The Aftermath of the Conor Oberst Rape Accusation
- TOM HAWKING [ Revised January 2016 ]
- Jan 30, 2016
- 2 min read
Conor Oberst
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Conor Mullen Oberst (born February 15, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, Norman Bailer (The Faint), Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Arab Strap and Monsters of Folk. Oberst was named the Best Songwriter by Rolling Stone magazine.
AFTERMATH OF RAPE ALLEGATION
The news that Joanie Faircloth — the woman who accused Conor Oberst of having raped her a decade ago — has withdrawn her accusations. This throws the spotlight back on the case. And despite the fact Conner cleared his name, the commentary has, again, not been kind to the singer. --- Take, for instance, a story that ran in the Daily Dot, wherein author Chris Osternhorf makes the point that Oberst being cleared of a false rape accusation is likely to make him a de facto hero to MRA types. This is probably true; what’s less defensible is the continuing speculation about Oberst’s guilt, and the idea that he was somehow morally obliged to have handled things differently.
There’s an unpleasant undercurrent that runs through Osternhorf’s piece, and indeed through a lot of the commentary on this case: the idea that the undeniable power disparity between Oberst and his accuser somehow means that Oberst was under some sort of obligation to just take one for the team here, to show restraint because of the fact that, in the grand scheme of things, the vast majority of rape accusations are true, and because false accusations tend to get disproportionate attention. That’s a nice idea, so long as it’s not you who’s being falsely accused of pretty much the worst thing a man can do short of murdering someone.
PERPETUATING ACCUSATIONS
Conner's career was damaged. And so was his reputation. For a lot of people, there will always be a question mark next to Oberst’s name, a mark that nothing will be able to erase. “To be sure,” opines Osternhort, “you can’t help but feel at least somewhat bad for Oberst here.”
PROJECT 33 --- Feel bad for anyone who’s publicly accused of a violent crime they didn’t commit. God only knows what CONNER and his family went through.
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