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The impact of rape culture
How rape myths are embedded
The impact of rape culture
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Rape and rape culture are very real and present problems with our post-secondary system. Not a day goes by without a new revelation, number or statistic coming to light. Not a day goes by without feminists screaming to “take back the night” and men’s rights advocates crying for sex. There probably isn’t a person in existence who doesn’t have an opinion on the issue. There is so much focus on it, millions of dollars going into solving it. So, now there is a question we must ask ourselves - why is none of it working? Why are rape numbers increasing, instead of the other way around? Rape numbers are not decreasing because no one wants to address the root causes of the issue. Universities and colleges don 't want to crack down on alcohol abuse …show more content…
They insist that these rapes are isolated incidents, and most certainly have nothing to do with an attitude prevalent on campuses everywhere. Rapes, to them, are simply the result of drunken college students making poor judgements. “It was an unfortunate mistake,” they say. However, a quick study of the evidence shows that defence to be completely false. There is overwhelming evidence that most rapes are premeditated. Lisak says that most, contrary to popular belief, don’t stem from “mixed signals” or “dates gone bad”. Nine out of ten campus rapes are perpetrated by serial rapists. He himself admits to having previously harboured what he calls a “naive schema” that these numbers “may be true about crime in the community or crime in the military but surely university students are different. Turns out they’re not. But it’s a mental step to understand that there are a small number of repeat sex offenders who enroll in universities just as there are sex offenders in the military” (“Myths”). The simple fact that the majority of rapists are repeat offenders indicates a flawed mentality. One rape could possibly be a lapse in judgement, but two? For multiple rapes, the perpetrator has to believe his actions are okay. Nine out of ten rapists believeing their actions are okay indicates a prevalent, flawed mentality; one that universities fail to recognize. Progress cannot be made because universities are too afraid of damaging their reputation to even acknowledge rape
“Ruling Out Rape” by Lisa Wade, Brian Sweeney, Amelia Seraphia Derr, Michael A. Messner, and Carol Burke discusses the views of five experts about the factors involved in rape. One viewpoint reviews about college campus’ rapes and who are likely to do it. In addition, the viewpoints also includes that officials need to understand what are the factors involved in these rapes in order to create policies to contain sexual assaults. Wade also includes that rape is a culture that is not deemed as real rape as it is claim that women would falsely report being assaulted by a man. However, this also is partly due to campus policy as alcohol is one factor that can contribute to men committing sexual assault.
With one in five college students experiencing sexual assault during their college career who wouldn’t be afraid? This remains especially true for young women between the ages of 18-24 (“The Realities of Sexual Assault”). While a woman’s freshman and sophomore year of college are when she is at a most risk for assault, it can happen at any time. According to Robin Gray in the article on sexual assault statistics, “between 20% and 25% of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career,” (Gray). At Northwest Missouri State University for the 2016-2017 academic year there are 5,618 undergraduate students enrolled. With the ratio of male to female students being 44% to 56%, there are about 3,147 female students. In terms of the statistics estimated by Gray, 630-787 of the female student population at Northwest Missouri State will experience rape during their college career (“Northwest Missouri State University”). This is a disturbingly large figure. Women are not the only ones susceptible to these acts, but men are too. It is said about “10%” of all sexual assault cases involve male victims (“The Realities of Sexual Assault”). While this number is slightly lower for men it is often believed that male victims of sexual assault do not often report their crime due to the social stigma surrounding their assault. Men may feel
If the solution to a problem as large and as serious as rape was to simply have an open conversation about the matter, then there is no question whether or not that conversation would have already taken place. Unfortunately, rape and sexual assault is a difficult situation that affects many people across all ages, race, gender, economic status, and neighborhoods. For a problem to have such a wide effect on such a diverse group of people, the solution is much more complex than merely holding a discussion regarding the issue. To say that holding a discussion about the matter will provide a resolution, is again trivializing the severity of the crime. Additionally, another drawback in the belief that by the power of communication rape and sexual assault will come to an end, is that it implies that the perpetrator does not know what they are doing is blameworthy, in fact the converse is true. Studies have shown that sexual predators, on college campuses, are repeat offenders, with an average number of victims at a staggering six, thus proving that rapists on university campuses are aware of what they are doing and are still continuing to part in, and contribute to, their
“Every 21 hours there is a rape on an American College Campus” (Sexual Violence on College Campuses). Sexual assault is something many have heard of and maybe know someone who was sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Sexual assault and sexual violence has been around for as long as our history books can tell us. With multiple cultural changes and new “fads”, as some may say, of college life; sexual assault has become a sort of recurring phenomenon of college lifestyles. This is not a positive thing and in no way should this be labeled as something good for college campuses. Sexual assault on college campuses should be prosecuted as rape can be falsely accused, non-consensual or under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and is permanently
The ever changing country, and further world, in which Americans live provides and arena for change in all forums of the daily lives of Americans including rape culture and rape law reform. The ever increasing number of rapes that occur each year are serious crimes and must be addressed as such despite the unwillingness of the general public to do so. This unwillingness to change the way certain things have always been looked at our carried out, is the main problem facing the American people today. In order for reform of any sort to happen, whether it is the treatment of rape victims post-trial, the way trials are conducted, or the way the media portrays rape victims, Americans must be willing and able to differentiate between popular rape myths and facts. This means that the public must take it upon themselves to become educated upon an uncomfortable topic.
