Rape Culture is a concept used to describe a culture in which rape and sexual violence are common and in which prevalent attitudes, norms, practices, and media normalize, excuse, tolerate, or even condone rape.
In light of the recent Steubenville Rape Trial, in which two high school football players were sentences to a minuscule sentence of one year, five maximum, it seems almost prudent to bring the subject of rape culture up. These football players sexually assaulted a girl in the basement of a party, taking pictures and videos of her. She was unconscious which ensued many names from people in her school, the most popular being “dead girl” along with some other ones along the lines of slut and hoe.
The best part-and by best I obviously mean worst -is that she spoke out and yet is being ridiculed by news channels and viewers alike.
An example of rape culture would be the way people will call it “asking for it” if a girl or woman is wearing something showing a lot of skin or if she is drunk or even if she has the status of someone who is sexually active with many partners.
This is one of the most aggravating of the points in Rape Culture for me. Because a girl is entitled to wear whatever she wants just as a guy should be entitled to wear whatever he wants. There is no excuse to blame rape on what someone is wearing. Even if she is completely naked she is still not “asking for it.”
“Just because they choose to drink doesn't mean they’re asking for it. Just because of what they wear shouldn't matter” said Junior Lyndsey Musgrave.
The only way a woman will ever ask for it, is if, and get this, she verbally asks for it. Wow, sorry that might be a little bit too intelligent for you to comprehend but the thing with rape culture is that it is a obviously difficult concept to grab but I hope you can let that sink in.
Rape Culture is saying woman should dress modestly, not walk alone at night, not travel alone, etc.
Rape Culture is the thousands of negative terms for a woman who is sexually active i.e. slut, whore, hoe, hussy, easy, etc. and the few terms for a man who is sexually active i.e. pimp and player. You know what you call a woman who has a lot of sex? Her name.
Why? Because she is human and so is every male who has sex. She is not a slut for sleeping with her boyfriend or with many guys in the same way a man isn't a slut (doesn't that sound weird calling a man a slut, huh?) for having sex with his girlfriend, or just a girl, or even many.
Rape Culture is saying “slut” in attempt to attack a woman for their right to say yes and saying “friend zone” in attempt to attack a woman for their right to say no.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Dallis said, “Men are idolized by [having sex], it is okay for them to sleep with women but if a female sleeps with more than one person she is a slut and that’s not fair. It shouldn't matter what you do or who you do it with, it’s yourself.”
The victims are always seen as the perpetrators’ in the situation because they spoke up, because they were “asking for it”, because they mustered up the strength to stand up to their rapist. The perpetrators’ are always, get this, victimized. Take the beautiful example that is the Steubenville Rape Trial. CNN news anchors all sympathize saying how hard it was to see those boys go through this, how hard it was to see their careers as high school students, football players and American citizens go down the drain. Wow, I mean you would think if they didn't want to see their lives go down the drain for what...a maximum of five years… that they wouldn't I don’t know…Rape someone? This is only one example of the thousands upon thousands of rape cases, brought to light or not, that the rapists are sympathized with.
“From what I've heard, it makes me very angry, the boys got off on a short leash. They’re not really getting in trouble like they should be just because they’re star athletes.” replied Lyndsey upon hearing about the sentencing.
This is rape culture: blaming the victim because she was drunk, because she was wearing a skirt, because she was knocked out cold so she couldn't say no.
My question is why her unconsciousness and ability not to say no would ever, ever mean yes?
I hope you now have a better awareness of Rape Culture and will start to call into question all the things Rape culture tells you to believe.
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