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Jay Z is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl Sean “Diddy” Combs in the early 2000s. For some, his statement in response to the allegations was more shocking than the lawsuit itself.

In an amended lawsuit filed Sunday, an Alabama woman – identified anonymously as Jane Doe – claims the billionaire music mogul, born Shawn Carter, and Combs drugged and raped her at an afterparty after the MTV Video Music Awards September 2000.

In a statement from his representative Jana Fleishman and posted publicly and quickly on X , Jay-Z called the lawsuit against Buzbee an “attempt at blackmail.”,” and confirmed that he is a “young man” from Brooklyn who adheres to “very strict codes of honor,” including the protection of children.

The response came as quickly as his response. Some people responded with humor, others parsed the statement by tone. Many were surprised through his self-identification as a “young man”, despite recently turning 55.

“Jay Z calling himself a young man at 55 is something.” “It is not the first time that a man approaching 60 has been referred to as a ‘young man’ by his legal defense.”

Jay-Z accused of Raping and drugging 13-year-old girl with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in 2000

Others called out those who spoke out disbelief at the accusations: “It’s interesting to believe every Diddy accusation except the one involving Jay-Z.”

Cognitive biases such as the ‘halo effect’ can protect a public figure’s image in the face of sexual abuse allegations, according to Elizabeth L. Jeglica clinical psychologist and professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York – leaving survivors who speak out subject to shame and disbelief.

And our response to allegations of sexual assault – especially when we resort to jokes – can impact all victims of abuse and deter them from coming forward.

Jay-Z’s statement shocks: ‘Did he consult anyone before releasing that?’

Onlookers have recently wondered if that is so Jay-Z was involved in Diddy’s alleged behaviorand some people were more shocked by Jay-Z’s response than the allegations themselves.

“This is the fastest I’ve ever seen Jay Z react to anything,” one person said wrote on X.

Others were floored by how “threatening“And”self-righteous” the statement came across: “Jay Z said ‘guess the best thing I can do (right now) is threaten and victimize’ ??? Like he consulted someone before releasing that statement, oh my God.”

“My only heartbreak is with my family,” Jay-Z wrote, explaining that he and his wife, Beyoncé, will have to explain “the cruelty and greed of people” to their children. “It is unfair to have to try to understand the inexplicable level of malice intended to destroy families and the human spirit.”

Read Jay-Z’s full statement denies rape accusation and says he and Beyoncé ‘will have to leave our children alone’

It’s not the first time he’s called himself a “young man” — he also called Beyoncé a “young lady” in his Grammy speech last year — but Nicole Bedera, author of On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of sexual violence,” says word choice matters. By calling himself a “young man,” it “implies that Jay-Z was the young, vulnerable lot.”

In situations like these, some men “invoke youth as a way to generate empathy and avoid responsibility,” Bedera explains. “Victims are usually denied this kind of compassion, even if they were literally children at the time of an assault.”

Survivors of sexual violence pay close attention to our responses at times like these

The #MeToo movement exposed our culture’s habit of dismissing sexual violence and challenged the idea that perpetrators of violence are just a “few bad men.”

In reality, research shows that almost 1 in 5 women will be raped during their lifetime, 81% of girls have experienced sexual harassment And 1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before they turn 18. Yet women still face barriers and public scrutiny when they come forward.

“We still largely live in a patriarchal society, where men still largely hold the power,” says Jeglic previously told USA TODAY. “So when women come forward with accusations, it’s much easier to vilify them and make them emotional or crazy.”

Why don’t we listen to survivors? These women talked about Diddy years ago.

The reactions to the allegation against Jay-Z send a message about how we view powerful men.

Many survivors can deal with humor, Bedera says, but it’s important to “ensure that jokes don’t reinforce rape culture.”

If a survivor sees loved ones joking about accusations like these, it can damage and break those relationships.

“We all need to talk about sexual violence as if there is a survivor hearing our conversations. Usually there is a survivor there,” she warns. “And if a survivor in your life asks you to stop making sexual assault jokes in the first place, you need to respect that boundary.”

Jay-Z and Diddy’s Career Connections: Music moguls are facing a sexual assault lawsuit

Celebrities rarely get canceled due to sexual assault allegations

The public, says Jeglic, tends to ignore “the information that is incongruent with our perception” of celebrities we admire when they are accused of abuse, especially when someone of “lower status than him” speaks out.

However, when multiple women come forward with stories of abuse, it becomes easier for the public to accept and listen to these stories – evidenced by the public’s changing view of Diddy.

“When it comes to accountability, it means recognizing that the problem is bigger than just that one person,” Laura Palumbo, communications director at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, previously told USA TODAY.

When did Beyoncé and Jay-Z start dating? A relationship timeline, from courtship to marriage

And while “cancel culture” has dominated the past decade, men accused of sexual assault are rarely “canceled” except in the most extreme cases, such as Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby.

“We’ve been talking about outrage for a few months now. Some people might boycott a particular entertainer… They might lose one job. But they’ll come back so quickly,” Bedera explained. “It is very difficult to find an example of someone whose life was ruined, even though they deserved consequences for their actions. Above all, we see injustice.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jay-Z statement on rape, Diddy lawsuit and why our reactions matter