@HeavenlyPossum@kolektiva.social
2026-09-28 18:52 UTC
An important component of authority is *legitimacy*.
We often colloquially think of legitimacy as a kind of “rightness.” That is, we might think of an authority as legitimate when that authority is earned, valid, right, just, etc.
But, in reality, legitimacy (in this context, at least) is a measure of how likely we think other people are to endorse and support the actions of an authority.
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@HeavenlyPossum@kolektiva.social 2026-09-28 18:52
So, in the case of the sexual assault that took place at Cornell University, which is now getting a lot of public attention, we can see how legitimacy (re)produces authority. Seven men took part in the gang rape of a woman at a party. They communicated about that rape, as it was ongoing, to another 50-odd members of their fraternity, and presumably there were other people present at the party who also knew what was happening. But, rather than condemning and opposing the rape, they either endorsed it or took no action against it.