The Cornell case fallout infantilizes young women and villainizes young men instead of teaching a lesson about risky behavior
Source: Eddie Scarry. "The 'Cornell 7' Fallout Is Infantilized Women And Villainized Men." October 14, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that the Cornell case should be a warning about drugs and risky behavior, but people are using it to say women can't be responsible for themselves and men are always at fault. He points to a sorority alumna's comments, the accuser's lawyer, and a high schooler punished for a social media post as evidence, and he warns this will cause a backlash.
Conclusion
The public response to the Cornell 7 allegations treats young women as incapable of taking responsibility for themselves and young men as inherently culpable, which is a destructive message that will provoke a backlash, rather than treating the case as a cautionary tale about drugs and high-risk college behavior.
Premises
- Jane Doe's own account, including her contemporaneous description of a 'gangbang' and a lawsuit that does not claim she was forced, suggests she voluntarily took part in a sexual encounter while drunk and on drugs, which makes the rape claim 'exceedingly thin'.
- A Tri Delta alumna's claim that sororities give members no 'tools' and send them into a 'lion's den' is therapy-speak that deflects accountability from adult women.
- Doe's lawyer argues that someone other than Doe should have stopped her from leaving the sorority house, even though Doe says she hid her intoxication from a mandated reporter, so nobody could realistically have stopped her.
- Taken seriously, the lawyer's position implies that young women cannot be trusted to look after themselves and should not attend college without a chaperone, which is absurd.
- A Santa Rosa high school football captain was disciplined and excluded from a team dinner for posting 'Free the Cornell Seven', a protected opinion that many people share, which shows young men being punished and silenced over the case.
Assumptions
- Doe's claim is as weak as the author presents it, and a voluntary but intoxicated encounter is not rape.
- The statements of a sorority alumna, Doe's lawyer, and one school's discipline of a student are representative of the broader 'fallout' and cultural messaging.
- Holding institutions or third parties partly responsible for protecting intoxicated students amounts to denying adult women's agency.
- Intoxication does not diminish the capacity to consent, or at least not enough to shift responsibility from the woman.
- The student's post was disciplined because of his viewpoint and not for other reasons, such as harassment of an alleged victim.
- Perceived unfairness toward men will produce a damaging backlash and worsen relations between the sexes.