Had it Coming: Rape Culture Meets #MeToo: Now What?

by Robyn Doolittle

Had It Coming is not a diatribe or manifesto, but an informed look at how attitudes around sexual behavior have changed and still need to change.

"As a culture we aren't very good at having nuanced, complicated discussions," Doolittle writes in her introduction. "The public space is not a safe venue to talk about controversial subjects. Social media has seen to that . . . I've come to embrace the complexities and messiness that comes with those tough conversations."

Doolittle brings a personal voice to what has been a turning point for most the #MeToo movement and its aftermath. The world is now increasingly aware of the pervasiveness of rape culture in which powerful men got away with sexual assault and harassment for years, but Doolittle looks beyond specific cases to the big picture. The issue of "consent" figures not only is the public confused about what it means, but an astounding number of legal authorities are too.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

Published August 24, 2021

About the author

Robyn Doolittle is an investigative reporter with the Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper. She began her career at the Toronto Star, covering crime and later municipal politics.

Her two-year investigation into Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s substance abuse issues garnered worldwide attention, and in 2014, the Star’s Ford investigation was nominated for a Canadian Association of Journalists award and a Michener Award for public service journalism.

A graduate of Ryerson University, Doolittle has lived in Toronto since 2002.

Reviews

[JaNel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I would know most of this information. This was not exactly accurate. It turns out there’s a lot I learned, but I was correct in that I agree with what’s she saying. And, just like her premise says, it’s important to ask these questions of myself. It’s important to understand the conversation.

“This is what makes rape culture so dangerous. It feels normal. The mindset is so entangled in day-to-day assumptions that it becomes camouflaged by its ordinariness.“

Ch. 5 focusing on consent education being about moral and ethical parameters rather than just avoiding jail.

P. 83 what sex education in public schools ought to look like. “Grade 2 they would learn they can say no if someone does something that makes them uncomfortable and that stop means stop in place situation. In grade 6, student will learn about communication skills within a relationship. They would be taught that only a clearer yes as a sign of consent, while silence, and certainty, or a no means that the person has not given consent. In grade 7, discussions about communication would move on to the context of a romantic partner and by grade aid the curriculum and explicitly addressed consent during sex.”

This timing seems appropriate to me. With my children, I found that it’s important, much more effective, to talk about the situation before the kids actually are faced with it.

P. 87 The importance of the various participants in the judicial system… Police, judges, etc.… Educate themselves about the effects of ‘neurobiology of trauma’ (fight, flight, or FREEZE) and how it manifests itself as an explanation for why so many sexual assault victims aren’t acting upset enough or why they can’t recall events

P. 235 “Internalized patriarchy “ yes.

[Nicole Palumbo Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book better than Credible, which I also read recently - it was less theoretical, less dry, more specific. But also, Doolittle looks at ways to change rape culture, to educate people in the legal system. She talks about rape as a moral issue, not just a legal issue. Doolittle recognizes what a complex and layered issue rape and rape culture is. She also grapples with the idea of redemption and offers no easy answers.

[Ashley vH]

I received a digital review copy from Edelweiss.

I was unfamiliar with this author's work prior to reading this, and so I had very few expectations going in. The question posed by the author, of what is 'fair' in the age of