I am Jane Doe
Dr. Kate Manne, a feminist philosopher at Cornell University, discusses the Jane Doe case involving alleged gang rape at a Chi Phi fraternity in the context of broader institutional failures, rape culture, and the systematic betrayal of sexual assault survivors. The conversation examines why institutional systems fail victims, the role of misogyny and patriarchy in enabling sexual violence, and what meaningful change requires beyond awareness campaigns.
Summary
Alex Cooper interviews Dr. Kate Manne about the Cornell University sexual assault case that gained national attention through the hashtag 'I am Jane Doe.' Jane Doe, a 20-year-old Cornell student, alleged she was raped by multiple fraternity members after attending a Chi Phi party. Despite going to Cornell Police and providing detailed testimony where she stated she was '100% confident she had been raped,' investigating officers condensed her hours of testimony into six pages that omitted her clear statement about being raped, which they then submitted to the Tompkins County District Attorney, resulting in no criminal charges. Cornell University suspended the fraternity and issued interim suspensions for seven students, expelling two but allowing five to graduate, which Manne finds insufficient.
Manne explains how institutional structures systematically fail survivors. She shares the story of a student named 'Jill' who experienced image-based sexual abuse from fraternity brothers. When Jill reported it to campus police, a male officer told her she 'should be flattered by the attention,' claimed nothing could be done unless it constituted stalking or physical violence, and then disclosed her identity to the head of Greek life, who tipped off the fraternity. This betrayal made Jill afraid to ever come forward again, illustrating how reporting can compromise safety rather than provide it.
Manne introduces the concept of 'empatheticism'—sympathy and loyalty flowing toward male perpetrators over female victims. She traces this to cases like Brock Turner, where public concern focused on his 'bright future' being derailed rather than on his victim Chanel Miller's shattered life. She argues this isn't about individual men having hateful beliefs, but a systematic patriarchal structure that punishes women for stepping out of line while rewarding men for exerting dominance.
The conversation explores how sexual violence in fraternity settings operates through 'intramasculine competition'—men performing masculinity for other men's approval, using women as trophies. Manne describes a 'bro code' with two rules: don't call out immoral or illegal acts; instead participate and escalate, and protect brothers after the fact rather than help vulnerable victims. The chat messages in Jane Doe's case ('free pussy,' 'shop still open') exemplify this dynamic.
Manne addresses misconceptions about victims' behavior after assault. She explains the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response, where victims may continue contact with perpetrators to placate them and survive psychologically, and how our brains sometimes can't immediately process trauma. Continuing to text an assailant or dating them after doesn't invalidate assault claims—it's a trauma response. She notes 85-90% of college sexual assaults involve someone the victim knew, complicating victims' ability to name what happened.
The discussion covers the 'perfect victim' myth—the belief that only thin, white, conventionally attractive women who abstain from drugs and alcohol deserve belief. Manne notes this perpetuates victim-blaming and fat-phobia in discourse, as seen in comments about Jane Doe. She emphasizes that rape is about power and entitlement, not uncontrollable sexual desire, and that many perpetrators know exactly what they're doing and want to do it.
On the phrase 'teach men not to rape,' Manne argues this assumes a knowledge problem rather than a desire problem. She believes many sexual assaults are deliberate violations aimed at achieving masculine status within peer groups, not honest attempts at consent that were bungled. Education alone won't address this; institutional reform is necessary.
Manne advocates for zero-tolerance campus policies where expulsion is mandatory for sexual misconduct findings, trauma-informed police interviewing, reformed Title IX processes, and potentially eliminating fraternities entirely. She notes fraternities are virtually uninsurable due to danger levels comparable to hazardous waste disposal. She acknowledges that while self-protection advice for women is sometimes practical, the real work involves confronting patriarchal systems, not placing responsibility on victims.
The conversation concludes with discussion of the 'I am Jane Doe' movement as potentially a moment of sustained change. Manne emphasizes that shame should shift from victims to perpetrators, and that raising the next generation with different values—teaching boys caregiving, emotional expression, and moral responsibility rather than entitlement—offers hope for change.
