Week 6 discussion

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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310

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Sociology

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Apr 3, 2024

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Uploaded by CaptainPolarBearPerson53

Hello everyone, and happy week six! Time flew by so fast; I can't believe we are done already! This week we were asked to discuss one of several prompts. For this week's discussion, I chose prompt two, which asks us to discuss the different rape myths, what contributes to the perpetuation of these myths, and how they impact the reporting of sexual assault and a survivor's path to recovery. "Rape myths are damaging and false beliefs about rape and sexual assault that are perpetuated when individuals make judgments about survivors based on these inaccurate beliefs" (Washington University Student Affairs, 2020). Some common rape myths are "The victim must have "asked for it" by being seductive, careless, drunk, high, etc.; If the victim did not physically struggle with or fight the assailant, it wasn't rape; Men can't be sexually assaulted; and Sexual arousal, including climax, erection or ejaculation during a sexual assault means the survivor wanted it or consented to the sexual contact" (Washington University Student Affairs, 2020). The truth is that no one asks to be abused or injured and that it is never a survivor's fault, as no one can control another human being's actions. Simply put, "Sexual assault is a crime, and responsibility lies only with the perpetrator" (Washington University Student Affairs, 2020). As you can see from the examples listed above, many of these myths lay the blame on the victim. This is common as it is easier for people to believe that the survivors of sexual assault did something that allowed the rape to happen and allows those who were not involved in having a false sense of security (Washington University Student Affairs, 2020). This false sense of security comes at a price, though, as it has been shown that these myths affect how we view rape. For example, a study of a group of females done in 2013 shows that "despite the incident matching that of the legal definition of rape, the majority of females in the study did not identify their experience as rape, possibly due to the acceptance of rape myths" (Smythe, 2022). This can be problematic because incidents are not reported to the police, and the survivor doesn't get the support they need (Smythe, 2022). Another example of how these myths impact reporting and recovery is that they can create biases in the juries. Studies have shown that juries often consist of white middle-class men and that such demographics tend to accept rape myths (Smythe, 2022). "This is an issue because jury individuals are responsible for the conviction of a perpetrator, and if they are more likely to victim blame, the outcome is unlikely to be favorable for the survivor" (Smythe, 2022). Resources Smythe, J. (2022, May 18). The lies rape myths tell us and why we have to dispel them . STARS. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.starsdorset.org/blog/the-lies-rape-myths- tell-us-and-why-we-have-to-dispel-them Washington University Student Affairs. (2020, December 14). Rape myths and facts . Students. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://students.wustl.edu/rape-myths-facts/

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