Media Makes The Rape Culture More Deadly

Sexual assault and rape in common language are usually referred to as the same subject. The word sexual assault is the main category while rape is a specific entity within this category. Rape is a term used to refer to the act of being forced or coerced into performing oral, anal, or vaginal penetration. While sexual assault is the term used to refer to any sexual act unwanted by the participant that ranges from being touched to penetration; that involves intimidation or deception. In general rape/sexual assault is the most underreport crime; however if rape/sexual assault is reported women are more likely to come forward than men. There are barriers that are keeping the victims of rape/sexual assaults at bay. According to Pino and Meier (1999) “the underreporting of this crime is the result of a number of reasons that are related to the ways in which rape is perceived and defined”. The general public when hearing about rape/sexual assault assumes that the victim was a woman; when approximately “5% to 10% of rape victims are male” (Sable, Danis, Mauzy, & Gallagher, 2006).

What is the role of the media in crime and victimization? Describe your views on the benefits, as well as the damages created by the media. Provide examples.

As we all know, sexual assault has always been an issue. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) statistics, only about 35% of sexual assault is actually reported in America. For most people, that number is already unimportant, given that sexual assault and victim blaming have become normalized in society. For me personally, when I hear of sexual assault via social media, I do not feel sympathy, as there is no more of a shock value to the issue. I simply scroll past the post on Facebook as if it never appeared before me. When people are told about events on campus about sexual assault awareness, it seems that people don’t really care. Or if someone even tells another

In the first place, the topic of rape and the attacks some suspects achieve become an uncomfortable yet hurtful subject for not only the victims but the human beings that it could very well happen to. Women in general are very vulnerable human beings, and when something insane happens in their life it may take a long period of time to speak up about the incident and when they are not given the attention they deserve when they finally speak up about the traumatizing story it

It is six o’clock in the evening, a special news segment on world affairs is on the television. The journalist is doing a piece on inhumane practices that occur in third world countries, one of these travesties being rape. The voices of women who have been stolen from their homes and have been taken advantage of against their own will infiltrate the air. These personal stories have an incredulously powerful impact on those listening and make one think “How could such an outrageous thing happen?” Truth be told, these horrors are not just happening in far-off places, but they are happening right now in the United States of America. The very simple fact that one is oblivious to the magnitude of sexual violence in their very own country is an

When a person is raped or assaulted in the United States Military, the effects thereafter are critical, parlous and grievous. After a woman or a man is raped or assaulted, they may undergo depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and stress. Individuals can also begin experiencing eating disorders and many may commit suicide. The principal issues in the United States Military are not just in the procedures of reporting rapes and viewing the assaults as a inconsiderable incident, but in what the present military credo, ideology and philosophy is.

Rape can be pervasive and a serious social problem, Sexual Violence can be used in different situations and places like at a party, after hours work or school, or even in your own home. Some people could be raped by drugs or alcohol or just by force. Even though girls and boys get rapped but mainly girls get raped more than guys because guys could get rapped in prison but girls can get rapped anywhere. In the case of law sexual violence are serious social and public health issues in the United States. Women are far less likely to report a rape or assault when they know their assailant, thus instance of sexual assaults are greatly under reported. Victims of sexual assault may not be able to give consent due to age, illness, or impairment or

To begin with, the topic of rape and sexual assault is constantly silenced by society and joked about. For the most part, rapists and sexual offenders are never served justice, and often are not reported. 68% of sexual assault cases have gone unreported and 98% of rapists will never spend a single day in jail (U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Bureau of Justice.) Only 2% of these criminals receive jail time. Only 2% of the criminals get what one deserves for ruining another’s life. Most victims are three times more likely to suffer from depression and six times more likely to develop post traumatic stress disorder; victims are twenty six times more likely to abuse drugs than the average person ( World Health Organization.) It is a common belief

“Rape is called the most underreported violent crime in America. In a large national survey of American women, only 16% of the rapes, approximately one out of every six, had ever been reported to the police.” (aardvarc.org) Another issue that goes along with rape culture is the fact that it is not reported very often. This is usually, from my knowledge of volunteering at a rape crisis center, because the victim is embarrassed, is scared of retaliation from the rapist, or is emotionally traumatized by the experience. This causes an issue for the victim as well as other members of society. When a rape is not reported the rapist is left free to assault someone else, or even the victim again. To say that only one out of every six victim’s reports being raped leaves five rapists enabled to assault others.

Along with television shows, news stations are accused of trivializing rape aswell. How many times have you heard, “She asked for it.” or any other type of victim blaming, or a derivative of,“Boys will be boys.” to make rape seem like not such a big deal (1a)? News channels will even go as far as scrutinizing a victim’s dress, mental state, motives and history to make the victim seem in the wrong about their rape (1a). Some channels will inflate the fake rape statistics to make rape seem like a less

In today’s society, victims of domestic violence and sexual assault often experience some form of victim blaming. Victim blaming occurs when society partially condemns the victim for what has happened to them. This tendency to assign criminal responsibility to the victim occurs in all segments of our society regardless of race, gender, social class, or occupation (Hamilton, 1979). Currently, rape is a big issue throughout society. The word rape is defined as sex without consent. Rape is about power and dominance, not sex. The cultural message in America is “don’t get raped” as opposed to “don’t rape.” Many public figures have been known to blame victims of sexual assault for their situation. In 2012, during an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan,

There has been a lot of discussion of rape within sociologists, criminologists, and feminist networks. In my own words, rape is someone engaging with someone else sexually without their consent. Rape is not strictly vaginal penetration, nor an exclusive heterosexual only act. If two people are in a relationship or married, there is still no justification to the perpetrator for their act. In the 21st century, although rape crimes have dropped 24.1% from 2001 to 2010, but not all rapes are reported (Eitzen, Zinn, & Smith, 2010). Curtis (1997) reported that 42% of rape victims do not tell anyone of their assaults. There may be a number of reasons why victims don’t speak out. Victims of rape typically fear their own safety and lives if they speak out on it. Men who are victims typically don’t report rapes because it’s considered demasculizing to their gender. Rape victims are traumatized for life, they live with the burden, as their perpetrators walk away free (Curtis, 1997).

Rape has always been a problem in the world, but recently rape has become a bigger problem with the effect social media is playing into it. Above all the media has been known for years to take the statements given by the sufferer and play with it to make it seem as though it’s their fault for getting assaulted (Pennington).

In the article “Feminist History of Rape” by Suzanne Brown she writes how the use of language that degrades specific groups of people allows for that group to be viewed as less important. These stereotypes rationalize for mistreatment of targeted groups such as women (Brown 8). Likewise, Christopher Kilmartin explains in his article “Changing Male Attitudes Reduces Sexual Violence” that “ seeing them [women] as a lower status allows us [men] to justify mistreating them in many ways.” College dorms, fraternities, and athletic teams are all informal places where young men can speak demeaningly of women with no one speaking up saying how it is inappropriate (Kilmartin 136). Just like in the Stanford case when reporters addressed the victim as “unconscious intoxicated women” they belittled the victim (Koren). Media plays a large role in rape culture. The media reinforces gender roles that encourage males to be aggressive and females to be submissive (Brown 8). These cultural beliefs help create an environment where sexual assault can flourish (8). When the media uses a passive voice and making the victim the subject rather than the abuser also makes rape seem unimportant (Kilmartin 137). For example when announcing a sports game the broadcaster does not say the game was tied and then a player made a three-pointer at the last second (137). No, the viewers want to know who is playing, what is the game tied

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