Where this was said
The Media Storm & the Battle of the Sexes Narrative
At 39:55 · chapter starts 37:20
By the end of July 1993, the Bobbitt story had saturated every major news outlet in the country. John began making the rounds on cable and talk shows, painting himself as the victim of an unprovoked attack. Lorena issued a simple statement: 'I was the victim of repeated emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Everyone has a limit, and this was beyond mine.' But nuance was swiftly swallowed by the cultural machine. National Center for Men director Mel Felt told the New York Times this was 'the result of feminists teaching women that men are natural oppressors' — and in a wild metaphor, compared the severing of a penis to 'stealing the other team's mascot in the battle of the sexes.' Ash and Alaina both stop to thoroughly roast Mel Felt. Meanwhile, women across the country were expressing unambiguous support for Lorena, with a woman quoted in the New York Times saying, 'Usually the woman is the victim. This was the woman striking back. Every woman I've talked to says, way to go.' John's lawyer argued Lorena was a 'social climber' acting out a fantasy 'in the psyche of many women.' The case had become a culture war proxy before a single witness had taken the stand. [1] — Lorena Bobbitt "I was the victim of repeated emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Everyone has a limit, and this was beyond mine." 39:10
