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Rape, Sex, And Nonconsensual Sex In The American Society

Decent Essays

According to Oliver, electing a leader that has previously condoned misogyny and sexual assaults against women has made the American society complacent to rape- a complacency that eclipses society’s perspective of rape, sex, and consent. We can agree with Oliver that Donald Trump’s behavior has encouraged a sense of complacency and approval of sexual assaults; however, we cannot blindly place all of the blame on Donald Trump without being certain that there aren’t other factors involved.
The attempts to diminish the seriousness of rape while hiding the true meaning of consent can be seen through the recent use of “nonconsensual sex” as a replacement for the word “rape.” Essentially, “nonconsensual sex” is euphemism for rape. It is seemed as less serious while simultaneously supporting rape myths like placing part of the blame on the victim. Oliver strategically builds upon this point by providing statistics and specific examples that reflect cultural infatuation with sexual assaults, especially by young college students. As people start diminishing the seriousness and malice of rape, it allows room for justification and uncertainty. Thus, Oliver rightfully suggests that not only does this uncertainty nurture a rape culture, it also serves as immunization to those who commit such heinous acts.
Although we can agree with Oliver’s ideas about the growing negligence of rape and misinterpretation of consent, the undeniable weakness in her argument is that she places the entire

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