Sex Crimes: Rape In The Media

Rape in the Media

Ashley Werry

CRJ 5995 1409 001/Sex Crimes

Final Paper

Due: 11/09/14

Rape is more prevalent than most people realize, although an accurate statistic is impossible to acquire due to various reasons that rapes are not reported. Studies suggest that as many as 1 out of every 4 women is a victim of either completed rape or attempted rape (Warshaw, 1988, as cited in Holmes & Holmes, 2009). The Rape Relief Center reports that every 2 minutes in the United States, a woman is raped (Holmes & Holmes, 2009). Rape is defined as “nonconsensual sex involving coercion, empowerment or anger” (Holmes & Holmes, 2009, p. 300), and rape culture is identified as a culture where rape is normalized due to attitudes about

sex and sexuality (Kitchens, 2014). Television is largely responsible for perpetuating rape myths that result in normalized attitudes toward this heinous criminal activity.
There are several misconceptions about rape.

Holmes and Holmes (2009) explain that one such myth is that rapes occur because of an uncontrollable sex drive, when in fact many rapists are in relationships where sex is readily available. Further, rape is a crime of violence and dominance/control (Cuklanz, 1998). Holmes and Holmes (2009) also explain that there are four types of rapists, including: (1) the power reassurance rapist who uses rape to increase his ego; (2) the anger retaliation rapist who uses rape for the sole purpose of making an individual suffer; (3) the power assertive rapist where rape is used to control a person; and (4) the sadistic rapist, the most dangerous, who wants to cause psychological and physical harm to an individual. Other myths about rape include: that women are able to resist rape; that all women want to be raped; women are passive and men are dominant; strangers commit most rapes; and that the number of women who falsely claim they have been raped is much larger than it really is. These are myths because in reality the victim is not at fault for the crime; women do not want to be raped; most rapes are committed by an individual who knows the victim; and only 5% of rapes are falsely reported (Holmes & Holmes,

2009).
The News
The news is one of the most popular ways that society receives information regarding crime, politics, and current events.

As such, the news should be held to some degree of responsibility about the way that it reports information. In a study conducted by Ardovini-Brooker and Caringella-McDonald (2002), it was discovered that the media contributes to the myth that certain circumstances – clothing, alcohol consumption, dating strangers – are reasons why a person is raped. This puts the blame on the victim as if her actions provoked the rape or that she asked for it. In addition, the authors found that the news reports rape as if the victim is responsible for proving there was a lack of consent and a rape occurred, yet no other crime involving a victim is reported in the same way (Ardovini-Brooker & Caringella-McDonald

2002).
In addition, Green and Loftus (1984) argue that the news does not accurately report on the actual facts of the event, which often reinforces misunderstandings about rape. Of most importance is the way the media tends to sympathize with the individuals charged with rape. When the media reports on rape myths – the victim wore a suggestive outfit, the victim was asking to be raped, there are many falsely reported rapes, etc. – it causes the viewer to show compassion to the offender and reconsider his guilt. A study that looked at ten high-profile rape cases found that 55% of the public sympathized with the offender and this was almost entirely due to certain sympathetic reporting done by the media (Ardovini-Booker & Caringells-MacDonald, 2002). Some even believe that the way the news reports and sympathizes with perpetrators can assist in their exonerations. For example, convicted rapist, Gary Dotson, was pardoned largely due to the media coverage that highlighted on Dotson’s likeable personality and that he was an unlikely perpetrator of rape (Cucklanz, 1992). By sympathizing with the offender and blaming the victim, the news contributes to the myths that women are able to avoid rape if they really want to and that too many women falsely claim rape.
Finally, the news can perpetuate the myth that rape incidences are very rare in certain communities by a lack of reporting on certain types of victimization, such as with African-American victims of rape. This is likely due to a societal belief that these women are more promiscuous than whites (Ardovini-Brooker and Caringella-McDonald, 2002). In addition, the media is guilty of reporting differently on rape cases depending on the alleged rapist’s race (Burt, 1980). Kosse (2007) explains that research has shown that sympathy toward the victim is more common with white, middle-class women, and likewise, more sympathetic toward the culprit if he is white.

