Pop Culture Rape

Rape culture is prominent in poverty ridden countries where the police force is small and men still have majority of the power. (Source C) “That’s a lesson for the world, including the United States. We need to erode the sense of male entitlement, build up female empowerment, end the taboos and, above all, end the impunity”. In India it is proven that rape is majorily a girl’s first sexual experience. It’s believed that rape thrives because it is a taboo. No one wants to talk about it because it is considered too fragile and irregular to talk

“Rape is unique. No other violent crime is so fraught with controversy, so enmeshed in dispute and in the politics of gender and sexuality… And within the domain of rape, the most highly charged area of debate concerns the issue of false allegations. For centuries, it has been asserted and assumed that women “cry rape,” that a large proportion of rape allegations are maliciously concocted for purposes of revenge or other motives.”

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)

Sexual assault is not just a crime against an individual, it affects families, the community, and society as a whole. In recent years, our society has shifted to one of rape culture and rape myth. Rape myths are erroneous, stereotypical, and prejudicial beliefs about rape victims and reasons of sexual assault. Rape myths can impact survivors of assault, as well as the behavior and effectiveness of family, friends, medical and social services, and law enforcement (Rape Victim Advocates, 2016). Rape impacts our society by attacking the cohesion and mutual protection that makes a society. When we allow such crimes to go without the most vigorous and vigilant investigation and punishment, we allow for whole segments of society to be diminished, we are sending the message that society is okay with rape (Abbey,

However, I am privy to the fact that the U.S ranks amongst the highest in the number of female rapes. It seems that the US is at war with itself. Here in the U.S individuals rape others for their own personal gain rather than a war tactic. Rape in the U.S is created by our rape culture instead of being a weapon of war. Rape culture is all around us. There is a sort of "tolerance" for rape that has been normalized in society. This is not acceptable. Our rape culture takes form in many ways. One being victims seem to always get the finger pointed at them when they gather the courage to report it. Personally speaking, I was taught if I do not want to be raped then I should not wear certain outfits, drink alone, leave my drink unattended, I also should not walk alone at night, and the list goes on. And if I were to be raped, I should be prepared to be bombarded with questions that paint me as partially responsible for getting raped, which in turn, takes some of the blame off of the assailant. This is not right, however, it is justified due to our rape

Rape culture creates myths that victim blame the survivors of sexual violence. For example, a victim of a crime may be asked a question by police that suggests the victim was too drunk or wearing revealing clothing that provoked the perpetrator and resulted in the sexual violence against the victim. Rape culture silences victims who feel that law enforcement and the judicial system do not protect them or hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions. The stigma of sexual violence continues to silence students who choose to not report incidences because they are in fear of stepping forward or believe the judicial system will fail them when they

Ali Owens wrote this article to convince readers that rape culture is a very real and harmful thing that silences victims and allows criminals to run free. Victims around the world are silenced because of a society that chooses to blame them for the acts committed against them. Today, rape culture is evident in how the police and society treat the situation. Owens provides examples of rape culture through scenarios that women often find themselves in and uses imagery to allow readers to feel as if they are watching them unfold. A woman hesitates to call an Uber and is accused of “unfairly judging men,” but then, political leaders, such as Donald Trump, tweet about the inevitable sexual assault in the military because “they put women and men together.” A woman is scared

(US Department of Justice- Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014). While the numbers are startling, what is most alarming, is that it took eighty years for the government to change a definition that was wrong from the beginning. Moreover, this attitude of ignorance and apathy towards rape victims has trickled down and can be seen in the attitudes of the American population. While many feminists have suggested that rape is a tool used by a patriarchal society to maintain a status quo, and rape myths are tools used to justify this violence against women, what I believe is that rape myths are more pervasive than this explanation. Rape myths and their acceptance is in fact a part of the status quo, determined by the gender role construct reflected in current American society, Without a radical change in views towards gender roles rape myths will continue to be widely accepted, and victims will

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

Rape culture is an issue that has gained moment through the feminist movement within the last couple of decades. Rape itself has been around since the beginning of time and its definition has changed over the years. In the United

Studies have shown that 20% of women have been raped in their lifetime. Rape is actually pretty common in America. Some people actually joke around about rape culture. Women in America are oppressed in many, many ways. One major example of this form of oppression is rape. Rape has been a major problem in America for a while now and it needs to be fixed. Studies have shown that one in five women get raped. They rate is actually pretty extreme. An argument commonly used is that men are raped too. This can show that women aren't the only ones raped, but also men. One thing a lot will say is that women are oppressed in a lot more ways than just rape, but just harassment in general. There are multiple ways to help with rape

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).

Not just morally but also legally. Women are often stereotyped and degraded in mainstream media and this impacts all women and their lived experiences. Of the 1,494,000 women aged 18 years and over who had been sexually assaulted since the age of 15, an estimated 1,310,900 women (15% of all women) had been sexually assaulted by a known person compared to 335,000 women (3.8% of all women) who had been sexually assaulted by a stranger. Rape Culture isn’t something made up by feminists. Feminists invented the phrase as a description of an active culture of abuse and exploitation occurring every hour, every minute and every second of every day. Rape Culture is an extension of a very real culture of privilege and entitlement men use to exploit, objectify, control and ultimately rape (or kill) women and children. Rape Culture is women being belittled and shamed into silence. It’s a media, political and legal fraternity that would telegraph to the world that what a woman wears, where she walks at night, whether or not she’s alone or how much alcohol she’s imbibed somehow correlates with her asking for it. Rape Culture is the culture of underreporting that exists with regards to rape due to the victim shame

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

For centuries, rape culture has not been clearly defined by ideas, beliefs, or attitudes. As a pretty controversial subject, there is no correct definition for the term “rape culture”. It is generally defined by the way a person perceives rape, and for that reason, there are many beliefs towards rape. Rape is generally unlawful and unwanted sexual intercourse between any person. In this shocking world today, most perpetrators of sexual assaults are caused by heterosexual men, and for the most part, men are known to be aggressive. Rape is often portrayed as somewhat lawful within the media culture. Many famous people and professional organizations encourage activities that could lead to rape. Lastly, women are known to be asking to be