Rape Culture

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.

news media is a key component in shaping public opinion and public policy (Carll 2003:1601). Sexual assault cases are one of the most underreported crimes, and those that do make headlines

“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)

Violent sexual scenes in movies and television shows have normalized sexual violence, and these scenes are increasingly made more available to children at younger ages. Sexually violent scenes in mass media contribute to myths that circulate around rape. Instead of rape scenes showing the true emotional impact on the victim, they are geared more towards sexual arousal of the audience. One writer argues that “as long as the public is being seduced by the myth that rape is about sex and not about power, and that rape is about lust and not oppressive violence, then the rape culture can continue to thrive and to destroy women” (Pearson 13). Violence in the media is a longstanding argument in America about how much is too much and whether normalization of violent acts has resulted in a more violent culture. This topic alone can be written over the span of many textbooks, for the purpose of this paper it is important to acknowledge that mass media and the portrayal of sexual crimes committed against men and women greatly contribute to rape culture. If sexual violence is portrayed for what it really is to the perpetrators and to the victims, this may change the perceptions Americans have and ultimately contribute to an anti-rape culture that treats rapists and victims far differently than they are treated

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

Women have won small victories, but other battles are still being fought. With our current culture one cannot help but notice that many women displayed in ads, music videos, movies, fashion have been degraded and turned into a mere sexual object. I decided to read on both articles by author Bob Herbert because it discusses the crimes that to this day still affect women. The author makes incredible points that I can agree on. One of the many topics that I agree on is when the author stated, “The disrespectful, degrading, contemptuous treatment of women is so pervasive and so mainstream that it has just about lost its ability to shock”. (Herbert, Why Aren't We Shocked?, 2006). I agree on this because with the current “rape culture” as it’s known, many rape victims especially on college campuses that have suffered injustice because their rapists have not been stopped. Rape is not shocking anymore because our standards of women have been over sexualized, and we don’t stop and think that rape is a serious crime and the horrendous effects it has on a victim. When I see a new music video there is always a deep sexual meaning to it or there is a degrading message towards or about women. We have become so accustomed to this that we no longer view this as something wrong, but as the norm of society. Human trafficking happens every single day and there are many victims that are sold to prostitution, but yet the media does not focus on the atrocities faced by women every single day, but rather glorify the “pimps” through scandalous song lyrics. Another statement by the author is, “Now Mr. Solid Citizen can come home, log on to this $7 billion mega-industry and get his kicks watching real women being beaten and sexually assaulted on Web sites with names like “Ravished Bride” and “Rough Sex – Where Whores Get Owned.” (Herbert, Why

America has a proud history of being a country that has many different ethnicities and cultures living within its borders. But one of the most prevalent cultures is one that transcends race or country of origin, rape culture. The term used by modern day feminist and gender activist defines a culture which normalizes rape and sexual assaults because of the deeply rooted societal attitudes towards gender and sexuality. In a rape culture the instances of rape are accepted as everyday occurrences and even as the prerogative of men, resulting in the stigmatization and blame placing of rape victims. Although the phrase “rape culture” is relatively modern, the

Ever hear someone say ‘She was asking for it,’ or ‘Boys will be boys,” after a news article about rape or sexual abuse? Per Southern Connecticut State University, “rape culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence is excused and normalized in the media and popular culture. People believe that everything is mostly the victims fault,” (Rape Culture par 1). Americans have created a rape culture. The people who mainly created this are the news stations and feminists. Feminists post their opinion all over the media. Creating society to be a rape culture. The feminist’s biggest argument creates rape culture; they use social media to make it seem like females are the only ones getting sexually harassed.

