The answer to this question seems quite obvious at first: rape should never be considered ‘okay,’ but too often in our society it is allowable. Excuses are made, victims are blamed and the perpetrators face little to no punishment. In our society it often feels like raping someone breaks only a folkway instead of a mores. The perpetrators rarely face legal or social consequences for their actions while the victims often find themselves further violated by society. Very few people would answer the above question as it is affirmatively, but how would people, in this case Pennsbury High school students, respond to this question when it is phrased in such a way as to not provoke such a knee-jerk negative response? In order to attempt to answer …show more content…
Rape is a tool for power and control. It can be used as revenge, punishment, to show dominance and/or created by the belief that the victim is no more than an object to be used (Bode). Since rape is about control it would make sense that rapists and those likely to perpetrate such acts would also wish to control the conversation that surrounds rape and thus victim blaming is born.Victim blaming is the “devaluing act that occurs when the victim(s) of a crime or an accident is held responsible[...] for the crimes that have been committed against them” (Victim Blaming). This includes phrases like “she was asking for it” or “they shouldn’t have been wearing that”or “he shouldn’t have drank so much.” Victim blaming has a simple manifest function: maintaining rape as a tool to be used as convenient (Cothran). It shifts blame away from the perpetrator and onto the victim causing the victim to become the one labeled a deviant, someone who goes against society 's rules of behavior, instead of the rapist themselves. Without this roadblock of society’s judgement, a …show more content…
First off, my sample size is incredibly small with only 52 people having taken the survey. 52 people is not a large enough grouping to give an accurate representation of the views of a school with 3,500+ students. Another problem with the accuracy of my results stems from the fact that much of my data was taken from classes that I was in causing the majority of the participants to be honors level students which may have skewed toward a more open-minded view. Something else that may have skewed results is the fact that, since my survey was done online, the kids who were more likely to take the time to take the survey were generally kids who cared more about school and society causing their views also to be skewed towards open-mindedness. Also the ratio of the genders of those who responded was 31 females:19 males:2 other which also would skin the results since, as i was saying earlier, females are less likely to support victim blaming since it is more dysfunctional for them then functional. To fully do this survey accurately a larger, more randomized pool of people would be
“Before the rape I felt good. My life was in order. I was getting ready to get married. Afterward everything changed. I kind of lost who I was as a person…
One of the most horrible things that has erupted from the subjugation of women is rape culture. Rape culture is the downplaying of the crime of rape to appease the violator, the accusation that the victim made a choice that led to their rape, or even jokes that suggest rape. According to Jessica Valenti’s, “In Rape Tragedies, the Shame Is Ours,” in today's world many people give in to rape culture by participating in these acts that somehow change our mindsets into believing that, “it is more shameful to be raped than to be a rapist”. Once ...
It is very common for rape survivors to blame themselves for what happened. They believe they could of prevented the incident or even stopped it from happening. When victims finally come to the realization that it wasn’t their fault and someone else had complete control and power over them is when they really break down. It’s better for victims to believe that they had a part in the event rather the admit to themselves that they were helpless and couldn‘t do anything. Many offenders tend to express and do certain things to make victims get into the mindset that they endure. Not only do rape victims have suicidal thoughts, but they also act on these thought as well. Sexual assaults are not uncommon at all. There is no specific re...
According to the SACHA Sexual Assault Center, rape culture involves everyday phenomena that “make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable” (“What is rape culture,” n.d.). Common examples of rape culture include: telling women to always travel in groups at night, asking survivors what they were wearing or if they were drinking during the time of the assault, and ignoring or stigmatizing males who are sexually assaulted (Ray, 2013). On college campuses, rape culture can contribute to the underreporting of sexual assaults, as survivors may be ashamed or afraid of humiliation. Furthermore, the presence of rape myths perpetuates the overall rape culture by shaping public opinion towards blaming survivors and discounting the actions of offenders. Largely cited myths, such as women falsely reporting rape to protect their reputations or because they are angry with the accused perpetrator, are based on a kernel of truth that is unrepresentative of the realities surrounding these issues (Burnett et al., 2009). Rape culture is alive and well on college campuses, despite being a broader societal issue. While this socially ingrained behavior is difficult to reverse, universities are major institutions that must accept partial responsibility for the perpetuation of rape culture and consequently need to devise programs for change that circumvent this erroneous
When the victim does not fit the ideal victim attributes which society has familiarised themselves with, it can cause complications and confusion. Experts have noticed there is already a significant presence of victim blaming, especially for cases involving both genders. The fear of being blamed and rejected by the public is prominent in all victims. Victim blaming proclaims the victim also played a role in the crime by allowing the crime to occur through their actions (Kilmartin and Allison, 2017, p.21). Agarin (2014, p.173) underlines the problem of victim blaming is due to the mass of social problems and misconceptions within society. The offender can have “an edge in court of public opinion” if victim blaming exists, resulting in the prevention of the case accomplishing an effective deduction in court (Humphries, 2009, p.27). Thus, victims will become more reluctant to report offences because of their decrease in trust in the police and criminal justice system, leading to the dark figure of
My topic is the effect of rape culture on teens’ behavior at Chandler High. I chose it because it scared me that walking down a street alone made me anxious. In the United States, the odds of a woman being the victim of rape or attempted rape is 1 in 6. From a young age, girls are encouraged to avoid situations that put them in danger; women are told to carry pepper spray, never leave their drinks unattended, and to dress modestly. Even when sexually assaulted, most victims do not come forward; in fact, 98% of rapists will never spend time behind bars. I see this as a huge problem, and rape culture seems to be a large contributor to the issue. Rape culture is an environment in which sexual violence and assault is excused or normalized in a