Sexual assault is defined as any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and In the United States 80% of sexual assault victims are under the age of 30. Of that 80%, 44% are under the age of 18 (RAINN, 2016). That leaves 36% of victims between the ages of 18 and 30. These percentages become even more alarming when that 80% is of about 293,000 victims of secual assualt each year (RAINN, 2016). It is estimated that 1 in every 6 women in the US has been or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. The risks of sexual assault increase on college campuses. Women ages 18-24 who are enrolled in college are 3 times more likely than women in general to suffer from sexual violence (RAINN, 2016). One would think that with all these women being sexually assaulted, one would hear more about it, or perhaps the police stations would constantly be busy. This is not the case. Sexual assault is one of the most unreported crimes, with 68% still being left unreported (RAINN, 2016). This could be because of every 100 rapists, only 2 will spend a day in jail. Of the 32 out of 100 that would be reported, only 7 are referred to an arrest (RAINN, 2016). Why would men or women want to report sexual assault when the system that is supposed to protect them fails so often, and why does this system continue to fail?
There are many notable examples of rape culture, one being the lyrics of the popular songs such rap song “U.O.E.N.O”, which is an acronym for “you don’t even know”. In the song rapper Rick Ross states that he “put Molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it. I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.” For weeks the popular rapper’s lyrics were in the news and feminists around the world were in uproar over the ‘rapist-like’, sexually-insensitive lyrics. The lyrics embodied rape culture, because Ross’ lyrics made it seem morally sound to drug a woman and have sex with her without her consent. This was an international incident.
Rape culture on college campuses is a prominent issue that various universities cannot effectively tame. Unfortunately, many put quotations on the issue as if its presence on college campuses is not as dramatic or detrimental as statistics illustrate. Although there are programs that receive grants to educate youth and young adults on rape prevention, the percentages of reported incidents and unreported incidents are not reducing as planned. This is in direct relation to some colleges and programs believing that “rape prevention is still a woman’s job”. (Allen) As reported by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted during their college career suggesting that this is more than a woman’s
Rape is the unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse. According to the Sexual Assault Statistics “,only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police department per year.” Women who are a victim of rape suffer a lifetime of fear, emotional stress and depression, but their rapist is sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison, depending on the severity of the case. After 25 years, Crista Stephens out of Houston, Texas can now speak about the night she was attacked and raped, but still, trembles every time she speaks her rapist name. Educating yourself, family, friends and peers can decrease your chances of being a victim of rape. Are 20 years long enough for a rapist to be behind
A survey from the Association of American Universities of 150,000 students found that more than one in four women experience sexual assault during their four years in college. Over the four year college period, 27.2% of female students are victims of unwanted sexual contact that ranges from touching to rape (6). Sexual assault is far too common and it is an epidemic that faces many students in college. Many students suffer from the consequences of sexual assault, which is a result of many social and cultural deficiencies, but it can be fixed through a multifaceted approach. The problem of sexual assault can be fixed through the education of the community, a positive and helpful school environment, and classes focused on prevention.
According to a statement addressing the sexual victimization of college women The Crime and Victimization in America states that, “ One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus.” This disturbing fact has not minimized throughout the years, instead it is continuing to worsen throughout college campuses. Sexual assault is not an act to be taken lightly. Society must stop pinpointing the individuals who commit these crimes one by one, but rather look at the problem as a whole and begin to understand the main cause of sexual assault and possible methods to reduce these acts of sexual coercion.
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...
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.")
...re was a new newsletter detailing a nighttime attack on campus every 2 months. They’d have a police sketch, campus escort numbers, everything. Nobody’s going to pick up a paper and read “Jenny Eldman was Raped by Bobby Porter Last Night Even Though He Said He Just Wanted to Hang Out and Study For the English Mid-Term” It’s because these crimes are so very personal they go unmentioned, despite their obvious frequency. Just as “the personal is political,” rape is not a private issue, but a public one. Acquaintance rape cannot be considered solely a "personal" issue involving a particular man and a particular woman. It is a problem that concerns all men and all women because it deals with the basic issue of the ways in which men and women relate to each other. There is a need for rape prevention programs in colleges and universities not only to help women protect themselves but to help men understand the issue of rape. Denial is an easy solution for both the victims and perpetrators of this “hidden” crime. Hopefully as the facts about aqauintance rape come to the surface, people will get the information they need to re-shape their ideas. Isn’t that what college is for?
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.