yesterday's news bill put up by aftonbladet, one of the two major swedish tabloids, went something like this: three women in three photos, with the headline

vi blev våldtagna - men vi vägrar att skämmas

[eng. we were raped - but we refuse to feel ashamed]

i'm not exactly sure about the wording, but the one thing i'm certain about is the conjunction, and the conjunction is what this post's about. what does the but imply in this context? think about that for a while...

men vi vägrar att skämmas

men

to me, the but says that the people at aftonbladet are actively fueling a mental climate in which it is commonly understood that a rape victim should feel guilt and be ashamed of someone else assaulting her. for that, aftonbladet has earned a fat, stinging, virtual bitchslap!