The Importance Of Rape Culture In America

Specific Purpose: To inform the audience of how our society has become a rape culture.

“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.

In a society where rape culture is normal, and people are taught from a young age not to go out on their own at night and to be cautious of the people around them rather than being taught not to rape or to oversexualize and objectify normal body parts, rape is a commonly trending news topic. A new common stressor has been added to subsequent intimate relationships: the trauma of rape or other forms of sexual assault. In a study of violence against women in North America, Robinson (2003) found that over forty percent of women have or will experience violence in their life including but not limited to rape. This trend is likely to be attributed to a fight for power. People holding positions of power over someone might take advantage of that control they have, leading to

How many people have to get raped before the world takes action? “One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives.” (Statistics About Sexual Violence) In today’s society, we have become desensitized to violence that would’ve created a much larger impact on the general public if it wasn’t in 2017. We must discover ways that will revive our subtlety to the subjects that we have become overall numb too. As this new culture progresses in the world our generation has to incorporate discipline and a new way of thinking in place to contribute to the new and improved mindset.

One out of every six women in America will be a victim of rape or sexual assault. From a young age, females are taught many ways to minimize the chance of being raped, whereas males are rarely ever taught not to rape. Women are told not to walk the streets alone at night, to cover any drinks they may have, and to always have someone know where they are. They have to make sure their clothing isn’t too provocative because it could unleash unwanted male attention. Even though, women take many precautions to avoid rape, the statistics are still high. Rape is one of the most brutal attacks and unfortunately the act is becoming one of the most normalized acts of violence in the United States. This creates a culture that disregards not only women’s rights but their safety as well.

With a rape happening at regular intervals in the United States, calling assault a significant issue is just putting it gently. Today's era was brought up in a society that has driven numerous individuals to accept that, in certain occasions, an assault is okay. It has turned into a social standard in numerous nations, most dominatingly in the United States. From a youthful age, young ladies are taught to not get assaulted as opposed to young men being taught not to assault. This is all a piece of assault society. Assault society is the social standardization of assault. It is the externalization of ladies and the animalization of men. Assault society lets us know that "young men will be young men" and there is nothing that

In today's society, the promotion of rape culture is heavily prevalent. Despite the world making massive headway in a multitude of social injustices, victim blaming and the willingness to ignore the truth in media are still major issues. Although one may not realize, both local and global media frequently create pieces that are biased - using prejudice in favor of one group or individual - to blindly sway public opinion.

Worldwide, one in three women will be sexually assaulted or raped in her lifetime while only one in thirty three men will. In America one in four women will be sexually assaulted or raped before they even finish four years of college. Rape culture, the idea that it is the victim’s fault for the assault, is alive in all countries. In America, a girl may be asked what she was wearing at the time of the attack, if she was drunk, if she had been flirting, or about past sexual endeavors. Instead of focusing on the attacker, rape is often blamed on the victim. This mantra places more power into the hands of the attacker with less and less women coming forward to state attacks. Shaming and discrediting the victims, leaves society to feel the attack was normal therefore downplaying the severity. Rape culture teaches women that they are only objects of desire, that the attacker couldn’t help himself and that was okay, or that she led it on. These ideals place women under men and leave them feeling

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

Rape culture, two words that many in the Western world have heard, and are all too familiar with. Rape culture itself is a societal problem and has been perfectly defined by Melissa McEwan, who says that a rape culture is a society that condones male aggression both emotionally and physically towards women. It is a society that has made sexual remarks, sexual touching, to rape itself, a norm for all members of the community and inflicts fear into the hearts of all women everywhere and anywhere they may go (McEwan, 2009). Since the women’s movement began rape and sexual violence has been a pressing concern that many have tried to address and stop. Although back then it may not have been labeled rape culture it was most definitely present and is still present today. One particular place that harbors rape culture and attempts to

Many people are under the impression that rape culture is a made up thing, created so that people, specifically women, could get attention. When in fact that is the complete opposite of what it is. “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.” (Marshall University).

We have continued to accept rape culture as normal in our lives because we grew accustomed to the sexual violence that we were exposed to on a daily basis. We need to stop allowing rape jokes to be passed off as harmless, the over sexualization of young girls, victim-blaming, and put an end to the double standard surrounding rape. We’ve continually white-washed rapists’ actions towards victims and taken no action against their crimes. There are thousands of cases that have been slipped under the rug in order to protect the rapist from social stigma. I believe that rape culture is a product of our ignorance as a society. We have chosen to ignore the importance of this growing problem. It’s so common to hear about young girls getting raped on college campuses or at high school parties. We often turn the other way because that is how it has always been. The portayal of victims in the media has continued to be the same, she has either been drinking too much, wanted to have

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. The FBI data estimates that 683, 000 women are raped each year. Additionally, 4 million women a year are physically assaulted by their partners (). Rape is about power and dominance, not sex. The cultural message in America is “don’t get raped” as opposed to “don’t

Rape culture is recognized as blaming the victim for sexual assault and promotes sexual violence to be acceptable. Society portrays rape culture in different situations, one of which can be depicted as shameful and unjust in the college setting. In the college environment, it is not uncommon for a case of sexual assault to be kept on a low profile in order to not damage the school’s reputation. The outcome of women reporting sexual assault is low in a college setting due to rape culture and even those who do get an unfair outcome that promotes rape culture in college authority. The unfair outcomes of rape culture through society’s perception, with unjust law enforcement, and can affect women in many ways that can change their lives.

Even though the first amendment states freedom of expression, statistics show rape and sexual assault numbers have risen due to the presence of rape culture in modern society. Rape culture promotes more assaults and violent acts, not only towards women but also towards men. Some evidence rape culture is present in today’s society are rising statistics showing that only three out of a hundred rapists see jail time and that over 17 million American women are victims of sexual assault every year. Rape culture is seen in every aspect of daily American life, even if people do not realize it.