A few days
ago, we sat down to a meal of the kind I’d not eaten in years; liver and bacon,
with braised Savoy cabbage and root mash. It was delicious, with a particular
highlight being the cabbage, which had been steamed with a couple of glasses of
Riesling; not a wine I’d ordinarily drink for pleasure, but it’s certainly a
real flavour enhancer for this simple but flavoursome side dish.
While
washing up, I dimly recalled a piece in The
Guardian from decades back, where I’d read that liver and bacon was an
especial culinary favourite of the late Andrea Dworkin, which lead me to
pondering just what the radical feminist and anti-pornography crusader would
make of the current global political and patriarchal situation. Donald Trump,
post-truth, the internet; no doubt she’d hate them all, with good reason.
Late that night,
I attempted to re-familiarise myself with Dworkin’s work; having read Woman Hating at University and Intercourse when it came out back in 1987, I
was reasonably au fait with her contention that the existence of pornography
and erotic literature in patriarchal societies had the effect of consistently
eroticizing women's sexual subordination to men. Of course, in the pre-post-truth
era when the latter book came out, this was erroneously and presumably
mendaciously interpreted by many on the Trotskyist and Leninist left as meaning
she equated all heterosexual intercourse as synonymous with rape, thus finding
more grist to the mill for their macho, phallocentric and institutionally
homophobic weltanschauung. However Dworkin was explicit in her rejection
of this shallow misreading of her work; sex must not put women in a
subordinate position. It must be reciprocal and not an act of aggression from a
man looking only to satisfy himself. That's my point.
As a male, I am fully cognizant of the fact I can
never fully “know” or “understand” the nature of any female sexual experience,
as discussed in Dworkin’s work or elsewhere. However, Dworkin’s widow John
Stoltenberg has himself produced works that I can fully emotionally and
intellectually access, because of my gender. Stoltenberg is often categorized
as a radical feminist male, whose key works are The end of
manhood: a book for men of conscience
and Refusing to be a man: essays on sex and justice. In these writings,
Stoltenberg argues that men should refuse to accept the prevalent social model
of masculine sexual identity, and learn one built on a different set of ethics
based on three essential aspects: consent, mutuality and respect. By doing so, men will have the chance to both
denounce their current social role as heterosexual tyrants and potentially disprove
the radical feminist truism; pornography tells lies about women, but
pornography tells the truth about men.
I am particularly interested in what
Stoltenberg’s theories could tell us about the horrific implications of the
scandal concerning the sexual abuse of young footballers by predatory
paedophiles, many apparently hiding in plain sight as coaches and trainers. At
the time of writing, the scandal that had begun and ended at Crewe Alexandra’s
Gresty Road with the imprisonment of Barry Bennell for a string of sexual
offences in the past, has revealed itself to be the sporting equivalent of the Lernaean
Hydra. Sadly, this is no myth, as investigations at Blackpool, Chelsea, Leeds United, Manchester City, Stoke
City and Newcastle United, where the activities of a certain George Ormond, a
convicted child sex offender, are to be examined suggest the investigation will
be wide-ranging, prolonged and deeply challenging at every level of the game. I
read with increasing distress and alarm the testimony of former Newcastle and
indeed Benfield Saints player Derek Bell, whose life has been destroyed by the
abuse he endured from Ormond. There is also the uncomfortable story of alleged
former Gremlin and serial sex offender Kane “Touchy Hutchy” Hutchison to
consider.
As yet, things are moving incredibly quickly and
any statements made here could be disproven by subsequent events. For instance,
more than 20 former players have made complaints of abuse, which are being
investigated by 10 different police forces. Meanwhile the hitherto unmasked
Bennell has been charged with a further string of offences that date back to
the 1980s; this development came after he disappeared from his home in Milton
Keynes, was found unconscious in Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire and spent 3
days in hospital under observation.
Also, legendary loudmouthed moron Eric Bristow
has been fired from Sky for victim blaming; the contempt visited on him makes
his asinine remarks unworthy of further comment. I wish I could keep my mouth
shut, but I have to point out that there lies a deep and disturbing truth at
the heart of Bristow’s banality. The white working classes are institutionally
and socially homophobic, seeing homosexuality as a disease that mainly infects
the posh social classes. Mad Trotskyists have long banged on about “bourgeois
sexual and lifestyle choices” (courtesy of the bad Bootle CWI Milimeff) being a
sign of dilettantism. Well, the news that the people’s game is seemingly
crawling with council house nonces must make them reconsider their position.
After all, someone’s got to be right and it isn’t them.
The official response has been characterised by
the belated slamming of a stable door, in the shape of the Football Association
has instructing independent leading counsel Kate Gallafent QC to oversee an
internal review. At this precise moment,
we simply don’t know whether the investigation into child sex abuse in football
will unveil a story as heartbreaking and sordid as the BBC Jimmy Savile inquiry
did. We don’t know if the investigatory process will be as labyrinthine,
funereal and hidebound by procedural incompetence as the inquiry into
institutional child abuse. We also have no idea whether subsequent
investigations will, like Operation Midland, find out precisely nothing of
tangible value. Certainly I don’t imagine it will be a wholly fabricated tissue
of lies like the fascist right in America have concocted with the Pizzagate
myth.
When the
investigation convenes, the crucial thing, victims and survivors of the
horrific crime of child sexual abuse must be believed, supported and trusted;
they deserve our love. The Eric Bristows of this world or social media
wiseasses who state that “at least Ian Dowie will be OK” aren’t just ignorant;
they are part of the problem. Their crass posturing acts as an enabler, because
it discourages victims from coming forward as they fear disbelief, ridicule or
contempt.
You see predatory paedophiles don’t abuse children
out of sexual desire, but out of a lust for power; in their sick, damaged
world, exercising control over a weaker, frightened victim is gratification
enough. Paedophiles are cunning; they place themselves in positions where they
can gain access to children. Scoutmasters, choristers, teachers, step parents,
family friends and so on; this is why over 90% of convicted child sex offenders knew
their victims, generally because they had groomed them at close quarters over a
period of time, to gain the friendship, trust and often love of the child.
Sometimes that method of coercion is maintained as the abuse continues; other
times it is replaced by fear and threats, but the control remains in place.
Hence scare stories about stranger danger are thankfully largely inaccurate;
the overwhelming majority of child abuse happens in a family or social context,
whether that is home or the local youth club.
Young footballers though are often deeply, unquestioningly loyal towards
their coach; siding with them in many instances of conflict. It isn’t beyond
imagining to think certain unscrupulous, evil people would exploit that bond of
trust.
Certainly these revelations, coming the same
weekend as Stonewall’s rainbow laces campaign against homophobia in the
game(though I’ve grave misgivings about that organisation’s methods as I stand
with Football Against Homophobia on this issue), will not make it any easier in
the immediate future for a top level, professional player to come out. Football
is an inherently conservative sport and any mention of sexuality during the
investigatory period will be sidelined for reasons of presumed probity. My hope would be that at the end of the
investigatory process football will recover and recreate itself as a gay
friendly sport at every level. However, that is for the future; immediately, we
must offer our help, support and love to all those who suffered at the hands of
abusers. No longer shall they suffer guilt for a crime they didn’t commit and
shame for events that were not of their making in silence.
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