There's Never Enough Baby Oil, P Diddy, Abuse, and Power
We may never know what happened between Diddy and Cassie, but we know how abuse works.
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On Thursday, November 16th, 2023, Cassie, an R&B singer once signed to Bad Boy Records, accused P Diddy of rape and of repeated physical abuse over a decade. In the suit, filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura — and who had long been his romantic partner — says that not long after she met him in 2005 when she was 19, he began a pattern of control and abuse that included plying her with drugs, beating her and forcing her to have sex with a succession of male prostitutes while he filmed the encounters. In 2018, the suit says, near the end of their relationship, Mr. Combs forced his way into her home and raped her.- NY Times.
The lawsuit sent ripples across the industry, and things have only gotten worse for Puff since. On September 16th, the mogul was charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. As we speak, Diddy is currently sitting in a holding center after two judges refused to grant him bail.
Many people are still reeling, asking how he could do such things and why he did “no one peak up?” It’s simple: if everything we have learned turns out to be accurate, Diddy is an abuser. The scale of his harm is breathtaking in scope, but much of what he is accused of doing happens in communities worldwide. Those abusers don’t have his money, power, or network, but somehow, like him, they often get away with their behavior. I wanted to put some energy into helping folks understand where this behavior comes from. To do this, I had a conversation with anti-rape feminist Wagatwe Wanjukiis. Wagatwe is an antirape feminist theorist and activist best known for her work on Title IX and campus sexual assault. You can listen to the conversation below.
Below are some supporting links:
https://wagatwe.myportfolio.com/
https://www.patreon.com/wagatwe
This was such an important conversation! I loved and appreciated Wagatwe’s insight, especially examining personal dynamics between abusers and those being abused (he might be the calmest one). I also agree that we can never say “I can’t imagine he’d do that” or assume anyone isn’t capable of abuse. I think just even putting this conversation out there helps. Thanks guys, it was good.
Finally getting a chance to listen to this!