Content warning: The following story deals with themes and personal narratives of sexual assault. Doane offers free counseling for students. Additionally, the Hope Crisis Center, serving southeast Nebraska, can be reached anytime at 1-877-388-HOPE(4673).
All of the talk online and even in person about the Cornell case that has resurfaced since it occurred in 2024 has shown me that people really do not understand anything. And I’m not just talking about the case itself, more so everything surrounding it and people speaking about sexual assault in general. If you, as a reader, have not yet heard of this situation, I implore you to look into it, as I will not recap. I will also not refer to them as “The Cornell 7,” as they shouldn’t have some catchy title like a group of vigilantes, they should be called what they are: Cornell’s seven rapists and the 50 complicit men who did not intervene, despite being in the know.
It was not only the seven rapists who were in the wrong, but 50 other individuals in the group chat who knew exactly what was happening and did not speak up also contributed to the problem in a major way. This is a clear example of being a bystander, which, in a case of sexual assault, or really any situation at all, is not something you want to be. If you are ever in a situation where you know something horrible is happening to someone else and you choose to say nothing or try to prevent it: you are part of the problem. This is why people are getting on all the members of the fraternity in that group chat, as every single one of them decided to let the rape occur. Out of a group chat with over 50 witnesses, not a single man did anything. Calling out this behavior, calling out your friends, even calling the police are all things that a bystander could and should do to be an upstander instead. And this can apply to other situations where someone could be in danger.
So great, now we’ve established that staying silent and complicit are just as bad and do, in fact, enable horrid behavior, but on the other hand, some people on social media are overly performative with their support. Posting stories to a viral template that say “Repost if you’re against rape! I can see who skips!” doesn’t actually do anything to support survivors and just makes you seem unhelpful. Reposting that is basically saying, “I support basic human decency! Do you?” Which is just not helpful in the slightest. I don’t think these people have bad intentions when posting these things, but there are other things they could do to actually spread awareness. And to be clear, you are not heaven-sent if you are against rape, you are a normal person with basic human decency, and I hate that we live in a world where sexual assault is a debatable topic. It is obviously horrible, and the fact that people disagree or try to flip these situations of the survivor always pisses me off.
If you’re like me and you want to really spread awareness about sexual assault and rape: repost statistics and challenge viewpoints of people who are siding with the Cornell rapists. Doing things like this can help a lot more online than reposting a surface-level template and show that you are a safe space. Outside of the internet, though, you have to practice what you preach. Start calling out your friends who are making unsavory comments or jokes about sexual assault, call out friends who actively support or hang out with creepy people, educate yourself on ways you can support survivors, and if you see something, say something. Always say something. There’s no harm in reporting something that may be suspicious and be wrong, than not doing anything at all in a dangerous situation. And if for some reason you think this case or any other “isn’t a big deal” or Cornell’s Jane Doe was “asking for it” (She wasn’t, she was drugged, and drugged individuals cannot consent), I am begging you to sit through a Campus Advocacy Prevention and Education (CAPE) presentation and actually pay attention, because you have lots of work to do.
