Persuasive Essay On Rape Culture

Unsolicited Advice

“Grab them by the pussy.” Although, perhaps not the most shrewd advice uttered by a presidential candidate, Donald Trump’s comments have drawn international attention and raised political stir among Americans. Such advice has not been received well—as expected in the 21st century—to say the least. Allegations of sexual misconduct soon followed and were swiftly dismissed as “false smears” and after all, “[t]ake a look... look at her.” As Trump implies, these women are not attractive enough to be victims of sexual violence. A presidential candidate implied some women are not attractive enough to be victims of sexual violence; and nevertheless, he vies with a feasible chance for the presidency. Still, Trump’s locker room talk

Ranging from “a culture [in which] authorities [do] not tak[e] the rape victim seriously” to the “objectification and de-personification of women [in society which] creates a feedback loop for rapists”, rape culture can be generalized as an “environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture” (Speech-geek, CricketPinata). There are many countries where the roots of male hegemony and entitlement are still ingrained in society, but in a progressive country like America, these roots are and continue to be uprooted by those in pursuit of equality. Although these roots still have a draining effect on society in the form of systemic sexism, rape culture is hardly the sole causation of rape as it is often conveyed. Furthermore, to even suggest that rape is condoned or a cultural norm in American society, one has to completely ignore the advances in women 's rights during the 20th and 21st centuries. Similarly, if America meets the criteria of rape culture, then why have Trump’s comments received such unanimous backlash? This reaction is far from the apathy expected of a country where “society normalizes sexualized violence” (“What Is Rape

As social theorist Jackson Katz believes, the way masculinity is defined in the media “ha[s] a profound impact on who we are, and on our tastes, attitudes, and the kinds of choices we make” (430). There is no denying Katz’s analysis, as masculinity and femininity in the media play prominent roles in sexual inequality in society, but the blaming of rape on the media through rape culture is an extreme distortion. The coverage of sexual misconduct in no ways glorifies it and particular grievances with the media’s presentation further detracts from actual discussion about solutions, a sentiment similar to that of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. As America’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN asserts “there has been an unfortunate trend towards blaming rape culture for the extensive problem of sexual violence…[however] Rape is caused not by cultural factors but by conscious decisions.” As expected, rape is always a decision made of a person’s own volition, so to pin the cause on rape culture only helps to conflate the problem with systemic sexism. Sexual violence against men has also been glossed over by the feminist-tinged presentation of rape culture. Likewise, presentation of rape culture often includes dubious statistics with inflated numbers, but the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the rate of