I am Jane Doe

Episode of Call Her Daddy · October 11, 2026 · 1 h 16 min

Alex Cooper and feminist philosopher Kate Manne discuss the Cornell 'I Am Jane Doe' sexual assault case, misogyny, 'hympathy,' victim blaming, and fraternity culture.

Summary

Alex Cooper hosted Cornell University philosopher Kate Manne to discuss an alleged gang rape of a 20-year-old Cornell student at a Chi Phi fraternity party and the national "I Am Jane Doe" movement it sparked. Manne described the mood on campus, a large rally in support of Jane Doe, and her long-standing awareness of sexual violence at Cornell, recounting a student's experience of being told by a campus police officer that she should be flattered by image-based sexual abuse.

Manne criticized the institutional response to Jane Doe, arguing that Cornell Health failed to offer a rape kit, that Cornell University Police condensed hours of testimony into six pages that omitted her statement that she had been raped, and that five of seven accused students were left free to graduate while Jane Doe dropped out. She called for zero-tolerance expulsion policies, trauma-informed campus police, and Title IX reform. She explained her concept of "hympathy," coined in relation to Brock Turner, and her view of misogyny as a social system enforcing patriarchal norms, along with intramasculine competition and a "bro code" in all-male groups.

The pair discussed the man-versus-bear debate, the myth of the "perfect victim," partial consent, the fawn response, and why survivors may stay in contact with assailants. Manne argued that consent education is insufficient because for many perpetrators "the violation is the point," and contended that fraternities are dangerous institutions that should be banned, citing their near-uninsurability. She distinguished moral blame, which she said lies entirely with rapists, from forward-looking self-protection advice. Cooper, who said she is about to become a mother, and Manne closed by discussing raising boys to care for others and whether the moment could become another Me Too movement.

Chapters

0:00
Introducing the Jane Doe case
Cooper outlines the alleged Cornell fraternity assault, the group chat messages, and introduces Kate Manne.
4:03
The mood at Cornell
Manne describes campus grief and a rally of thousands, and why this case drew national attention.
7:50
Sexual violence at Cornell and the story of Jill
Manne recounts how she began studying misogyny and a student whose complaint to campus police backfired.
13:41
How the system failed Jane Doe
Manne details failures by Cornell Health, campus police, and the university's disciplinary outcomes, and calls for zero tolerance.
17:48
Hympathy and misogyny
Manne defines hympathy via the Brock Turner case and explains misogyny as a social enforcement system.
24:02
Intramasculine competition and the bro code
Manne explains how all-male groups reward violations of women and protect each other afterward.
27:53
Man versus bear
Cooper raises the viral debate and Manne urges men to channel discomfort into outrage on women's behalf.
31:47
Anonymity and the perfect victim
They discuss public desire to identify Jane Doe and the myth of the perfect victim, including fatphobia.
37:15
Partial consent, fawning, and the aftermath
Manne addresses the threesome debate, the monster-in-the-bushes myth, and why victims may text assailants.
49:22
Beyond 'teach men not to rape'
Manne argues consent education is insufficient because violation is often the point.
53:56
Fraternity culture and self-protection
Manne argues fraternities should be banned and distinguishes moral blame from practical risk advice.
1:02:58
Shame, raising boys, and a new Me Too moment
They discuss shame changing sides, teaching boys to care, and reforms needed for sustained change.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Kate Manne
Manne cites statistics that about a quarter of female undergraduates experience sexual assault during college.
“roughly a quarter of female undergraduates will be subject to sexual assault during their four years in college, which is really shocking”
Listen from 8:09 · Cornell University Chi Phi sexual assault case
Kate Manne
Manne argues campus sexual violence is not unique to Cornell but ubiquitous across campuses.
“This is absolutely not a uniquely Cornell problem. And I say this not to defend my employer”
Listen from 8:59 · Fraternities and sororities in North America
Kate Manne
Manne says Cornell police removed Jane Doe's statement that she was raped and condensed her testimony into six pages for the district attorney.
“They deleted that from her statement and condensed it into a mere six pages, which they then gave to the Tompkins County DA”
Listen from 13:54 · Cornell University Police Department
Kate Manne
Manne says Cornell Health allegedly did not offer Jane Doe a rape kit despite her reporting traumatic injuries.
“the physician or medical provider, whoever it was, didn't follow up and, for example, offered to take a rape kit”
Listen from 14:10 · Cornell University Chi Phi sexual assault case
Kate Manne
Manne objects that Jane Doe dropped out without a tuition refund while five of the seven accused men may graduate.
“why Jane Doe ends up dropping out and not getting her tuition refunded while five of the seven men who she alleged attacked her are left free to graduate”
Listen from 16:56 · Cornell University Chi Phi sexual assault case
Kate Manne
Manne advocates zero-tolerance policies requiring expulsion for serious sexual misconduct on all campuses.
“I really think that we need to become a zero tolerance campus and that all campuses need to apply this policy”
Listen from 17:31 · Title IX
Kate Manne
Manne defines hympathy as sympathy and loyalty toward male perpetrators over female victims.
“hympathy is my word for the scenarios where we have sympathy and loyalty for a male perpetrator of misogyny over a female victim”
Listen from 18:14 · Hympathy
Kate Manne
Manne argues misogyny is best understood as a social system enforcing patriarchal norms rather than individual hatred.
“understand misogyny as not hatred in boys' hearts, but rather as a social system that punishes and enforces patriarchal norms and expectations”
Listen from 20:45 · Misogyny
Kate Manne
Manne describes a 'bro code' in all-male groups whose first rule is to escalate rather than stop immoral proposals.
“One is that if someone proposes something immoral or illegal, you don't call it out. You don't say no. You don't shut it down. You ratchet it up”
Listen from 24:11 · Masculinity
Alex Cooper
Cooper explains choosing the bear because authorities would act against a bear but often dismiss women reporting men.
“I go to the police station and I say this bear mauled me, they're going to go into the woods and they're going to shoot the bear”
Listen from 28:33 · Man vs. bear debate
Kate Manne
Manne says people in larger bodies face slightly elevated rates of sexual violence because perpetrators expect them not to be believed.
“Sexual violence is actually slightly elevated for people who are in larger bodies”
Listen from 33:26 · Victim blaming
Kate Manne
Manne argues that consenting to some sexual activity does not imply consent to more, so sexually adventurous women can still be raped.
“You can consent to have sex with two men. but not five men or seven men”
Listen from 38:30 · Sexual consent
Alex Cooper
Cooper notes that most sexual assaults reported by college women are committed by someone the victim knows.
“About 85 to 90% of sexual assaults reported by college women are perpetrated by someone they know”
Listen from 39:38 · Victim blaming
Kate Manne
Manne argues consent education is insufficient because many perpetrators deliberately seek to violate women.
“I think in many cases, unfortunately, the violation is the point”
Listen from 50:33 · Sexual consent
Kate Manne
Manne says decades of consent education have not meaningfully reduced sexual assault rates, with some evidence of an increase.
“we have not seen rates of sexual assault go down meaningfully. In fact, we're seeing some evidence of an uptick”
Listen from 52:50 · Sexual consent
Alex Cooper
Cooper says she has publicly called for fraternities to be shut down.
“how are fraternities still up and running? Like we need to shut these fraternities down”
Listen from 56:32 · Fraternities and sororities in North America
Kate Manne
Manne cites Jane Doe's lawsuit as noting that fraternity houses are nearly uninsurable, ranking close to hazardous waste disposal in insurance risk.
“they are virtually uninsurable. That's how dangerous fraternity houses are, that they're just a hair below hazardous waste disposal and asbestos removal in terms of insurance risk”
Listen from 57:22 · Fraternities and sororities in North America
Kate Manne
Manne insists moral blame for rape lies entirely with the rapist even while discussing practical risk reduction.
“Rape is always 100% the fault of the rapist, 0% on the victim”
Listen from 59:50 · Victim blaming
Kate Manne
Manne recommends teaching boys to care for others as a deeper approach than consent education.
“there is something really possible here to do that is a lot bigger and deeper and more radical than consent education, which is teach boys to care”
Listen from 1:09:44 · Masculinity
Kate Manne
Manne calls for trauma-informed campus police and a complete reform of Title IX investigative offices.
“We need to get really serious about Title IX investigative offices and completely reforming that process”
Listen from 1:12:09 · Title IX

