In a sad turn of events, pop star Kesha’s case was dismissed due to statute of limitations. Kesha had appealed a decision in February which said she could not be released from her contract with Dr.Luke. Kesha just wanted to be released from the contract that enchains her to Dr.Luke, whom she says has been drugging, raping and psychologically abusing her since she was 18. As we focus more on this case, it was the outrage and the comments that spoke more than the case itself.
When we were first alerted of this case,many people argued that Kesha was lying due to the fact she didn’t come forward earlier. That describes the victim blaming culture we live in, that a woman coming forward is doubted. That is why Kesha didn’t come out originally, she was afraid of the backlash and people questioning whether she was telling the truth or not. Crime records have reported that the rate of false rape allegations is 2 to 8 percent. That means that only a small fraction of rape allegations are false, but even this fact still doesn’t cross people’s mind.
Many couldn’t believe that Kesha was raped. Rape is very common,1 out of every 6 American women has been a victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. Rape survivors are silenced, by their rapist, society and many times family. We don’t talk about rape much because it’s a topic that is taboo and shamed upon. We spend more time shaming victims, and asking them what were you wearing? Did you tease them? Questions like that is why people do not come forward. They want to wipe the shame off without the ridicule of society. Kesha feared losing her career, she was silenced by the person who was suppose to be her protector. At times women don’t come forward due to not realizing that the situation is toxic. This may be shocking, but many women don’t realize when they’re raped. Rape can be very complex, so we believe we shouldn’t judge women whether they decide to come forward a year from now or ten years from now. It takes strength.
Sony refused to release Kesha from her contract, they wanted Kesha to continue working with Dr.Luke; does the feelings of rape survivors not matter to people at all? It seemed like Sony valued money more than Kesha’s feelings. This caused many people to start petitions to release Kesha. Rape survivors have retold stories time and time again about having to face their rapist everyday and it kills them on the inside. This at times can lead to suicide, in the case of Lizzy Seeberg, who was a freshman at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame. She committed suicide in 2010 after been raped by a Notre Dame player. The day after she was raped, she reported the rape to campus security. Days after that she received threatening messages from a Notre Dame football player, one said “Messing with Notre Dame football is a bad idea”. Notre Dame did nothing, they chose not to suspend the football player, and he continued playing on the football team, while Lizzy committed suicide due to the backlash and internal conflicts. We learn very quickly that rape survivors are not valued, but the rapist are depending on their status. Kesha’s case is no different, the high status that Dr.Luke has dictated how Sony handled the situation, which they didn’t.
I want to live in a world where rape survivors aren’t afraid to come forward, where they aren’t interrogated about whether or not they’re lying. Kesha’s case brought light to the issue of victim blaming in society. The clothes you wore or the drink you had shouldn’t justify rape, nor should the time it took you to come forward. THis case has showed just how flawed our society is.
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