Shia LeBeouf is back in the spotlight this week after he said he was sexually assaulted by a woman during his performance art piece, “#IAMSORRY,” earlier this year. He’s been met with heavy criticism and doubt, namely from nightly news host Piers Morgan, who called LeBeouf’s claims a desperate ploy for attention and “a repulsive insult to every single person who has ever been genuinely raped” in an editorial he submitted to Daily Mail.
In “#IAMSORRY,” audience members were asked to choose from objects related to his previous roles including an Optimus Prime toy, a whip, a bottle of cologne or a bowl of Hershey kisses. They were then ushered into a room where they could sit across from Shia LeBeouf and make uninterrupted eye contact.
#IAMSORRY may sound strange, but it is based on a performance art piece from 1974 when artist Marina Abramovic performed “Rhythm 0.” In the piece, she laid on a table and allowed museumgoers to choose from a variety of items and do whatever they wanted to her free from consequence and responsibility.
Some have stated that the nature of LeBeouf’s art piece is to blame for the assault and that he should have expected something like this to happen, but his collaborator Luke Turner clarified on Twitter after the incident that they “never stated that people could do whatever they wanted toShia.”
Saying that LeBeouf is only claiming sexual assault for attention is not an uncommon argument against victims of rape. This is a form of victim blaming. Other people question why LeBeouf didn’t call for help or defend himself, a physically capable man, against a smaller woman. Again, this is victim blaming. In moments of shock and trauma, many people, regardless of how strong they are, are rendered speechless and catatonic.
There have been a string of ignored sexual assaults across college campuses recently. According to the Economist, 90 colleges in 35 states are currently under investigation by the department of Education for such cases.
Emma Sulkowicz, a sophomore at Columbia University, was allegedly raped earlier this year by a classmate. When she reported the assault to the police and school officials, the case was swept under the rug and no action was taken. In a piece of performance art and in protest to the school’s silence, she has carried the mattress she said she was raped on everywhere she went until the school took action against her rapist. As of last month, she was still carrying her mattress.
Did Shia LeBeouf get raped? I don’t feel qualified to answer that question. I don’t have all the facts and neither does Piers Morgan. While what happened to Shia and to every rape victim is tragic, what most worries me is the hesitation and cynicism with which our culture reacts to their claims.
Our society’s treatment of rape victims is as heinous as the act itself. Ignorance is not bliss and turning a blind eye to something as serious as rape allegations will not stop rapes from happening, it will further discourage victims from coming forward and force them to relive their traumatic experiences in silence.
