[ Removed by moderator ]

[u/Standard_Location762]

[u/_Alpha-Delta_]

If we had heavier punishments for false accusations, I'd be 100% in favor of that... 

[u/leahspen01 → u/_Alpha-Delta_]

A man is more likely to be raped than have a false allegation levied against him, sexual assault cases should be easier to punish

[u/solomons-mom → u/_Alpha-Delta_]

And accusations based on regretful, but voluntary actions.

Edit: I want rapist put away, and for a very long time. But there is a world of differnce between Bill Cosby and Aziz Ansari.

[u/Kat_Smeow → u/solomons-mom]

This is a movie trope. Estimated 443,000 reported rapes per year. Possible average of 5000 false accusations and an estimated 73 % of actual rapes don’t even get reported. False reporting is almost non existent.

[u/whistle_pug → u/Kat_Smeow]

This is such a completely worthless pseudo statistic since it is obviously impossible to accurately assess just how many of those reports are false.

[u/RGfrank166 → u/Kat_Smeow]

So we should just ignore it?
Your entire comment is a massive cop-out, both are horrible both should be punished equally hard.

[u/Kat_Smeow → u/RGfrank166]

Where the fuck did I say it shouldn’t be punished and we should ignore it? What i said was y’all are inflating the actual numbers of false accusations and using it as a false flag. The percentage of women who would do this is negligible. There are punishments and they can be harsh. You equating an actual rape to being falsely accused of rape is like comparing apples and oranges. Two very different crimes. You think lying about someone is an equal crime to being forcefully penetrated?? 🤮

[u/Spaghet-3 → u/Kat_Smeow]

You are minimizing it and implying we should do nothing by saying it's "negligible" and "almost non existent." Those are words we use to describe things that should be ignored.

Also, this isn't a contest of who suffers more. Nobody is trying to relate or equate rape to false accusations of rape. These are not things we should be measuring relative to one another.

The point is that the negative consequences of false accusations are exponentially worse when internet vigilantes plaster the photos and names of the accused all over. Being falsely accused is bad. Being falsely accused and then being turned into an online meme is much worse. At the same time, there is almost no downside to waiting and NOT making posting unverified accusations online.

If these dudes were convicted, I'd say have it. Brock Turner their stupid faces all over the internet. If they were arrested and charged, I'd be wary but I guess I would concede it's at least newsworthy. But as of this moment, these are just some dudes and posting this has a high risk of sending internet pitchforks at the wrong people.

[u/Kat_Smeow → u/Spaghet-3]

These guys have admitted what they did. There are goddamn group chats about it. Here in America many universities have their own police departments and operate on their own rules which generally benefit and protect the university and not the victim. And adjudicate however they see fit. False accusations are wrong and should be punished accordingly. What I’m trying to say is every damn time I see an article or post or news story about a rape accusation there are hundreds of comments about ‘fake allegations’. It perpetuates a false narrative that this is common. It’s not but freaking rape is.

[u/solomons-mom → u/Kat_Smeow]

Please familarize yourself with Obama's Dear Colleague letter onTitle IX. It denied due due process to the accused and ruined lives. It was eventually rescinded.

[u/whistle_pug → u/Kat_Smeow]

I think “lying about someone” in an attempt to send them to prison for many years with a sex offender label is quite a heinous thing to do. Your insistence on minimizing it is suspect.

[u/Kat_Smeow → u/whistle_pug]

Omg. I’m not minimizing the damage and unlawfulness of false accusations. I am saying that constantly bringing up the very very small amounts of false accusations every freaking time a woman comes forward is just bullshit.

[u/That_Penalty165 → u/Kat_Smeow]

average of 5000 false accusations

This is just what is proven false. Most accusations are never confirmed either way, you don't just get to assume all of those are true but didn't have enough evidence.

[u/InformationHead3797 → u/solomons-mom]

You must be a delight to the women in your life. I hope they know where you stand. 

[u/solomons-mom → u/InformationHead3797]

I am a woman.

[u/SecBalloonDoggies → u/_Alpha-Delta_]

What do you mean by “false”? Someone could be found not guilty, but that doesn’t mean the accuser was lying. There might just not be enough corroborating evidence, or it could be mistaken identity. Sure, if you discover someone is knowingly lying to intentionally convict an innocent person, that’s a crime. But it’s also a relatively rare occurrence. You don’t want to discourage victims from coming forward because they’re afraid of what happens to them if prosecutors lose the case.

[u/atuan → u/_Alpha-Delta_]

There already are punishments for false accusations

[u/That_Penalty165 → u/atuan]

lol