About this episode
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault and sexual violence. Please take care while listening. Join Alex in the studio for an important conversation with feminist philosopher and author Kate Manne about the Cornell sexual assault case that has sparked a national conversation and the powerful movement behind the words “I Am Jane Doe.” Together, they examine why survivors are so often questioned instead of believed and why our society seems more concerned with the consequences for accused men than the trauma experienced by women. From fraternity culture and consent to victim blaming, Kate unpacks the misogyny embedded in the way we talk about sexual violence. Read More from Kate Manne: The Cut: What It Feels Like at Cornell Right Now https://www.thecut.com/article/what-it-feels-like-at-cornell-right-now.html Substack: Ban the Fucking Frats—and in the Meantime, Avoid Them https://katemanne.substack.com/p/ban-the-fucking-fratsand-in-the-meantime Substack: They Didn't Want Consent https://katemanne.substack.com/p/they-didnt-want-consent Resources: If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, support and resources are available. RAINN – National Sexual Assault Hotline Free, confidential support available 24/7. Call: 800-656-HOPE (4673) Text: HOPE to 64673 https://rainn.org/hotline Know Your IX A survivor and youth-led initiative helping students understand their Title IX rights, access supportive measures, and navigate reporting and retaliation. https://advocatesforyouth.org/campaigns/know-your-ix/ Equal Rights Advocates – Student Survivor Toolkit A free resource created by survivors and legal advocates to help students understand their rights, navigate the reporting process, and access support after experiencing sexual violence. https://www.equalrights.org/issue/student-survivor-toolkit/
Key Insights
- Cornell police condensed Jane Doe's hours of detailed testimony into six pages while explicitly removing her statement that she was '100% confident she was raped' before giving it to prosecutors, suggesting institutional deliberation to downplay allegations.
- A student who reported image-based sexual abuse to campus police was told by a male officer she 'should be flattered by the attention,' and her identity was disclosed to the fraternity by campus administration, making her afraid to ever report again and exemplifying how reporting can compromise victim safety.
- Manne defines 'empatheticism' as sympathy and loyalty flowing upward to male perpetrators over female victims, as seen in public concern for Brock Turner's future rather than Chanel Miller's shattered life, despite Turner being caught in the act of assault.
- The psychology of misogyny operates through a dual system where women are punished for stepping out of line while men are rewarded for dominant behavior, making punishment and reward two sides of the same patriarchal structure rather than separate phenomena.
- In fraternity settings, sexual violence operates through 'intramasculine competition' where men commit violations to achieve status with peers, meaning the violence is the deliberate goal, not a side effect, and violating women is what gains them masculine points.
- 85-90% of college sexual assaults involve someone the victim knew, making it harder for victims to reconcile the assault with their image of the perpetrator as an ordinary friend rather than a monster, which complicates their ability to name and report what happened.
- Victims often employ the 'fawn' trauma response by continuing contact with or being nice to perpetrators, which is a psychological survival mechanism to placate potential danger, not evidence that assault didn't occur or that victims are lying.
- The 'perfect victim' archetype demands victims be thin, white, pure by patriarchal standards, and abstinent from drugs and alcohol, and deviations from this standard are used to discredit victims even when intersectional dynamics increase vulnerability to assault.
- Manne argues that 'teach men not to rape' assumes a knowledge problem when the actual problem in many cases is a desire problem—perpetrators know what they're doing and deliberately aim to violate women as a display of entitlement and masculine prowess.
- Fraternities are virtually uninsurable due to risk levels comparable to hazardous waste disposal and asbestos removal, indicating institutional recognition of their danger that should inform policy decisions about whether they should exist on university campuses.
- When women collectively recognize their experiences in larger patterns like the 'I am Jane Doe' movement, shame shifts from individual victims to becoming a collective force that can galvanize systemic change and raise victims' heads rather than bowing them.
- Raising boys to understand moral responsibility for caring for everyone around them, rather than teaching only emotional expression and consent awareness, could create men capable of intervening in group settings where sexual violence is being planned or discussed.
Topics
Transcript
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