Gittos And The Rape Culture

“Rape is unique. No other violent crime is so fraught with controversy, so enmeshed in dispute and in the politics of gender and sexuality… And within the domain of rape, the most highly charged area of debate concerns the issue of false allegations. For centuries, it has been asserted and assumed that women “cry rape,” that a large proportion of rape allegations are maliciously concocted for purposes of revenge or other motives.”

Many individuals might wonder, what is rape culture? “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.” Most women limit their behavior because of the existence of rape. (Marshall University)

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

First by her use of statistics. While her article is written in a bias manner, Maxwell’s use of statistics reinforces the negatives consequences rape culture has emitted onto citizens. Within her article, Maxwell questions, “Is 1 in 5 American women surviving rape or attempted rape considered a cultural norm? Is 1 in 6 men being abused before the age of 18 a cultural norm?” Maxwell also uses statistics by RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network), as a way to build even credibility. Through applying RAINN’s statistics as well, the article itself becomes more powerful with knowledge from a network that works to prevent sexual violence and help victims of

While there are many problems in the world, like poverty, famine, cancer, and an abundance of carbon emissions into the planet, there is one that has been in the back of my mind for quite some time: rape culture. This issue is vastly popular in the world of bloggers and social networking site, tumblr. It’s slowly progressing into an important issue that the public is acknowledging. Reviewing the issue’s historical, social, political, cultural and economic perspectives will entail rape culture’s controversy.

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

Despite rape culture being clearly relevant in most all forms of media, many people choose to argue against it. Many point to the fact that even if rape is a common crime it is still considered especially heinous. Others complain that rape culture is too much

Rape has been an ongoing issue within society for centuries. In early times, men raped women for reproductive purposes. Today, it is still believed

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 is a society or environment whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of normalizing or trivializing sexual assault and abuse. Too many times both men and women unintentionally participate in rape culture by their actions, words and comments online. To the common person the phrase rape culture is a term coined to make men look bad or to make rape seem like it happens far more often than it does. As a society we think rape culture is an absurd concept because many people take it as, we all don’t commonly engage in sexual violence together as a whole. When I think of the phrase rape culture, I believe that the society we live in blames the victims and normalizes and makes excuses for males who commit sexual violent crimes against women. Society tends to blame the woman for being sexually assaulted therefore, the cases go unreported and the perpetrator gets off and can go on to rape his next victim. In today's society women are shamed for reporting sexual assault by both peers and the public so many women don't go to law enforcement because they are scared no one will believe their allegations. Many times, the woman is blamed for being too promiscuous towards the male or she had too many drinks so that's why she was taken advantage of that night. The society as a whole need to get out of the that mindset because no matter what a woman was doing or how many drinks she had that, gives no man the right to violate her in any way. Accusing someone in a high

The 2012 Steubenville rape case involving a multitude of characters, and one main victim, is a prime example of the way rape culture has affected our minds negatively. A young man who witnessed the rape of an unconscious female stated “I thought rape was forcing yourself on someone” (qtd. in Valenti). Simply put the witness clearly didn’t realize he was witnessing a rape. Apparently, it's a common misconception that if a female is unconscious, technically she can’t say no,

What do you think and feel when you hear the word rape? Do you feel uncomfortable? Maybe even angry? Your certain feelings and emotions towards this word is a result of rape culture. Rape culture, essentially, is how a society as a whole sees and reacts towards rape or instances of rape. In 2013 rape was defined by the FBI as, “Penetration… of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” (Division’s Crime Statistics Management Unit 1). The definition was finally changed after the old definition deemed inappropriate by today’s standards, which beforehand, stated that physical force needed to be used for rape to be considered rape. This is good news

The UK has one of the lowest conviction rates for rape in Europe (Hohl & Stanko, 2015, p.1). Rape is one of the most serious but misunderstood crimes, presenting unique challenges and difficulties, not encountered in the investigation of other crimes, including homicide (Angiolini, 2015, p.10). The 2016 annual Violence against Woman and Girls report by the Crown Prosecution Service stated that successful convictions for rape at trial stood at 57.9% (CPS, 2016). However, (Smith, 2015), suggests that just over 1000 rapists are convicted, out of an estimated average 97,000 rapes every year, (just over 1%). It is estimated that between 6-18% of rapes are reported to the police (Stern, 2010). In respect of reported rapes, since 2000, the rate of conversion from a rape being reported to the police to conviction is around 7%. (Home Office & Ministry of Justice, 2013). The number of reported rapes has risen in the last 50 years, but the

In order to defeat rape culture, the first step is to become aware of sexual violence against women. The one of the teachings of the rape culture is blaming the victims if they experienced sexual harassment, using phrases such as “She asked for it.” “You had a lot to drink.” “What were you wearing?” and so on, consequently justifying the acts of the predator. As for men, they often do not face the consequences of their actions due sayings such as “Boys will be boys.”. The problem with situations such as this is that the society blames the victims for the incident instead of holding the predators accountable for the actions. In 2016, a woman went to a college frat party and the next morning she was found in the bushes raped by Brock Turner. He was faced with ten years in prison, but the judge ruled that it would have “severe damage” on Turner therefore he was sentenced only

“She was asking for it by wearing such provocative clothing and drinking so much!” Although our society does not directly promote rape, people have created a faulty societal environment in which victims are blamed for their own assaults, rape perpetrators are viewed sympathetically, and the mainstream media glamorizes rape attitudes. One of the most tragic downfalls of our society is its tendency to normalize and often times even romanticize sexual assault and abuse. Unfortunately, rape culture is a major issue that is downplayed in the eye of the general public, yet it is extremely dangerous and creates such a dangerous environment for the female population.