George Santayana reminded us that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And at stunning speed, it’s happening as Trump’s MAGA flailing has emboldened the left to return to the bad old days of rape hysteria. One day’s string of New York Times headlines tells the tale.
Hochul Names Letitia James as Special Prosecutor in Cornell Case
Cornell Students Call for Change at Fiery Public Meeting
Men Accused in Cornell Sex Assault Suit Give Varying Accounts of Night
How a Cornell Student Went From Shame to Action
N.Y. Lawmakers and Victims Push to Change Rape Law in Intoxication Cases
Parents Are Talking About Consent After Cornell Rape Allegations
It remains an article of faith under Feminism 4.0 that women are too helpless and frail to be capable of deciding whether they want to have drunken sex, or sex with multiple people, while simultaneously being strong and capable when it suits them. They still “believe the woman” no matter how many times the story changes and despite what the evidence shows, or fails to show, because the litany of excuses that render a “survivor,” the title given upon mere accusation to evoke mindless sympathy, that rationalize away every failing that would otherwise be expected of a normal, competent human being.
Having written about this at great length too many times in the past, there is no reason to repeat myself. Do you remember or are you condemned to repeat the past?
Nancy Rommelmann explained why feminists should neither need nor want the government in their bedroom. Camille Paglia too.
The eternally-validated Camille Paglia on the Cornell case.
“The sexual revolution must be undone because middle-class women can’t handle it. They cannot take responsibility for their own actions.”
pic.twitter.com/FEXSjUd7M0— Suffragent (@Suffragent_) October 1, 2026
Explaining what happened with the Cornell criminal and Title IX matters with facts, stripped of hysteria, Justin Dillon and KC Johnson, who stood as pretty much the lone voice of sanity during the Duke Lacrosse hysteria, called it as well.
The mob has now come for Cornell. And this time, it even has a superhero.
Last week, a female Cornell student claiming to have been gang-raped by members of the Chi Phi fraternity almost two years ago sued Cornell, Chi Phi, various Cornell administrators, and — by name — the seven Cornell students who were allegedly involved in the rape. The case quickly went viral, and the reactions have broken down along predictably partisan lines — with everyone from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Hollywood actress Florence Pugh (who plays the Black Widow–esque Yelena Belova in the Marvel Universe) weighing in, and most people immediately assuming guilt.
Will the New York legislature finally close the “intoxication” loophole? You remember that “loophole,” right? It’s where women get to exercise their freedom to get shitfaced, have as much sex as they want and then get to decide the next day, week or year whether their voluntarily given consent at the moment, upon which their partner(s) relied, magically disappears and consensual sex becomes rape?
Let’s begin with the fact that there is no such thing as an “intoxication loophole.” The rape statutes in New York state already allow anyone to press charges, no matter how inebriated she (or he) is at the time of the assault. The statement from Cuomo’s office that current law “does not adequately protect victims of sexual offenses who could not consent to sexual activity due to voluntary intoxication” is untrue, or true only in the sense that the law does not specifically list “voluntary intoxication” as a category in which someone is unable to give consent. It also does not list “while playing hockey” or “baking brownies,” though during these voluntary activities someone also might not give consent. Should we list these, and if so, who decides what other things women are not capable of deciding for themselves?
Nancy wrote that six years ago, which explains why she’s talking about Cuomo as opposed to Hochul. Now, Hochul is milking this for her own purposes.
I want answers. And I want accountability.
I spoke with Cornell’s president today, and the university has agreed to bring in outside counsel for an independent investigation.
I’ve directed my team to look at what more we can do to strengthen protections for survivors.
This… pic.twitter.com/yDLOgi4svz
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) September 30, 2026
There are two things that go wholly unmentioned and unrecognized by Gov. Hochul, who asserts that a sexual assault happened when that lies at the very core of the matter. The presumption of innocence and due process. When the governor, not to mention senators and representatives, proclaims that a crime has been committed first with an investigation to follow, the problem isn’t any lack of investigation. The problem is that the outcome isn’t what rape hysteria demands.
If the Cornell Jane Doe wanted to get drunk, get high, have sex with multiple partners, she’s fully entitled to assert her agency and make it happen. What she cannot do is change her mind afterward, be relieved of any responsibility for her choices, and turn her consensual sex partners into criminals.