Blame Feminism, Not Patriarchy, for the Cornell Fraternity Incident
Source: https://www.facebook.com/americanspectator/. "Blame Feminism, Not the Patriarchy, for the Cornell 7 | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics." October 8, 2026. spectator.org
The Gist
The author argues that modern feminism, not old-fashioned patriarchy, caused the Cornell fraternity assault case because feminism destroyed traditional rules that made men protect women's honor. She claims that without these old codes of conduct, men no longer feel obligated to intervene when a woman is being mistreated, and the victim herself was influenced by feminist ideas that casual sex has no consequences.
Conclusion
Feminism, rather than patriarchy, is ultimately responsible for incidents like the Cornell fraternity case because it dismantled social codes that once protected women.
Premises
- Pre-feminist eras had codes of conduct (chivalry, etiquette, social norms) that obligated men to defend and respect women's honor
- Feminism taught that men and women are fundamentally the same, differing only due to social conditioning
- The sexual revolution, following from feminism, promoted the idea that sex is consequence-free and should be unlimited
- Jane Doe's own text messages reflect these feminist/sexual revolution ideas (that casual sexual encounters are normal and acceptable)
- No man among the 57+ fraternity group chat members intervened to defend Jane Doe, unlike how men in earlier eras were socially expected to act
- The absence of such intervention reflects the dismantling of social structures that once made chivalrous behavior expected and normal
Assumptions
- Historical codes of conduct (chivalry, Victorian etiquette) were genuinely effective at preventing sexual violence against women, not merely idealized or selectively enforced
- Feminism's core claim is that men and women are identical in all respects, rather than equal in rights/opportunities despite differences
- A causal link exists between feminist ideology and this specific group's behavior, rather than other factors (alcohol, fraternity culture, individual moral failures)
- Jane Doe's text messages represent internalized feminist ideology rather than trauma response, confusion, or social pressure
- Pre-feminist eras had meaningfully lower rates of sexual violence against women
- Restoring traditional gender roles and codes of conduct would prevent similar incidents