RAPE CULTURE AND RAPE MYTHS
The system of what is considered as rape culture, it promotes the normalisation and trivialisation of rape, and encourages the ideology that male sexual aggression is seen as the norm (Olfman, 2009: p. 9). The concept of rape culture includes misogynistic languages and the objectification of an individuals’ body and promoting sexual violence, that is creating a society that does not consider a person’s rights and safety (Attenborough, 2014: p. 183). Furthermore, rape culture consists of victim blaming, sexual harassment, trivialising rape, the false reports of rape and its statistics, the history, mental states, and publicly scrutinising how the victims’ dresses, the connection amongst the male role of dominance
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Brownmiller (1975) suggested that women can be a target of rape regardless of how she dresses, the shape and size of her body, and her background of who she is. Also, any man can be a rapist, although in previous years, it was thought that men who were mentally ill or evil were rapists. Also, rape is not only caused by strangers, but people who are closest to the victim can rape (Brownmiller, 1975; Chasteen, 1982). More so, rape can happen amongst men and women; thus, rape is inevitable and society believes within the rape myths that there are certain types of women should be raped. For instance, a woman who is assumed to be initiating the individual that she wants to have sex, or a woman who is careless enough to not take care of herself (Whatley and Riggio, 1993: p. 502). Hence, this creates an ideology of victim-blaming, and Brownmiller’s (1975) ideas are trying to expose these rape myths in relation to …show more content…
and the U.S. Rape culture is easily identifiable on campus as it is a public institution where individuals live, work and study. According to academic professors, Crystal Mills and Barbara Granoff (1992), the main factor that contributes to CSA is the use of date rape (Mills and Granoff, 1992: p. 504). Victims do not report their assault to the colleges and universities’, because the institution will try and suppress the bad news from going public and saving its reputation; in addition, victims do not want to risk being stigmatised within the campus environment (Anderson and Doherty, 2008: p. 13). Subsequently, there is an issue of what is considered rape such as, what actions can be accounted for rape? Or how can you distinguish a real victim? Thus, this can be reflected upon the way society’s view within culture, politics and social conditions. For instance, if the victim did not struggle against the rape, they may not be viewed as a rape victim, and upon investigation of the incident, their emotional responses will be reported and this will decide whether the victim is being truthful or lying about being raped (Anderson and Doherty, 2008: p. 5). Meanwhile, the administration officials of the colleges and universities would have questioned the victim’s accounts, and this can lead to
1.Based on Serono’s ideas rape culture is something that cannot be solved with “single-tact solutions”. The “men-as-predator/sexual aggressor assumption” (Serano 422) allows women to believe that the man is always a predator, and therefore leads to men being aggressive leading to the cycle of rape culture. Overall to change rape culture we must change this assumption that currently dominates out thinking.
This national best seller can relate to the opinions expressed by Peggy Reeves Sanday in The Socio-Cultural Context of Rape. Sandy investigates the characteristics of a rape-prone, and rape-free society. Jon Krakauer was interviewed by NPR books, where he stated, “The upshot was most rapists walked away without any punishment, any accountability” (NPR 1). The response from Krakauer correlates to Sanday’s research in The Socio-Cultural Context of Rape. Reeves Sanday writings examine, “When men discovered that they could rape, they proceeded to do it” (Reeves Sanday
In the 21st century, the U.S culture teaches women to accept violence. Young ladies are told about dress codes to not distract boys from their education. Young ladies are also taught that they are not allowed to show their skin because it's inappropriate and it shows “too much”. Examples of rape culture are sexual jokes, blaming the
“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)
Rape is a crime in which one person forces another person with threats, physical force or deception to have sex or sexual contact. In many cases rape is often through penetration, but victims are submitted to rape under different circumstances, such as oral sex, therefore rape has many muddled definitions. The various definitions of rape is a consequence of different cultural backgrounds and stereotypes. Sexual assaults have an effect on everyone either directly or indirectly, especially when victim blaming. Rape is not biased, for it can occur to any person despite their age, gender, religion, education level, sexual orientation or ethnicity. “According to the Department of Justice the average number of rape cases reported annually is approximately 89,000, but many victims are fearful to report their case to the police, for they do not want to be blamed for their assault.” (The Offender 's) Victim blaming in rape cases is a direct correlation to stereotypes. Some stereotypes that affect victim blaming is sexual orientation, promiscuity, gender roles, and race. “These contributing factors are stemmed from the much larger problem of society 's idea of gender and race stereotypes.” (Gill)
Every day I go on TV, there is at least one story or more relating to rape, assault towards woman, and of course violence. It is getting repetitive; as a result, more and more people are starting to brush it off their shoulders like a dust. Within rape culture, there is controversy on which it is to blame. The writers Walter Moseley and Rae Gomes write an article about the remedies for rape culture “Ten Things to End Rape Culture” and how it can create an atmosphere that enable both sexes to change for the better. In “Masculinity Is More Than a Mask”, Christina Hoff Sommers discusses the relationship between violence and masculinity when she critiques and analyzes a documentary based on the biological side of masculinity.
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
Young women are often the culprit of these crimes since they are more susceptible to rape and other sexual assault than men. Recent studies have revealed that over 25% of all rape cases involved rape cases. Similar studies revealed. The significantly high rate of women offended by male counterparts has received significant attention from scholars (Piascik, 2011). Most of these cases are framed in the context of masculinity. In the
As kids we were taught about “stranger danger;” we were taught to protect ourselves from strangers and as we got older, females were told to protect themselves from getting raped. In this paper, I will discuss how living in a rape culture affects women and men, how does rape myths affect society and how we can change the negative effects of living in a rape culture and rape myths. In order to understand this, we must first define what rape is.
Currently, a surplus of major issues is disturbing the United States of America. One controversy that I am particularly passionate about handling is rape culture at college, especially in fraternities. A study conducted in 2014 found that 11.7% of students attending the 27 colleges surveyed had experienced nonconsensual sexual contact by force, threats of force, or incapacitation. Females surveyed reported a significantly higher percentage of these assaults compared to men.
This paper will explore 3 news articles that take a look at male rape myths and how we as society are indifferent towards male rape victims. The articles however will differ with different examples and with different explanations. Norton (2017) will take a look at how in today's society male rape victims are put to the side. Mainly dealing with recent allegations against Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein. One other article will define on what it means to be a man Muthengi (2011). Another article will be examining how men are treated when they report a rape incident and how it will go in depth with personal experience example.
Gender roles and rape myths attempt to legitimize rape by blaming the victim as a part of society’s acceptance of sexual violence as a whole. “Boys will be boys” encourages boys to be rough and masculine, while at the same time suggesting girls should be submissive. Although school grounds are thought to be a safe heaven for nurturing the growth and development of young minds, progress is stunted by the shadows of sexual assaults in the background. Society’s tolerance of sexual assault is encouraged by the sociological factors of conflict theory, the bystander effect and symbolic interactionism.The integration of learning opportunities and reporting systems will be fundamental in the future of universities and colleges in order to maintain
In the United States rape completely toxic and it’s a dangerous myth. On college campuses where drinking is prevalent, most victims don’t report their assault to the police because of the fear of being blamed for the incident. “A recent National Crime Victimization report showed that only 55% of sexual assaults reported in their survey were reported to the police” (Hayes, Abbott, Cook 2016). Hayes goes on to explain that rape myths are defined as “attitudes and false belief held
Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. This paper will evaluate rape, as well as the effects it has on women, the theory behind male dominance and patriarchy, and differences in demographics.