Music Television
Lyrics have long perpetuated rape culture, and with the rise of music television channels, musicians are continuously creating music videos to gain attention and popularity that also perpetuate rape myths. These are often shocking videos that are filled with attractive dancers, actors, or extras, and quite a bit of sex appeal. Recently, popular artist Maroon 5 released the music video for their song Animal that has since received a lot of criticism. In this video, a female is equated to a slab a meat, video clips consist of certain female body parts without heads or faces, and the lead singer continues to pursue the female despite her rejection. The video then ends with the two actors having intercourse (Brink, 2014).
Another video that received a lot of attention for reinforcing rape myths is Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. This video, using sexist language and symbolism, reinforces victim-blaming rape myths by accusing women of giving mixed signals in the way they dress and that females really do want sex even when they deny it (Wyatt, 2013).

Commercials
One of the biggest culprits of perpetuating rape culture is television commercials. These ads objectify women, and reduce their value to their bodies alone. This portrayal results in viewers seeing women as less than human and that they are available for whatever purpose one should want from them (Soothill, Walby & Bagguley, 1990). This means that a viewer could lose the belief that consent is important or necessary.
DIRECTV received a lot of backlash for a commercial that they released where many claimed that a scene of a woman being bent over by an inflatable male trivialized rape. Not only was the woman screaming over the actions of the tube man, but it was argued that the very depiction of this male as a tube man made it seem as if men have no control of their actions. This could be seen as a perpetuation of the rape myth that blames victims by showing that a man is not in control of his actions, but a woman has the control to avoid the situation if she really wants to.

Prime-Time Television
The media, especially prime-time television, could be used as a platform to educate, generate reform movements, and advocate for victim’s rights; however, these television shows do little of any of that, and instead further perpetuate rape culture and increase misconceptions of rape. Crime dramas are currently one of the largest categories of dramas shown on television at primetime (Cuklanz, 1998). Law and Order, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and CSI, are just some examples of the crime dramas that society seems to obsess over. These shows typically are based around major crimes that are often in the news (i.e. murder and rape).
Prime-time television series’ may be the most responsible for perpetuating rape myths. Cuklanz (1998) found that these television shows very rarely bring up the topic of rape reform, and almost none of them, including episodes that involved rape trials, depicted the difficulties that victims experience when reporting rape or when testifying at trial. This lack of portraying the difficulties experienced by a victim perpetuate the myths that women want to be raped and that there are numerous false reports so they are not true victims. In addition, any sympathetic portrayals toward the victim were only done after making sure it was established that the victim was not to blame and also not lying (Cuklanz, 1998). Also, Cuklanz (1998) determined that the portrayal of masculinity in prime-time television crime shows is largely the response to feminist ideas sparking in the late 1970s and they have been carried through since. This perpetuates a belief that women are passive and men are dominant. Lastly, the author found that prime-time television does little to warn of dangers, and usually depicts the offender as a stranger to the victim, which perpetuates the myth that rapes occur far more often by strangers than an individual known to the victim. (Cuklanz, 1998).

Conclusion
The way that television perpetuates rape culture and rape myths affects how people think about and react to rape. Kosse (2007) explains that this can be very damaging since it often results in a failure to address the real causes and issues underlying rape. The media is perpetuating rape myths in several ways. First, the news inaccurately reports the crime which perpetuates the beliefs that the crime does not occur often, that women falsely cry rape, and that women ask to be raped. Also, by sympathizing with the accused offender, it leads a viewer to believe that women want to be raped and that the victim could have stopped the rape from occurring. Another way that the media perpetuates rape myths is through ads that objectify women, which causes the viewer to see women as wanting to be raped and that their purpose is solely for sexual pleasure. Finally, prime-time television’s depiction of rape crimes is inaccurate and perpetuates the beliefs that stranger rapes are a common occurrence and that rapes are falsely reported at high numbers. The media, instead of perpetuating rape myths, should be used as a platform to educate the viewer. Changing the way that the news reports on rape incidences, as well as changing the way the media – music television, prime-time television, and commercials -- portray women would help in shutting down both the myths about rape and the rape culture that currently exists.