all I meant earlier.
Take a minute or two to send something off. To the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority, be as disgusted as you want but also try to be polite — even if they don’t deserve it. To the NJ Senator, be nice because he’s on our side. Thank him and let him know that this issue is important to you.
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“Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” — Susan B. Anthony
Why wasn’t the NJ State Troopers called in? And why does sports stadiums even sell alcohol? I know all too well about what happens when people are all boozed up. A near-riot broke out at Talladega Superspeedway in April after Jeff Gordon broke a tie for career wins he shared with the late Dale Earnhardt. Obviously, Giants Stadium didn’t learn anything from that incident from the way things were handled on Sunday.
They should have immediately handcuffed all of those men for harassment and Denisse Rivera for exposure. This entire fracas is appalling. The NFL should fine the Jets and Giants $10,000,000 apiece and take away half of each team’s draft picks. This stadium is owned by the New York Giants, which is why I’m draggin’ them into this. I agree, Cara. Sexual harassment and flashing your breasts are NOT free speech issues. And all of the aforementioned should be dealt with harshly.
I don’t think booze should be banned from stadiums, but certainly arrests should definitely be made, or the gate blocked off. If anyone reading this post has been to an NFL game, then you are aware how intensely aggressive the environment is (although I enjoy the raucousness of it). As for the the NFL being responsible, I don’t think the NFL has the power to penalize the organization, as the team itself is not responsible for the security measures of its own facility. A tighter security crackdown is a must; this is a disgusting practice by male fans that reflect poorly on a terrific sport.
They should have immediately handcuffed all of those men for harassment and Denisse Rivera for exposure.
Only half right. Denise Rivera was a victim of their harassment. She did what she felt she had to do to survive. Calling for her arrest is blaming the victim.
Agreed. I don’t support arresting the women who lift up their tops. Firstly, I have a big issue with the idea that breasts are “indecent” or anywhere remotely the same as genitalia. But my personal feelings about that aside, it seems ridiculous to arrest the harassed for breaking a minor law while there are hundreds of people around her acting in a sexually violent way. Not only is it a bit like arresting someone for jaywalking during a riot, it also gives the impression that showing someone your boobs is just as criminal as sexually assaulting someone.
Rich, I have no doubt in my mind that if the NFL threw a fit to the owners of the stadium or the owners of the Jets, they would take the issue seriously and fix it. And I hope with all of the bad publicity now that they will.
I think you misunderstand me; the NFL cannot penalize, i.e. fine the organization for security deficiencies. Of course it can denounce the ritual, as it should, but the NFL cannot act against the team itself. The NFL commissioner himself stated how he expects the Jets to “step in and do the right thing,” while an NFL spokesman said that such issues need to be deferred to the security in charge. In layman’s terms, they’re saying that it is shitty, but not their responsibility. The security is under the direct supervision of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which is an agency created by the state of New Jersey itself. If you or anyone else would like to contact them and protest this grievance, you can e-mail them at
publicaffairs@njsea.com
Or you can contact Richard Codey, the president of the New Jersey Senate and outspoken critic of this Jets fans’ ritual. His contact number and e-mail are available here:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/Codey.asp
I wish the NFL could take legal or regulatory action, but it can’t; this is all I meant earlier.
What really got to me was the use of the camera phones to post such disgusting material on Youtube. This is what really makes we wish that camera phones were banned nationwide. And sadly, when the banishments are announced — IF they are announced — there are gonna be some innocent people that are gonna be banished from that stadium for the rest of their lives.
I think this is so outrageous! I agree; mobile phones and alcohol should be banned nationwide. And I think the girls should get a decent financial compensation from the NFL.
We should consider banning sports event for men altogether. In fact, I think we should ban ANY gathering of men. Men are obviously dangerous beasts that should not be allowed to organize in order to show their misogynous attitude.
Men seem to only exist to insult, harass and rape women. We should finally rip up all men. Including the “decent” ones. An incidence like this indicates clearly there are no “decent” men. They all are animals as soon as they are with other men.
All men are violent rapists!
It makes me so angry. Why can a women not walk naked in public without being attacked? What right does a man have feeling arroused by it and commit such atrocities?
Men should have no human rights, they are not human!
Okay: so, I have banned snusket, but I approved his comment for a reason.
Clearly, Snusket is not sincere. He is mocking the beliefs of feminists by exaggerating them and creating strawmen. Standard. BUT. After saying completely ridiculous things — things that he thinks feminists believe but he himself clearly thinks don’t make any sense (and for the most part I would agree that his false “feminist” suggestions are very stupid), he busts out with this:
It makes me so angry. Why can a women not walk naked in public without being attacked? What right does a man have feeling arroused by it and commit such atrocities?
So. Here’s a list of things which Snusket thinks are stupid, and you tell me which of these things are not like the others: banning cell phones, banning alcohol, banning sports, banning male gatherings, calling all men rapists, thinking that a naked woman shouldn’t expect to be attacked and thinking that we can expect aroused men to not commit violence.
