UC Berkeley coursework assignment: Watch a video in which Emma Sulkowicz, a senior at Columbia University who was allegedly raped, explains her performance piece titled: “Carry That Weight”. What do you think of her approach in responding to her case of rape? How do you think the University handled this delicate situation?

A UC Berkeley Female student responded by writing the below essay.

When I saw that this was one of the prompts for this week focusing on sexual health and sexual violence, I was extremely excited to respond to it due to my interest and passion on the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. The only person who is committing any sort of violence in this case and many others like it on college campuses all over America is Emma Sulkowicz herself, a liar and a criminal who falsely accused Paul Nungesser of rape. As a woman and an equalist (NOT a feminist), Emma’s behavior and actions are a parody of all the worst parts of radical or “Tumblr” feminists—I am ashamed to even belong to the same species as her.

As someone who has fervently followed the “mattress girl” case at Columbia, I have read almost every article on Emma’s case, watched her porn video that supposedly re-enacts her “rape”, and watched her video detailing her “art” project “Carry that Weight”—but most importantly, I have followed Paul’s side closely. Not only was Emma’s false accusation abhorrent and did she inflict physical and emotional trauma on Paul, but her response to the widespread media attention is the most immature and attention-seeking action she could’ve possibly taken. She claims repeatedly in interviews that she is deeply traumatized and triggered by things that remind her of her “rape”, but if this were true, why would she carry around a mattress every single day that reminds her of what she claims happened? Furthermore, why would she produce a porno of her “rape” that would’ve forced her to relive all of those emotions once again? There’s an extremely valid and rational explanation for why Columbia University found Mr. Nungesser not responsible and the NYPD did not find Mr. Nungesser guilty—because he did NOT rape her. There’s an extremely valid and rational explanation for why so much of the public remains skeptical of her alleged “rape” and the president of Columbia wouldn’t even shake her hand at graduation—because her campaign against sexual assault is in reality a form of self-victimization.

The issue of sexual assault on college campuses is rising rapidly to become one of the most prevalent issues both colleges and students face today, due to new policies that back colleges into a corner to report and press charges against any accused male “rapist”, or else have their funding taken away. The approach our country is choosing to take is backwards and counter-intuitive, reaping the most negative and detrimental unforeseen effects and sacrificing the young men of our country as collateral damage that can simply be ignored. The statistic that I hear thrown out in every single conversation about this issue that “1 in 5 females on college campuses have been sexually assaulted” is completely bogus, and has no reliable research to support it at all. In reality, men’s due process rights have been completely neglected and thrown out the window in the handling of these sexual assault cases by universities that lack the infrastructure, funding, and proper training to handle investigations into sexual assault. If we don’t give colleges the power to put the accused on trial and convict criminals for murder, why do we give them the power to do so for cases of sexual assault? It makes absolutely no sense at all, and violates the very constitutional rights that our nation was built on. Although I believe the mattress girl case was one case in which a college handled the proceedings properly by not convicting Paul of rape and not expelling him, there are far more that are handled unfairly on college campuses. I believe that the Safe Campus Act, proposed in 2015, is one step we can take as a nation to start taking steps in the right direction to give both the victim and the perpetrator fair due process rights in the handling of sexual assault cases.

Although I believe Columbia handled the feminazi that is Emma Sulkowicz to the best of their ability with the legal liability they face, I believe Columbia disgraced itself in allowing Emma to pursue her art project and giving her academic credit for it. It gave her the weapons and the ego to publicly label herself as a victim and then get attention and praise for her disgusting behavior—sealing her identity as a victim for the rest of her life. How is this feminism? I grew up thinking feminism was a movement to empower women towards self-sufficiency and independence, and Emma’s response and subsequent actions are the complete opposite. If this is the modern definition of feminism, then I have absolutely no interest in being associated with this movement (or the self-pity party it has become). I refuse to call myself a feminist who needs to accuse men of rape whenever I wake up next to a stranger and realize I got too drunk and made a poor decision out of MY OWN POOR JUDGMENT to quell my regret and self-confidence issues. Instead, I identify as an independent woman who empowers herself by taking responsibility for my own actions, whether good or bad, and doesn’t need a bogus social movement like modern feminism to feel like I am worthy of being equal to men. I don’t see any feminists protesting the severe bias in women’s favor in divorce court and child support. When they start fighting for true equality maybe that will be the day I become a feminist. But until then, to Emma Sulkowicz: I hope every time you hear your own name, you are triggered because you are the worst excuse for a human being I have ever heard of.

2015 Essay written by UC Berkeley Student