I usually sit here and write about politicians. I write about how they steal your money and lie to your face while shaking your hand. That is easy work because they are cartoons. You expect a shark to bite. But the **Gisèle Pelicot trial** out of France forces us to confront a much darker question: What do you do when the nice old man next door turns out to be the devil?

If you haven't heard about the **Mazan rape case**, you are lucky. It means you still have a tiny bit of hope left in your soul. But since my job is to ruin your day with the truth, here it is. This woman sat down with *The New York Times* and exposed the horror hidden behind a boring, normal life.

For fifty years, she was married to a man named **Dominique Pelicot**. They had kids, a house, and vacations. They were the couple you see at the grocery store buying cheap wine and cheese. Just normal people. But it was a total, sick lie.

For the last ten years of that marriage, this absolute waste of skin was utilizing **chemically induced submission** on his own wife. He crushed up anxiety pills, put them in her dinner, and knocked her out cold. Then, he invited men from the internet to come over and use her body. He filmed it. He saved the files in a folder labeled "ABUSES." He didn't even try to give it a code name. He was proud of it.

Here is where the search results get ugly. We want bad guys to look like monsters so we can run away. But the 50 men currently standing trial? They weren't hiding in sewers. They were firemen, journalists, prison guards, and IT specialists. They were fathers and husbands.

They entered a house, saw a woman who was clearly unconscious, and did what they came to do. They didn't call the police. They went home to their wives and ate breakfast. Some claim they thought it was a "game" sanctioned by the husband. That is the dumbest excuse in legal history. If you walk into a room and see a body that looks dead, you don't start playing games. You call for help—unless you are broken inside.

Gisèle didn't know. For ten years, she suffered from memory loss and fatigue, fearing neurological decline. Doctors told her she was just stressed or aging, failing to spot the **drug-facilitated sexual assault**. Nobody thought, "Hey, maybe the guy next to her is poisoning her." Because he looked like a "good guy."

The only reason he got caught was because a security guard caught him filming up women's skirts at a grocery store. The cops looked at his computer and found hell.

Most people in Gisèle’s shoes would hide. In France, victims of **sexual violence** can ask for a closed trial to keep the details secret. She said no. She insisted on a **public trial**. She said she wanted the shame to change sides. She wanted the men—and their neighbors—to see exactly what kind of animals they are.

It is a brave move. Maybe the bravest thing I have ever seen. But I am cynical. We will watch this trial, shake our heads, and go back to ignoring the red flags because it is easier to pretend everything is fine. This story proves that you don't really know anyone. Underneath the polite smiles, people are capable of doing things that would make a rat vomit.

Gisèle Pelicot is a hero for forcing us to look at this filth. But don't expect it to change anything. The world is full of Dominiques; they are just smart enough not to get caught at the grocery store.

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### References & Fact-Check * **Primary Source:** [Key Moments in Gisèle Pelicot’s Interview With The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/magazine/gisele-pelicot-interview-takeaways.html) * **The Case:** The trial involves 51 defendants accused of aggravated rape in Mazan, France, spanning incidents from 2011 to 2020. * **Key Detail:** Gisèle Pelicot waived her right to anonymity to raise awareness about the banality of evil and the use of chemical submission in domestic abuse.