The People v. Misogyny:
It’s Time to End the Playa’s Playbook
Attorney Penny™ | DJ PENNY™ ♥ | DREAMTEAM Studios™
Part of the PATCHWORK ONIVERSE™ | END Silence™
A researched companion to the cinematic courtroom short, The People v. Misogyny.
The projector stops. A woman rises at counsel’s table. Before her are legal documents, research reports and stories that have too often been dismissed before anyone finished listening.
Attorney Penny has a question for the court: How many times does the same pattern have to hurt women before we stop treating every case as an unfortunate exception?
Let’s take it to trial. Let’s examine the history, question the excuses and look carefully at what the evidence actually establishes.
This courtroom is a storytelling device. Penny’s dialogue and the film’s reenactments are dramatizations; the research cited below is real. No fictional scene is offered as footage of a particular survivor or proof against a particular person.
The case concerns misogyny: contempt for women, hostility toward their autonomy, and the beliefs and practices that excuse their mistreatment. Individual crimes require individual evidence. Population research cannot tell us whether a particular person is guilty, or prove that every act of violence has one identical motive. It can show us patterns serious enough to demand an answer.
And women deserve that answer.
The Case and the Evidence
Opening statement: who keeps carrying the blame?
Our film begins with Adam’s response in Genesis 3:12. Confronted about his own action, he points toward the woman and toward God, who gave her to him.
The biblical scene is a moral illustration of blame-shifting. It is not a research finding that Eve caused misogyny, or a claim that the Bible condemns women. Adam’s decision remains his decision.
That distinction matters today. When someone harms a woman, the examination should begin with the conduct of the person who harmed her. Yet the questions so often turn toward her clothing, her judgment, her location, her response or the time she took to tell someone.
Penny enters the first question into the record: When did explaining his behavior become her responsibility?
A woman can learn about risk, make plans and seek support. Those choices never transfer responsibility for abuse away from the person who commits it.
[Suggested video placement: Embed The People v. Misogyny here]
Exhibit A: when control became law
Women’s unequal treatment has sometimes been written directly into legal systems.
Under the historical English common-law doctrine of coverture, married women’s independent legal and economic capacities were severely restricted. The details varied by period, jurisdiction, property type and exceptions; this was not a single rule applied identically to every woman everywhere. But the restrictions were substantial. UK Parliament’s historical account describes women losing control of property upon marriage and later reforms through the Married Women’s Property Acts of 1870 and 1882. [1]
This was more than an insulting attitude. Rules governing money and property affected women’s ability to make decisions about their own lives.
In the United States, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. It prohibited denial or abridgment of voting rights on account of sex. That achievement followed decades of organizing and political struggle. [2]
The date did not mean every woman suddenly had equal access to the ballot. Black women and other women still faced discriminatory barriers. The National Archives documents the continuing struggle and the importance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. [3]
The finding for this exhibit is clear: women had to organize to challenge institutional restrictions on their autonomy. Progress required action, persistence and changes in law. Rights written on paper still need people willing to defend them.
Exhibit B: the scale of violence
The World Health Organization’s November 2025 release estimated that approximately 840 million women worldwide—nearly one in three—had experienced intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence during their lifetimes. The underlying report presents 2023 prevalence estimates. [4]
This is a lifetime estimate, not 840 million new cases in one year. It concerns specified forms of violence, not every possible form of harassment, emotional abuse or discrimination. WHO also explains that non-disclosure and data limitations can lead surveys to underestimate violence, particularly sexual violence.
What does this evidence establish? A widespread public-health and human-rights problem. What does it not establish? The percentage of all men who perpetrate violence, or the motive in every individual case.
We do not need to inflate the claim. The measured reality is already devastating. Behind a lifetime estimate are women who have continued working, raising children, attending church and carrying daily responsibilities while holding experiences other people never saw.
The size of the problem should enlarge our response, not numb our compassion.
Exhibit C: when the danger is close to home
UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that approximately 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or other family members in 2024. That is an average of 137 each day, or approximately one every ten minutes. The findings were released in November 2025. [5]
These are estimates of killings within a specified relationship category. They are not a count of every woman murdered worldwide, and they should not be described as all being committed by husbands or boyfriends: the category also includes other family members.
The report places a painful fact before the court. For thousands of women and girls, danger came from within relationships that should have offered safety.
“Why didn’t she leave?” is an inadequate response to that danger. The National Domestic Violence Hotline explains that leaving can be an especially dangerous period and recommends support that empowers survivors to make their own decisions. [6]
A better question is: What would help her become safer, and how can we support her without taking control of her choices?
Exhibit D: our younger sisters are already in the evidence
UNICEF’s 2024 estimates found that more than 370 million girls and women alive at the time—approximately one in eight—had experienced rape or sexual assault before age eighteen. [7]
This measures childhood experiences across the lives of those girls and women. It does not mean 370 million children were assaulted in 2024. UNICEF’s larger estimate of 650 million includes non-contact forms of sexual violence and must not be substituted for the rape-or-sexual-assault figure.
