I don’t really want to pile on you, since a lot of people have already addressed why the phrasing here is upsetting. I just want to suggest that, in future, if this sort of situation comes up, there are ways to split the difference. If you are concerned about using the word “rape” because that isn’t the exact wording…

I’ve learned many, many things in the eight years I’ve been a Dad. One of the most important was learning to let my daughter express herself by dressing however she wants, as long as it isn’t inappropriate. She spent several years dressed as a princess. Now she leans more toward Cyndi Lauper. I may inwardly cringe…

The DOJ might have called it rape in the case. But they ciuldn’t likely charge him with it. In general crimes are charged were they are committed (crimes against humanity and war crimes being older exceptions) but a few year back the US and some other countries entered into agreement to charge their own citizens if…

Most jurisdictions do not use the word “rape” anymore and haven’t for a while. I’m not buying her excuse.

As the parent of a child who NEVER wears pajama on “pajama day” but DID wear a dinosaur costume to the Christmas party - yeah, the other parents TOTALLY talked shit about the parents whose kid went as a hotdog.

Good lord. Are you joking? Did it occur to you to question why these sources were also avoiding the term, and that maybe they were wrong in doing so?

Courtesy of www.merriam-webster.com:

“Definition of rape

Sexual assault, sexualized violence, sex trafficking, forced sex. All terms that could be used that wouldn’t imply consensual sex occurred between a sex trafficked child and a grown man.

When did tippy-toeing around dominant culture terminology become more important than presenting a feminist analysis around here?

Is there a scenario where a 34 year old man using his power to coerce a family into whoring out their 14 year old daughter as a de facto sex slave to him, then repeatedly “having sex” with her, can be considered anything other than rape?

I doubt there is a reason to avoid it. I just googled “age of consent El Salvador” (18 years) and “age of consent Virginia” (18 years, although the first link says 15). ETA: the stories may not have used the word “rape” because the charges are sex trafficking and sex tourism, not rape. But I don’t believe that the…

I liked the puppy too - you look so happy.

I’m pretty surprised by it. Does no one else read the articles before they hit the front page? Lauren is also the one who did that story on the Peruvians and Bolivians eating frogs to extinction with that tacky shock photo—except the source NYT article said the frogs were being driven to extinction mostly by…

Really fucking sick of Jezebel, of all places, calling this bullshit “sex.”

Enough with these crap Disney princesses. Real princesses wear discreet little numbers by Norman Norell and accessorize with ropes of pearls, cigarette holders, and just-out-of-frame cocktails. Just ask Margaret here...

Seriously.... if somebody, male or female, is passed out on the lawn or the sidewalk, what I expect to happen in any sane society is for people to (1) maybe shake them and ask “hey are you alright, do you need some help?”, (2) call the police or other authority to check on them, (3) at least just ignore them if…

The baby could very well be biracial. We come in all shades and hair textures. :)

Hmm, I think you are assuming that this cheeky bit of casual satire was intended to imply that it is ridiculous to portray a relatively dark-skinned black girl as having a white mother. Rather, I believe it is merely a spontaneous, lighthearted reaction to the girl’s facial expression and the bizarre nature of the ad…

No. If she were my daughter, the first question - the only question - I would ask her is “How can I best help and support you through this?” Because I have a functioning soul, and am not a victim-blaming piece of shit. Any parent who would respond to their child being raped by lecturing them on what they did wrong is…

That’s exactly what youre doing.