It is necessary to recognize rape and sexual assault as the heinous crimes they are in order to increase public awareness and build a better support system for victims. Small solutions can help to resolve the problem. Media and news sources can bring an end victim-blaming by focusing instead on the rapists. If we hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions, we take an active stand against sexual assault and rape culture. Today, many areas of the world, including the United States, lack comprehensive education regarding rape because of a general unwillingness to discuss topics involving sex. As a result, an idea of sexual power and dominance persists in modern society despite being out-dated. Some believe that it is normal and even acceptable to exhibit the aggressive behavior present in instances of rape and sexual assault. Efforts to adjust the education system could have a profound impact on the way people view these crimes and their reactions to them. By presenting sexual intercourse as a consensual partnership, we can create a new environment. We can and must end the sexual objectification of people to bring about change and eliminate rape

The term ‘rape culture’ was coined by feminists in the United States in 1970. The term itself was designed to illustrate the ways in which society blamed victims of sexual assault, and how the normalization of male sexual violence was acceptable. Rape culture can stem from the acceptance of rape as a daily occurrence, manifested as a male prerogative. There is a hesitation by the authorities to go against the patriarchal cultural norms, hence linking nonconsensual sex to the cultural disposition of society. The patriarchal perspective of rape culture, embedded with gender inequality and misogyny are passed through generations which ultimately leads to the extensive institutional and social acceptance of rape. Actions which advocate sexist ideals are utilized to justify and validate normative misogynistic perceptions. Rape culture sexualizes violence inflicted upon women, as it serves as a continuum of a society which views a women’s body to be sexually available by default, deriving from the overall domination and objectification of a female. The underlying cause of rape culture is localized as it based upon the social aspects of culture. For example, countries with a prolific ‘war culture’ tend to emphasize violence and masculinity, and therefore rape is viewed as a normal facet of society. I intend to parallel the element of rape culture to the enforcement of social rules and the conditioning of gender roles. I plan on analyzing the notion that within the encompassment of

Now as a College student, speaking of rape culture is definitely an obligation. Reading the “The myth of the college ‘rape culture’” article in the NY post by Naomi Schaefer, she talks about the survey Harvard did as part of an effort by the American Association of Universities to quantify sexual assault on campus. The survey where bit vague but it looked like it was more of an alcohol problem more than a rape problem. The statistics show that most of the victims and the offenders drank alcohol or did drugs voluntarily. Yes there are some cases where the rapist was just a mad man that like raping but on campuses this is rarely seen. Quoting two things from Scaefer “On campuses where students are encouraged to see every bad sexual decision as an assault, incapacitated is a way students can explain away their behavior” and “Once you dig through all of the data collected here, there is no evidence that women are

In the United States individuals of both genders are being sexually violated, yet way too often their offenders often get off scot free or with very little punishment. Rape culture exists because we don't believe it does. The first step to ending such culture is to name the real problem, which is victim-blaming. We treat victims like they’re responsible, which would be obscenely different for any other criminal charge. When a sexual assault is reported on the news the first questions the media asks are about the victim’s sobriety, clothes, or sexuality. The right question is, “What made the attacker think this was acceptable?” Changing a mind set that has been engraved in us for centuries is going to be strenous, yet not impossible. It starts

In Roxane Gay’s article, “The Careless Language of Sexual Violence,” she breaks down rape in the perspective of our society nowadays. Gay states that our world today does not take the act of rape as an important issue to pay attention to by saying, “the idea that male aggression and violence towards women is acceptable and often inevitable.” Also, that in many cases the idea of victim blaming plays a big role in the way our society looks at the subject; saying that the individual that was raped is in the wrong and the rapist is not at fault. In the article, Gay states that we live in a “rape culture,” meaning that the way the world is today is to view violence towards women as something that is not an important

September 2012 Saratoga High School sophomore Audrie Pott committed suicide after being raped by three of her classmates, and photos of the assault circulated through her school (Sulek). This isn’t just one rare occurrence in our day and age many incidents like Audrie’s frequently occur. Not only have we become accustomed to the word rape our western culture has made it one of its prime time events by the way we see traces of it every single day. From the news we watch every morning to the songs we listen to on our daily commutes the influences of rape on our culture and media are common.

The words and information that girls are bombarded with instill us with two main “truths”. Firstly, women are as responsible as their male attackers. Secondly, rape is not a question of if, but a question of when. This is what is known as rape culture, a setting in which rape is normalized due to prevailing attitudes on gender and sexuality. According to the Rape Treatment Center website, rape is the most underreported violent crime in America. Girl’s entire world is infused with the reality that we live in a rape culture, a reality that is clearly reflected in mass media’s treatment of the female body and the concept of consent. However, social media and mass communication also provide a tool with which we fight back. It is through this we find campaigns like the “Still Not Asking For It” movement.