The research makes prevention and support urgent. We should speak to younger sisters before harm becomes a secret they feel responsible for carrying. Tell them they can ask questions. Tell them they can refuse unwanted contact. Tell them a familiar person, respected position or religious vocabulary does not make harmful conduct acceptable.
Tell them something happened to them; it did not make them less worthy.
And when a girl speaks, listen with care. Help her reach appropriate protection and support. Do not require her to protect an adult’s reputation before she can receive help.
Exhibit E: “not all men” does not answer the evidence
In its report on the 2016/2017 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, published in 2022, the CDC reported that 94.0% of female rape victims reported only male rape perpetrators across their lifetimes. See Table 7, printed page 31. [8]
Read the definition and footnote with the number. The survey’s rape category includes completed or attempted rape under its stated definitions. Victims with completely or partially unknown perpetrator-sex information are not placed in the table’s exclusive perpetrator categories; the report estimates that unknown group at 3.5% for lifetime rape. The 94% figure should be presented as the CDC reports it, without silently changing the denominator to only victims with complete information.
This is a U.S. survey finding about victims’ reported perpetrators. It is not a finding that 94% of men commit rape. Nor does it establish a worldwide perpetrator percentage.
Penny’s answer to the courtroom objection remains: Not all men. Now may we continue discussing the women who were harmed?
People of different sexes can perpetrate abuse, and men and boys can be victims. None of that cancels the evidence concerning violence against women. Accuracy allows us to acknowledge both without turning a survivor’s testimony into a competition.
Exhibit F: exploitation is not a softer word for freedom
The International Labour Organization, Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration estimated that 6.3 million people were in forced commercial sexual exploitation on any given day in 2021. The estimate included 1.7 million children, and nearly four out of five people in this category were women or girls. These findings appear in the 2022 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, printed page 45. [9]
These are estimates for 2021, not a live count for today. Forced commercial sexual exploitation is a defined category within the report; it should not be used as a synonym for every trafficking case or every form of commercial sexual activity.
The film’s corridor is a fictional dramatization. A woman walking through a hotel corridor is not, by itself, evidence that she is being trafficked. The scene represents vulnerability and uncertainty; the report supplies the evidence about exploitation’s scale.
We can portray the seriousness without showing graphic harm. We can preserve the woman’s dignity while asking who benefits when another person’s freedom is taken away.
Call evil what it is. Then do the practical work of opposing it.
Cross-Examination and Moving Forward
Cross-examination: recognize the Playa’s playbook
Here, “the Playa’s playbook” names recurring tactics of manipulation and control. It is a teaching metaphor, not a clinical diagnosis or a claim that everyone follows one identical sequence.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline identifies warning signs including extreme jealousy, isolation from friends and family, humiliation, control over decisions or finances, intimidation and sexual pressure. It notes that these behaviors can emerge and intensify as a relationship develops. [10]
Consider how a harmful behavior can be packaged to sound caring:
What someone may call it | What to examine |
“I’m just protective.” | Are you being isolated, intimidated or prevented from making decisions? |
“I need proof you love me.” | Are affection, sex, money or access being demanded through pressure? |
“You made me do it.” | Is someone shifting responsibility for their harmful conduct onto you? |
“It was only a joke.” | Does the behavior repeatedly humiliate you, especially after you object? |
“Keep this between us.” | Are you being discouraged or threatened out of seeking support? |
“God says you must obey me.” | Is religious language being used to excuse abuse or suppress your voice? |
These are illustrative questions, not a checklist that proves guilt from a phrase alone. Examine conduct, context, repetition and the consequences of saying no. A single serious incident can also warrant help; you do not have to wait for a long history of harm.
You do not need to diagnose someone to recognize that a behavior is hurting you. Watch what happens when your boundary costs them something.
To our younger sisters: your purpose belongs to God
You do not have to be chosen by a man to become valuable. His attention does not create your worth. His rejection cannot erase it.
Our foundation is Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:10 describes believers as God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Your life has purpose in Him before another person offers approval, affection or a ring.
Build a life that gives you room to grow: faith, education, skills, trusted friendships, meaningful work and access to support. Relationships can enrich that life. They should not require you to surrender your voice to keep your place in it.
Ask yourself: Can I disagree safely? Can I keep my friendships? Can I make decisions about my body? Can I speak honestly without being punished? Does this person take responsibility and show sustained change, or only make promises when I pull away?
Strong women can need help. Strong women can cry. Strong women can be deceived. Being harmed does not mean you failed a test of intelligence or faith. Stand strong—and let other trustworthy people stand beside you.
For our older sisters, passing wisdom forward means making room for truth without humiliation. “I’m glad you told me” can open a door that “I warned you” would close.
Jesus brings hope; Scripture must not become a weapon
The National Domestic Violence Hotline recognizes spiritual abuse, including using religious beliefs to manipulate or shame a partner and using religious texts to minimize or rationalize abusive behavior. [11]
We must take that seriously in Christian communities. A person can speak about God while acting in ways that harm another person. Religious language does not remove the need to examine conduct.
Our faith calls us to speak for people who need protection:
“Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
— Proverbs 31:9, KJV
Hope in Jesus gives us reason to pursue truth, care and restoration. It should never be used to demand that a woman endure danger to prove her devotion. Forgiveness does not automatically restore trust or grant someone renewed access. Reconciliation requires more than words; safety, accountability and demonstrated change matter.
