Current Event 3
In the article “A Brief History of Juanita Broaddrick, The Woman Accusing Bill Clinton of Rape,” the author Eyder Peralta relates about the story of Juanita Broaddrick, who claims ex-president Bill Clinton raped her in a hotel room in 1978, when Mr Clinton was the Arkansas attorney general. Broaddrick’s rape allegations have surfaced twice, once when Bill Clinton was running for presidency in 1992, and another one during Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016. The fact that Juanita’s story has been given national importance during the Clintons presidential campaigns shows that women’s bodies are a tool of biopolitics, that their tragedies are secondary to the plans of certain people to win political positions, and that …show more content…
However, her allegations made national news because they involve presidential campaigns. The importance of her story is not about what happened to her per se, but about how can her accusations be used against Clinton. In those terms, her story has become secondary, and instead, bringing it up to the national attention for the purpose of power has become primary. Her body, as well as the bodies of the many other alleged sexual assault victims of Bill Clinton, have become a tool of biopolitics, occasionally used to incite discord and to hurt a political campaign, and in other occasions silenced by the media and the system. Currently, Broaddrick’s story is being used by presidential candidate Donald Trump in his effort to win his campaign against Hillary Clinton. Ironically, Trump has his own share of sexual assault allegations, including the rape of a 13 year old girl in 1994, as well as at least 2 other women, however, these stories have escaped the media focus, as well as Trump’s efforts to highlight rape victims such as Broaddrick. Even more tragic is the epidemic of powerful white men who can get away with …show more content…
The main one is, of course, that women have been sexually abused with impunity, but also that it is white women who are highlighted in the media as “important” victims of rape. It makes me wonder if Trump’s campaign, or Hillary Clinton’s campaign would give the same importance to minority women, queer people, and/or disabled people if they were the alleged victims of rape. I am also alarmed by the standard of behavior being shown as an example to young men and women in the U.S. and the world. A clear message is being portrayed: crime and rape is ok as long as you are white and powerful, and if you are a woman you will be raped with impunity, then your suffering will be used for other white powerful men to achieve their interests. Women are subliminally and bluntly shown as objects that can be used, abused, taken advantage of, and thrown away.
In a transnational sense, this issue will affect women and minorities worldwide. The U.S. is still the number one superpower in the world, which makes it an example for other nations to follow and emulate. People in power all over the world get away with crime, and it is now condoned by the actions of the U.S. leaders. It also sends a message to women around the world not to speak up against abuse because if white women in the U.S. are not taken seriously, what can then be expected by women in developing
In the article “A Brief History of Juanita Broaddrick, The Woman Accusing Bill Clinton of Rape,” the author Eyder Peralta relates about the story of Juanita Broaddrick, who claims ex-president Bill Clinton raped her in a hotel room in 1978, when Mr Clinton was the Arkansas attorney general. Broaddrick’s rape allegations have surfaced twice, once when Bill Clinton was running for presidency in 1992, and another one during Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016. The fact that Juanita’s story has been given national importance during the Clintons presidential campaigns shows that women’s bodies are a tool of biopolitics, that their tragedies are secondary to the plans of certain people to win political positions, and that …show more content…
However, her allegations made national news because they involve presidential campaigns. The importance of her story is not about what happened to her per se, but about how can her accusations be used against Clinton. In those terms, her story has become secondary, and instead, bringing it up to the national attention for the purpose of power has become primary. Her body, as well as the bodies of the many other alleged sexual assault victims of Bill Clinton, have become a tool of biopolitics, occasionally used to incite discord and to hurt a political campaign, and in other occasions silenced by the media and the system. Currently, Broaddrick’s story is being used by presidential candidate Donald Trump in his effort to win his campaign against Hillary Clinton. Ironically, Trump has his own share of sexual assault allegations, including the rape of a 13 year old girl in 1994, as well as at least 2 other women, however, these stories have escaped the media focus, as well as Trump’s efforts to highlight rape victims such as Broaddrick. Even more tragic is the epidemic of powerful white men who can get away with …show more content…
The main one is, of course, that women have been sexually abused with impunity, but also that it is white women who are highlighted in the media as “important” victims of rape. It makes me wonder if Trump’s campaign, or Hillary Clinton’s campaign would give the same importance to minority women, queer people, and/or disabled people if they were the alleged victims of rape. I am also alarmed by the standard of behavior being shown as an example to young men and women in the U.S. and the world. A clear message is being portrayed: crime and rape is ok as long as you are white and powerful, and if you are a woman you will be raped with impunity, then your suffering will be used for other white powerful men to achieve their interests. Women are subliminally and bluntly shown as objects that can be used, abused, taken advantage of, and thrown away.
In a transnational sense, this issue will affect women and minorities worldwide. The U.S. is still the number one superpower in the world, which makes it an example for other nations to follow and emulate. People in power all over the world get away with crime, and it is now condoned by the actions of the U.S. leaders. It also sends a message to women around the world not to speak up against abuse because if white women in the U.S. are not taken seriously, what can then be expected by women in developing