When whores and tramps get raped: A textual analysis

Posted at 2:34 PM Aug 27, 2009

By Andrea Grimes

​A West Virginia man was convicted this week of raping up to twenty women, all sex workers. Thomas Gravely is, by all accounts (except, of course his defense attorney's) a serial rapist. Which is horror in itself. But the language--nay, the hate-filled speech--used by Gravely's attorney, Ed ReBrook, is shocking, to say the least. ReBrook's defense? Those whores were asking for it.

Based on an account of his words in the Charleston Daily Mail, I'll attempt here to do a textual analysis of ReBrook's statements to the jury in Gravely's defense.

"You cannot rape the willing," (1) ReBrook said. "They got in those automobiles with the intention of having sex for money." (2)

"I would be horrified if any of the women in my life were raped, but I'm talking about decent, honorable women," ReBrook said (3), and then dramatically raised his voice. "Not whores who have sex with many, many men for money." (4)

"They are whores," ReBrook persisted. "That is a perfectly usable word in the English language." (5)

"Finding this man guilty of rape (6) lessens the dignity of every other woman (7)," ReBrook said. "What they have done is turn sex into something disgusting." (8)

"They are not like your wife, your girlfriend or your daughter," (9) he said. "They are street tramps. And what happened to them was, at least in part, their fault." (10)

"If stupidity was a crime, my client would be a three-time loser," (11) ReBrook told the jury. "He may be guilty of assault, but he is not guilty of sexual assault." (12)

1. Here, ReBrook appears to demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the concept of consent, playfully using a trite, supposedly amusing quip that, when learned by most people in junior high, is quickly discarded because it's fucking stupid.

2. As primary source material is scarce, one can only speculate as to whether or not this thorough, detailed description of the modern sex worker's job is from first-hand experience.

3. See also, 'Decent, Honorable Women in Ed ReBrook's Life Very Appreciative of His Potential Horror at Their Potential Sexual Assault,' in Journal Of Specious Claims Quarterly.

(Continue your education after the jump!)

4. ReBrook's dissertation, Whores Have Sex With Many, Many Men For Money contains an enlightening chapter, And Some Dumb Sluts Just Fuck Many, Many Men, For No Money, Can You Believe It? For further reference, see "Big Pimpin'," a thoughtful musical analysis of the gender dynamics of sex work, by Z, Jay-.

5. Other usable words in the English language include, "pompous," "hateful," "self-righteous," "prick."

6. Possible misprint, as the phrase should read, "Finding a rapist guilty of rape ..."

7. Again, a misprint. We assume that "lessens the dignity of every other woman" in fact means "gives dignity to women," that the full sentence should read, "Finding a rapist guilty of rape gives dignity to women." ReBrook has been contacted with regard to correcting this error in future editions.

8. Here, we see how ReBrook expands his Theory Of Bitches Was Askin' For It, implying, perhaps, that he may develop a related Theory Of If Bitches Get Raped, It's Bitches' Fault. ReBrook, who likes to cuddle after gently screwing the decent, honorable women in his life missionary-style, juxtaposes by implication the beautiful sex he has with the ugly, nasty sex that whores have. Sex that is not with whores is always beautiful. ReBrook addresses this phenomenon briefly in his article, 'Your Vagina Is A Beautiful Rainbow, Unless You're A Dirty Fucking Slut,' which appears in the March '08 issue of The Anthropology of Dirty Fucking Sluts And Whores, Which Are Perfectly Usable Words.

9. We take ReBrook's statement here to be ironic; undoubtedly these women are wives, girlfriends and daughters and are, by extension, probably at least a little bit like your wives, girlfriends and daughters.

10. We look forward to ReBrook's presumably forthcoming field research that will prove how 20 different women conspired to force one unfortunate, innocent man to rape them on separate occasions.

11. Theorists differ on what ReBrook means by this statement, precisely. By "stupidity," does he mean "rape"? And by "three time loser" does he mean "guilty as hell"?

12. The jury later respectfully disagreed in their thoughtful essay entitled No, You Dense Piece Of Shit, Holding A Knife Up To The Neck Of A Woman And Forcing Her To Have Sex With You Actually Is Rape Even If She's A Prostitute, forthcoming in the reader, Thank Fucking God Some People Have Some Shred Of Sanity In This World.