“What is rape culture” is the question that has been repeatedly asked since its emergence in the 1970s. From our lecture, we have learned that the thing about Rape Culture is that it doesn’t have just one definition, but the simplest way to define it may be to say that rape culture is the society that accepts and even promotes sexual violence in one form or another. This includes, TV shows that make rape look sexy; you know the kind: guy pushes girl down, throws open her blouse, exposing her breasts, and even though she is saying no, everyone watching is saying yes. Rape culture is when a college student goes to their Dean and tells them they have been raped, and the first question the Dean ask is “what were you wearing?” Rape culture is saying “that exam just raped me” instead of “that exam was hard”. Rape culture is the most popular, catchy songs these days have lyrics like “I know you want it”. Rape culture is the party girl image, the “she was asking for it”, the “boys will be boys”, the slut shaming, the victim blaming, and the most concerning, rape culture is denying the fact that sexual assault is a problem in today’s society. One in six women and one in thirty-three men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. In the United States alone, that
It is not a topic that is brought up often, especially at schools or at gatherings, yet it is crucial that everyone be educated, or at least informed on a topic that affects women every day. “Given that sexual violence continues to occur at high rates in the United States, it is vital that we understand attitudes and cultural norms that serve to minimize or foster tolerance of sexual violence” (Aosved, 481). Growing rates of sexual violence goes to prove that it is not taken seriously by many, especially when myths excuse the actions of the perpetrator and instead guilt victims into thinking they are responsible for the horrible act. Burt (1980), in her article titled, “Cultural myths and support for rape” attempts to make sense of the importance of stereotypes and myths, defined as prejudicial, stereotypes, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims and rapists- in creating a climate hostile to rape victims (Burt, 217). Examples of rape myths are such sayings as “only bad girls get raped”; “women ask for it”; “women cry rape” (Burt, 217). This only goes to prove that rape myths against women always blame and make it seem like it is the women’s fault she was raped and that she deserved it for “acting” a certain way. McMahon (2007), in her article titled, “Understanding community-specific rape myths” explains how Lonsway and Fitzgerald (1994) later described rape myths as “attitudes and beliefs that are generally
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 for men and women who have been fighting for the definition to be changed, but unfortunately this does not mean that state laws are being changed the same way. Even though the FBI may acknowledge the older inappropriate definition, most states do not. Sexual assault is a commonly unreported crime, where only an average of 36% of sexual abuse is actually reported to the authorities (Planty 7). Some forms of rape can include physical harm, threats, and even death of the victim, and most victims do not want to tell others for fear of criticism, self-blame, or even the fear that their attackers will carry out on their threats. In many cases, victims do have a reason to be afraid. When someone is brave enough to come forward and say they were sexually assaulted, they are putting themselves in the position of being in not only a long legal process, but also having their motives questioned and misunderstood, which is the last thing they want after their experience. The legal system in the United States...
According to Marshall University, Rape Culture is defined as “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in media and popular culture.” In American society, it is not hard to find examples of rape culture. In popular movies, music, and current events there is an undeniable notion of victim blaming, and sympathizing with male perpetrators. People have begun to use the term rape as a casual adjective. For example “I just raped him in that game,” could be used to describe two people playing a game and one winning easily against the other. American society uses pop culture and current events to promote and justify the prominent rape culture.
Rape and sexual violence is a very serious problem that affects millions of people each year. Rape is someone taking advantage of another person sexually. Sexual assault can be verbal, physical, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. ("Sexual Assault.") Rape is one of the most underreported crimes. In 2002, only thirty-nine percent of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law officials. ("Sexual Violence: Fact Sheet.") Victims sometimes do not report that they have raped because of shame or feeling that it was their fault. It is never the victim's fault. "Victim blaming" is holding the victim of a crime to be in a whole or in partly responsible for what had happened to them. Most victims believe this. ("Myths and Facts about Sexual Violence.")
As research shows (cite all above research), cognitive processes within our brains lead to the tendency of victim blaming. Starting with rape myths and rape scripts, it is easy to see how our society and culture breeds victim-blaming attitudes. Historically, the United States, like many other industrialized countries, developed from a patriarchal society characterized by men holding the power and women expected to be submissive. With such an atmosphere, crimes against women
Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. This paper will evaluate rape, as well as the effects it has on women, the theory behind male dominance and patriarchy, and differences in demographics.
A writer from Southernct stated a fact that “ men, women, and children of all ages, races, religions, and economic classes have been victims of sexual assault. Sexual assault occurs in rural areas, small towns, and larger cities” ( “Southernct” 1). We have all seen on the news a case where a female has been raped and somehow the world makes us believe that it was her own fault that it happened. This is due to victim blaming. Victim blaming occurs when the victim of some sort of crime or wrongdoing is held partially or fully responsible for what happened to them. It is not always easy to identify though. Some people would be considered to be victim blaming over every day situations in life. For example, someone making the
Victim blaming refers to the victim being held responsible for the acts committed against them. Much of victim blaming stems from the traditional ideologies of gender, where women are perceived as inferior to men. These underlying views contribute to sexual assault cases involving female victims and male perpetrators, where the fault lies with the victim. The recent case involving a Stanford student, Brock Turner, who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman, Emily Doe, brought about much public controversy. Though Brock had clear motives for his actions and there was physical proof that he was at fault, allegations against the victim were constantly made. In the trial statement the victim writes, “I was told he hired a powerful attorney, expert witnesses, private investigators who were going to try and find details about my personal