The Jan. 25 episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” went viral after creating a divide among fans for a racially-charged rape episode.
The episode features a white female rape victim that resisted testifying against her black attacker out of fear that he wouldn’t get a fair trial due to his race. The episode, called “Truth Embargo,” stars actress Romina D’Ugo in the role of the rape victim, Natalie, and the role of the rapist named Jay is played by actor Mykey Cooper, according to Fox News. Social media exploded after Natalie’s lesbian partner, played by actress Keeley Miller, told detectives Natalie is upset with the racial discrimination in the justice system.
I saw this other TV show where a white family took in an illegal alien and shielded him from authorities. He threatened to murder and eat their cat almost every day and THEY DIDN’T CARE. Disgusting. https://t.co/IHV4XompUy
— Mike Pesca (@pescami) January 29, 2024
Eventually, the rape victim in the story did proceed to testify against her attacker, but not without opinions from both sides weighing in about the episode on social media.
HAHAHA…holy f*ck.
A “privileged” white victim on ‘Law & Order: SVU’ refuses to seek punishment for the black “teenager” that r*ped her.
Apparently, even if you get r*ped, you shouldn’t seek justice if you are white. Amazing. pic.twitter.com/bEgLxDfNyT— Memology 101 (@NewsM101) January 28, 2024
The episode includes a line from longtime “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay saying, “We’re acutely aware of the systemic inequities that exist within the criminal justice system,” when the rape victim’s character expressed concern that her attacker won’t “receive a fair trial.”
“Well, I can’t deny that there’s a history of racial bias. It’s certainly not a perfect system,” Hargitay’s character Olivia Benson said in the episode.
Let me guess, white liberal?
— J -Center (@JCenter20) January 28, 2024
This exchange proved to be too much for some fans who pushed against the “woke” character represented in the episode, while other fans rallied around the show and supported the content as being a true representation of today’s societal concerns.
“Woke character in Law & Order is a white woman who was raped by a black guy. She declines to press charges because she’s privileged and doesn’t want the black perpetrator to go to jail,” Libs of TikTok wrote to social media.
“White people are privileged so they shouldn’t seek justice for rape!” the account wrote.
This is actually a pretty realistic depiction of woke rape victims. Haven’t you seen the essay written by the white humanitarian aid worker who was brutally raped in Haiti? She justified it as a form of reparations she had to pay to a black man carrying the weight of historical…
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) January 28, 2024
“This is actually a pretty realistic depiction of woke rape victims,” wrote conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong, who went on to say, “There have also been numerous instances of this in Europe, where victims either feel guilty or refuse to press charges against migrant rapists.”
Another person said, “It’s a trope written by men to tell women they’re yet again to blame for being raped one way or another, it’s not wokeness, it’s rape being normalised by men for men.”
Let me guess, white liberal?
— J -Center (@JCenter20) January 28, 2024
“Unjustifiable. 🤮 What a disgrace and disrespect completely for all the people in the world who are living their lives with respect and responsibility. You do the crime you pay the time that’s TRUE Justice for ALL,” said another person that tuned in to the episode. (RELATED: Disney CEO Bob Iger Says Woke Movie Flopped Because There Weren’t Enough ‘Executives’ On Set)
The episode raked in over 3 million reviews.