People

In the conversation

Alex CooperAmerican podcaster and media entrepreneur, host of Call Her Daddy
Kate ManneAustralian-born feminist philosopher, author, and Cornell University professor known for her work on misogyny

Discussed

Brock TurnerFormer Stanford student convicted of sexually assaulting Chanel Miller
Chanel MillerAmerican writer and artist, survivor in the Brock Turner case
Marilyn FryeAmerican feminist philosopher
Celeste DavisWriter whose essay argued violating women can be a feature for some men under patriarchy

Topics

From the publisher

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault and sexual violence. Please take care while listening. Join Alex in the studio for an important conversation with feminist philosopher and author Kate Manne about the Cornell sexual assault case that has sparked a national conversation and the powerful movement behind the words “I Am Jane Doe.” Together, they examine why survivors are so often questioned instead of believed and why our society seems more concerned with the consequences for accused men than the trauma experienced by women. From fraternity culture and consent to victim blaming, Kate unpacks the misogyny embedded in the way we talk about sexual violence. Read More from Kate Manne: The Cut: What It Feels Like at Cornell Right Now https://www.thecut.com/article/what-it-feels-like-at-cornell-right-now.html Substack: Ban the Fucking Frats—and in the Meantime, Avoid Them https://katemanne.substack.com/p/ban-the-fucking-fratsand-in-the-meantime Substack: They Didn't Want Consent https://katemanne.substack.com/p/they-didnt-want-consent Resources: If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, support and resources are available. RAINN – National Sexual Assault Hotline Free, confidential support available 24/7. Call: 800-656-HOPE (4673) Text: HOPE to 64673 https://rainn.org/hotline Know Your IX A survivor and youth-led initiative helping students understand their Title IX rights, access supportive measures, and navigate reporting and retaliation. https://advocatesforyouth.org/campaigns/know-your-ix/ Equal Rights Advocates – Student Survivor Toolkit A free resource created by survivors and legal advocates to help students understand their rights, navigate the reporting process, and access support after experiencing sexual violence. https://www.equalrights.org/issue/student-survivor-toolkit/

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on November 7, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Society & Culture·Philosophy·News Commentary