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Seven Men Accused. All Men on Trial.
Janice Fiamengo, Hannah Spier, James Nuzzo, and Tom Golden discuss false allegations, collective blame, and the human cost of abandoning due process.
Tom Golden
Oct 22
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How does an accusation against a handful of men become an indictment of men everywhere?
That question is at the heart of this conversation with Hannah Spier, Janice Fiamengo, James Nuzzo, and me. Starting with the public reaction to the Cornell Seven case, we examine how quickly allegations become accepted as facts—and how easily the discussion shifts from what particular individuals may have done to what is supposedly wrong with men.
Janice explores the ideas behind that shift: the longstanding portrayal of male sexuality as predatory, the readiness to assign collective guilt, and the striking tolerance for public threats against accused men. I discuss survey findings featured in my recent “Blame Men” post and the psychological costs of locating responsibility for our difficulties in someone else. James examines research on false allegations, explaining what commonly cited statistics measure—and what they leave unresolved.
We also consider the University of Maryland case, where a finding of “not responsible” did not end a male student’s public vilification, and ask what universities owe the people whose lives their decisions can profoundly change.
For me, a thread running through this conversation is the invisibility of male suffering. The damage an accusation can do to a man’s relationships, livelihood, and future deserves serious attention. So does his right to a fair hearing.
Taking sexual assault seriously requires careful attention to evidence. Taking men’s humanity seriously requires the same.
Jim’s Substack https://jameslnuzzo.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Janices Substack https://fiamengofile.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Hannah’s Substack https://hannahspier.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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