Prayer can accompany medical care, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance and practical support. Asking for help does not diminish faith. If someone has used Scripture to hurt you, their misuse of it does not define Jesus. You can seek Christian support that takes both your faith and your safety seriously.
Call the witnesses: what are we doing when we know?
Penny calls the people who suspected harm and said nothing.
The question extends to friends, families, churches, workplaces and communities: when someone discloses abuse, whose comfort becomes the priority?
“He has always been nice to me” describes your experience of him. It does not settle what happened to someone else.
The response should combine care with careful fact-finding. Take disclosures seriously. Offer support. Preserve relevant information when safe. Use appropriate reporting and safeguarding channels. Do not turn uncertainty into an excuse to ignore danger, or turn advocacy into a public accusation unsupported by evidence.
Supporting a survivor also means respecting her agency. The Hotline recommends conversations that help survivors make their own decisions rather than trying to take over. [6]
Men who want to help can challenge degrading behavior, stop excusing coercion, support accountability and teach boys to respect boundaries. The responsibility for preventing harm belongs to communities and perpetrators, not solely to women learning how to avoid it.
Closing Argument: End the playbook by changing the response
The record shows historical restrictions on women’s autonomy, widespread violence, lethal danger within intimate and family relationships, childhood sexual violence and forced exploitation.
The evidence does not justify declaring every man guilty. It does justify refusing to dismiss these harms as merely hurt feelings or isolated inconveniences.
Our verdict in this moral courtroom is a commitment: stop excusing the pattern, support the people harmed by it and act with truth.
It’s time to end the Playa’s playbook. That begins when manipulation is recognized, a disclosure receives care, a boundary is respected, an institution chooses accountability and a younger sister learns she has a voice.
Watch The People v. Misogyny. Read the sources. Share this post with a sister who needs information and hope. Start a private, caring conversation. Ask your church or community what practical support and safeguarding procedures it offers.
Join the work at END Silence. Explore our advocacy at END Silence’s legislation page. For organizational inquiries, contact support@EndSilence.net; use the specialist resources below for crisis support.
Your purpose is rooted in Jesus. Your voice can carry truth. Your next step can help another woman find support.
The evidence is still coming in. Case not closed.
Together — We can! Change Everything!
Help and Support
If you are in immediate danger in the United States, call 911. If a person may monitor your device or accounts, consider using a safer device to seek help; deleting browser history does not guarantee privacy. A trained advocate can help you consider a safety plan suited to your situation. [12]
Domestic violence: National Domestic Violence Hotline — 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
Sexual assault: RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline — 1-800-656-4673, or text HOPE to 64673. Online support is available through its website. [13]
Human trafficking: National Human Trafficking Hotline — 1-888-373-7888, or text 233733. [14]
Young people: love is respect offers relationship information and support; its telephone helpline is 1-866-331-9474. [12]
Outside the United States, contact local emergency services or a specialist organization in your country. You can seek support without posting your story publicly.
Research and Source Record
Sources checked September 30, 2026. Dates below identify the cited releases and data periods; older estimates are not presented as live counts.
UK Parliament, historical overview: Marriage: property and children. Background on restrictions and the Married Women’s Property Acts.
National Archives: Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1920). Primary constitutional document and historical account.
National Archives: Nineteenth Amendment at 100 and Voting Rights Act (1965). Continuing barriers and reforms.
World Health Organization, November 19, 2025: Lifetime toll: 840 million women faced partner or sexual violence. Release accompanying 2023 prevalence estimates.
UN Women and UNODC, November 2025: Every day, 137 women and girls are killed by intimate partners or family members. Global estimates for 2024.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: Talk about abuse with a survivor. Survivor agency and danger around leaving.
UNICEF, October 2024: Over 370 million girls and women globally subjected to rape or sexual assault as children. Global childhood sexual violence estimates.
Basile et al., CDC, 2022: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016/2017 Report on Sexual Violence. Table 7, printed page 31, and accompanying footnote; definitions and methods on printed pages 1–2.
ILO, Walk Free and IOM, 2022: Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage. Forced commercial sexual exploitation estimates for 2021, printed page 45.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: Warning signs of abuse.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: What is spiritual abuse?.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: Get help, including specialist helplines and safety resources.
RAINN: National Sexual Assault Hotline.
National Human Trafficking Hotline: Help and contact information.
Scripture references: Genesis 3:12; Ephesians 2:10; Proverbs 31:9, King James Version. Biblical reflection and moral conclusions are distinguished from research findings throughout this post.
The closing verdict is a commitment to change our response. Which part could you help strengthen: listening, education, accountability, or practical support?
Someone being kind to us does not settle how they treat another person. How can a community stay fair while taking a disclosure seriously?
Scripture should not be used to excuse harmful conduct. What would a church taking both faith and safety seriously look like to you?
The article roots a woman's purpose in Jesus rather than another person's approval. How could we make that message practical for the next generation?
'I'm glad you told me' leaves a different door open than 'I warned you.' What other words could make a disclosure easier to continue?