American Rape Culture Essay

“I felt his hands start to move down towards my shorts as if he was trying to unbutton them or pull them off. I was still crying at this point and felt so scared that I couldn't move” (Hummer, 1989). These were the words said by a freshman away at college after she had been sexual assaulted. From the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National network, statistics show that “over 90 percent of all gang rapes on college campuses involve fraternity men” (Hummer, 1989). Most often these woman may be labeled as trash, shameful, or ready for action, aside from a victim, prey, or survivor. Rape myths encourage these deprecating terms for women and cover the reality of a rape culture.

“Before the rape I felt good. My life was in order. I was getting ready to get married. Afterward everything changed. I kind of lost who I was as a person…

Last week, the White House released a short, celebrity packed, 60-second public service announcement (PSA) on the topic of sexual assault. 1 is 2 Many addressed those who are in control of preventing sexual assault as its intended audience was those who can put a stop to sexual violence: the perpetrators or would-be offenders. Although this one minute announcement completed the task of bringing sexual assault to the forefront of discussion, it failed to encompass the central issues concerning the culture of sexual assault: societal misperceptions, the victims, and the justice system. Sexual assault is a phenomenon that has been around for centuries; the culture of sexual assault is rooted in both legal practices and societal perceptions.

Frustratingly, these days, some people still treat sexual assault as an “okay” thing, making comments such as “she was asking for it” and that she was “equally responsible” for the situation. This is exactly the sort of mindset that is contributing to the startling statistics today.

Many individuals might wonder, what is rape culture? “Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.” Most women limit their behavior because of the existence of rape. (Marshall University)

“Rape is as American as apple pie,” says blogger Jessica Valenti. She and other feminists describe our society as a “rape culture” where violence against women is almost invisible. According to feminists, films, magazines, fashion, books, music, and humor cooperate in conveying the message that women are there to be used, abused and exploited.(Kitchens, 2015)

One of the most influential of these are the affirmative consent laws. These laws are defined as “the choice of some schools to require the presence of ongoing agreement, not just the absence of refusal, in sexual encounters” (Boyd). The presence of affirmative consent laws would greatly help the victims in their cases, as without confirmation that the attacked was consensual throughout the entirety of the incident, the accused would be unable to be let off without some form of punishment. Despite this, the laws are currently not enforced in the majority of campuses, leaving victims susceptible to unfair judgments that are in favor of the accused, as rape is often unreasonably viewed as being acceptable if the person had never objected, even if they had not given consent. Additionally, even if they state that they protested the actions, numerous people can also claim that they are lying. In the case of people that had been drunk, unconscious, or otherwise unable to give a logical or coherent answer when being attacked, the blame will often be put on them, despite the obvious horrendous acts of the attacker. Moreover, laws stating the severity of these crimes and how harsh the punishments should be are often overlooked, or not fully enforced, like the affirmative consent laws. In the aforementioned case of Brock Turner, his sentencing was particularly light, even for someone who received some form of sentence, as he faced a maximum of fourteen years in prison, while the prosecutors asked for at least six years (Cleary). The lack of punishments given to sexual predators will go on to further harm the attacked and give the impression that there is nothing wrong with sexual

Not because those accused deserve automatic conviction, but because the law was not created to protect the accused but those who have fallen victim to sexual assault. In any case, the US Judicial System does a sufficient enough job protecting the accused with the very low rate of convicted rapists (only 3% of rapists convicted) . Even then, the opposition would still argue that this law is nor protecting their right to be “innocent until proven guilty”. The problem there, however, is that “innocent until proven guilty” isn’t actually a legal, written right or law in the United States. It’s simply an ideal meaning this violates no part of the constitution. The supposed implication of the accused not being listened to is also incorrect. The law explicitly states that the college and law enforcement in charge of the accusation is required to interview the accused, and any witnesses who could help. The next point made was the accused’s character, and history, which in terms of sexual assault is completely irrelevant. Just because someone seems a certain way to certain people does not mean they are not capable of horrendous actions. The next point was the idea that victims are lying about being assaulted, which is incredibly rare. The percentage of false accusation falls between 2-8%, which is a extremely low rate. The story given as an example, then, should be considered an isolated

While there are many problems in the world, like poverty, famine, cancer, and an abundance of carbon emissions into the planet, there is one that has been in the back of my mind for quite some time: rape culture. This issue is vastly popular in the world of bloggers and social networking site, tumblr. It’s slowly progressing into an important issue that the public is acknowledging. Reviewing the issue’s historical, social, political, cultural and economic perspectives will entail rape culture’s controversy.

Merril Smith’s Encycolpedia of Rape defines the term “rape culture” as “one in which rape and other sexual violence against women . . . [is] both prevalent and considered the norm” (174). Rape is not a new subject in today’s society, its origins reaching far back into history. What causes rape, though? Is it the primal drive of men to exhibit dominance over all women, or do the women share the blame because of the way they dress, act, or do their makeup? Modern American culture would place the blame on the woman who “provoked” the attack; however, a woman should not have to park closer to the building she is entering, nor should she have to carry protection just in case a sexual predator decides that she is his next victim. Men are just as

Women, girls, men, and boys are vulnerable victims of sexual assaults every day in our country. While females experience much higher rates of sexual assaults than males. The problem that this country faces is the lack of being able to track rapist, in addition to the victims that chose not to report their assault of being raped to the police. Issues of under reporting comes from the victims with multiple reasons that hinders them from reporting these heinous criminal acts. Thus, the sad realization is that the perpetrator is usually some one that you know, that you would of never of thought that they could and would, and do sexually assault you.

Even though the first amendment states freedom of expression, statistics show rape and sexual assault numbers have risen due to the presence of rape culture in modern society. Rape culture promotes more assaults and violent acts, not only towards women but also towards men. Some evidence rape culture is present in today’s society are rising statistics showing that only three out of a hundred rapists see jail time and that over 17 million American women are victims of sexual assault every year. Rape culture is seen in every aspect of daily American life, even if people do not realize it.

When you think of socks, what comes to mind? Like me, I’m sure you picture the everyday items you wear on your feet to keep them comfortable. In recent times however it appears that socks have become a national topic of debate, with a divided public opinion. How could such a trivial thing become so important to society? A respected teacher at Nelson College for Girls highlighted just how controversial such a small item of attire could be, prompting the wake of what we teenagers believe should be a national, global topic of conversation - rape culture. The issue arose when the teacher made an innocent comment communicating the pornographic and creepy ‘look’ of the thigh-high sock students had been wearing as opposed to regular tights. The specific choice of language implied the socks were an invitation for sexual prejudice; the socks were asking for more than what their wearer was aware. The statement was only a surface layer to a deeper societal issue.

A major perpetuating factor in misinformation regarding sexual assault and rape culture is the media. Confusion about what constitutes rape leads many students to question whether or not they were a "real victim". Rape isn't always a violent crime committed by a stranger down some dark alley. It can

College-age adults are known to be high risk for sexual violence and most studies show that one in three women have experiences some type of sexual assault whether it was through physical force or harassment. These statics are known by most women on college campuses to ensure that women know and understand that this could happen to them. The issue is more than ensuring that women are aware of how protect themselves and know how to avoid these situations because it shouldn’t even be happening. When women are taught that they should know how to defend themselves we are saying that this type of behavior is normal and inevitable. We should shift from this dynamic and start teaching both men and women that this behavior is completely unacceptable and that sexually assaulting or harassing someone is NOT normal. This paper will mostly focus on incidents of rape and sexual assault on college campuses and what the outcome and reactions of these incidents were.