Glad tidings, Meteor readers,

Do you hear that distant sound? It’s the gentle rustling of decorative fall knitwear being moved from the back of the closet to the front. (It’s also the sound of me frantically trying to finish knitting this sweater—you should try it!) We have crossed over into September so it’s basically fall which means it’s time to start planning Thanksgiving. And after that, you might as well pick your New Year’s outfit.

Time is an illusion.

But today’s newsletter isn’t! My brilliant colleague Samhita Mukhopadhyay spoke with author and filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman about her book, Roll Red Roll, which explores every facet of the Steubenville, Ohio rape case of 2012. It’s been a decade since Steubenville, and the way we understand rape culture and sexual assault has evolved—and, in some ways, hasn’t.

First, a little bit of news.

Counting stitches,

Shannon Melero

WHAT’S GOING ON

Jackson, Mississippi in crisis: On Tuesday the city’s governor declared a state of emergency after 150,000 residents were left without safe drinking water. (There’s still no certainty as to when water will be restored.) The reason for this crisis, Vox explains, is twofold: Recent flooding damaged the city’s largest water treatment plant and there were pumping problems at a secondary plant. But the larger issue is “white divestment from a majority-Black city.” Underfunded and crumbling infrastructure over the course of decades has left the water systems fragile—meaning that now, with the rise in extreme weather, citizens are unable to shower, access drinking water, or even flush toilets. But there are ways to help. Locals in neighboring towns can volunteer to distribute water around Jackson. And for those outside the state, we have a list from The Cut of organizations accepting donations of water and funds.

THE NATIONAL GUARD HAS BEEN CALLED IN TO HELP MANAGE THE WATER CRISIS IN JACKSON. (IMAGE BY BRAD VEST VIA GETTY IMAGES)

AND: 

• Sure, you’ve heard about “quiet quitting,” but now something called “quiet firing” has made its way into the lexicon.

• For the first time in the state’s history, a Native Alaskan has been elected to serve in the House. Democrat Mary Peltola won in a special election, beating Sarah Palin who can now spend her free time observing Russia from her window.

• Speaking of the far right and its lunacy, conservative lawmakers and attorneys general have been “quietly exploring” lawsuits that could potentially block Biden’s debt relief plan. In the words of DJ Khaled, they don’t want us to win.

• But you know who is winning? Serena Williams. Despite tennis experts predicting she’d lose her second-round U.S Open match to No. 2 in the world Annett Kontaveit, Williams came out on top and will be gracing our screens again tonight in a doubles match with her sister, and tomorrow against Ajla Tomljanović in singles.

• The U.S. is discontinuing Operation Allies Welcome, a program that helped expedite the asylum process for Afghans fleeing Taliban-led Afghanistan. The change will make the immigration process more difficult for those waiting in evacuee facilities in the U.S and Qatar, and put thousands more who don’t meet the requirements for gaining American citizenship at risk.

“GOD, FAMILY, FOOTBALL”

It’s Been Ten Years Since Steubenville

Author and filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman on how far we have and haven’t come since the rape case that changed everything.

BY SAMHITA MUKHOPADHYAY

ONE OF THE CLOSED MILLS IN STEUBENVILLE, OHIO. (IMAGE BY RICK GERSHON VIA GETTY IMAGES) 

Content warning: Sexual violence. Please consider your mental health before reading.

Ten years ago this month, a young woman was sexually assaulted by a group of high school athletes in Steubenville, Ohio. The girl, who was unconscious, had been transported, stripped of her clothes, and digitally assaulted (meaning the assailants used their hands). Later there would be undeniable evidence: texts and posts on social media in which perpetrators documented, and even bragged, about the horrific acts that took place that night. Two of those students, Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond, both 16 at the time, were convicted of rape.

Steubenville was a turning point in how we talk about sexual assault and rape culture. It was the first sexual assault case to go viral on social media, sparking major online activism in response. Nancy Schwartzman, a filmmaker and a writer, has followed this case since the beginning, first making a documentary about the town, and most recently publishing Roll Red Roll, a book about the incident. The New York Times called it a “meticulous account” of what happened that night and the culture that allowed for it.

This week, I talked to Nancy about the film, the book, and what she learned from all of it.

Samhita Mukhopadhyay: Why were you initially drawn to investigating the Steubenville rape case? 

Nancy Schwartzman: I had already been examining issues of consent in my first film, The Line—what is coercive consent, what is enthusiastic consent, etc. And by the end of having so many conversations with young people about the topic, what became very important, I thought, for us to all be looking at was perpetrator behavior.

[Sexual assault was talked about] very much like the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial. The victim is scrutinized: her behavior, her alcohol levels, her outfit, her prior sexual conduct. For me, what was just never discussed, and actually where the problem was, was: What are the conditions that enable sexual assault to run rampant, and what are the behaviors we should be looking out for?”

When Steubenville broke, [at first] I thought, “Nothing about this is new.” But when I started looking into it more closely, all of the text messages and social media were public. And it was a script of how these guys were talking about the victim, how they were planning it in advance, and how they were egging each other on. So all of a sudden, we had a window into perpetrator behavior.

IS GEN Z GOING TO SAVE US ALL?

The kids are all right. The adults are fucking up! That’s not just my hot take—it’s the title of this week’s episode of UNDISTRACTED. Brittney Packnett Cunningham highlights all the ways in which Gen Z has been showing up and showing out to fight back on issues they inherited from elder millennials, boomers, and Gen X. From TikTokers lobbying for student debt relief to eloquent speeches against anti-trans legislation, the kids are leading the charge for the safety of their futures.

Also on the pod: author George M. Johnson and school librarian Jennisen Lucas discuss the latest round of book banning. With the school year already underway in most states, Lucas explains that book ban movements are taking a new shape: “It seems very organized and very national—in the past it’s usually been concerned parents that are worried for their children who come in to talk to us in the library.” Who’s behind these militaristic attacks on cool-ass books? You’ll have to listen to find out.

UNDISTRACTED IS SPONSORED BY:

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