Look at this list, and tell me who hates men. [It's true that I never said here that "not all men are rapists." Probably because I respect men enough to feel that it should go without saying.] Look the list and tell me whether he only proves the points made in this post.
“Look the list and tell me whether he only proves the points made in this post.”
Cara, I love you. Your simple use of reason and common sense gives calm to my rage.
That type of behavior really is unacceptable but no doubt Im preaching to the choir.
Just wanted to throw in my support.
=/ Something like this happened when my city’s team made it into the Stanley cup finals. The street the stadium is on turned into one big party, which was all fine and good, and some drunk girls decided to start flashing. Fine… whatever. I wouldn’t have cared, except that after a few games and a few girls flashing, a lot of men started yelling things like: “Show us your tits!!” to every woman who walked by. It was so fucking degrading. I’m a person who is just trying to celebrate her sports team and join in the city spirit, and these men are treating me like an object. It was horrible. I suppose I should just be grateful nobody through a beer bottle at me or groped me against my will, hey?
Yeah this whole thing is horrifying. We had a similar situation here in Calgary a couple years ago when the excitement of the Flames winning the Cup suddenly translated into women being expected to show their breasts on demand. TV stations were actually recommending women stay indoors! It was insane.
And I also just have to say, if you work in law enforcement/security field and you are too intimidated to prevent hoards of drunken men harassing women, perhaps this career path is not for you. Just sayin’!
one thing worth trying would be to video the chanting men with high res video – good enough to identify individuals (so mobile phone footage isn’t good enough unfortunately). Then publish the most graphic examples on youtube and hope that the resulting humiliation begins to calm the misogynistic imbeciles down…
Interesting idea, Harry. I have to say, though, that I’m slightly concerned about men actually watching it and cheering the guys on. Whether it would happen, I’m not sure, but I have to say that you can’t spend more than 2 seconds a YouTube without some douche defending how something outright and openly hateful of women is okay.
And Rich — sorry that I didn’t respond to your comment earlier. I meant to and got distracted. But thanks for the info. I’m going to update the post to include it, now.
“I think this is so outrageous! I agree; mobile phones and alcohol should be banned nationwide. And I think the girls should get a decent financial compensation from the NFL.
We should consider banning sports event for men altogether. In fact, I think we should ban ANY gathering of men. Men are obviously dangerous beasts that should not be allowed to organize in order to show their misogynous attitude.
Men seem to only exist to insult, harass and rape women. We should finally rip up all men. Including the “decent” ones. An incidence like this indicates clearly there are no “decent” men. They all are animals as soon as they are with other men.
All men are violent rapists!
It makes me so angry. Why can a women not walk naked in public without being attacked? What right does a man have feeling arroused by it and commit such atrocities?
Men should have no human rights, they are not human!
”
And you’re perfect?
It’s this kind of thinking that leads to problems in the first place. How can you think something so outrageously sexist?
I am male, but guess what, I actually disagree with the behaviour displayed by those people in the crowd, strongly infact. But what I also disagree with is the kind of ideology that all men are like it, infact I’m kind of sick of being labeled a nymphomaniac rapist just because of the way I was born. And that is what feminism, from my experience, doesn’t understand.
Yes, I do agree that men tend to behave like that but anyone with a qualification in psychology can tell you that its *mostly* down to them wanting to fit in with the crowd and there are a few ‘brave’ men who go against that, not as many as I’d like to think though.
“Men are obviously dangerous beasts that should not be allowed to organize in order to show their misogynous attitude.”
How would you like it if I were to say:
“Women are obviously dangerous and should not be allowed to organize in order to show their misandryist attitude”?
Sounds alot like feminism to me.
To the person I quoted:
Fuck you, I hope you die a horrible fiery death you misandryist, sexist piece of shit.
Um, Craig. If you read my comment directly following that one, you’ll see that the person was actually a troll, not a feminist, and is not a misandrist but actually a massive misogynist.
But I really am disturbed that you read it and actually thought that someone might have meant it seriously. I mean . . . wow. I can assure you, feminists are a hell of a lot smarter than that.
I realized that after.
Its very difficult to tell if someone if being satirical.
cont.
I only took that comment seriously because there are people who would say that and mean it. I’ve seen it a lot.
But I also stand by my last statement on my first comment since that person is a massive misogynist.
This stuff is unbelievable. Those men are so EFFED UP!
However, I would really like to read a post of yours about
I named all of those men who were making all of those obscene chants as Assholes of the Week on late Thursday/early Friday.
[...] incident that this column is about is Exhibit A — I don’t think particularly highly of sports culture. Fact is, there seems to be a higher instance of misogyny and violence against women in male sports [...]
[...] sporting culture more misogynist and rape apologist than the culture at large? Most likely. But it couldn’t survive in the abscence of an [...]