I want to put you in the shoes of a rape victim. Let us say you are walking home alone one night after hanging out with a couple of friends who live a few minutes down the road from you. It is a hot summer night so you are wearing shorts and a tank top, a little revealing? Maybe. You are walking home, not thinking about anything in particular considering it is a walk you have walked many times before. You suddenly hear noises and notice somebody behind you, but think nothing of it considering it is summer; everybody is usually out late partying during the summer. You started thinking more when the steps got closer, louder, and more aggressive. You turn around and see nothing but you start to walk a little faster. You are getting worried. …show more content…
You were out late, alone, and dressed a little revealing. You are told you wanted it, you were dressed in provocative manner; maybe you are even called horrible names like a slut or a whore. It was not your intention right? According to many people, you have no case if you wanted to go to court. You have no proof do you? Your predator is now out there with no punishment and with the ability to be able to do that to someone else meanwhile you are left with an awfully traumatic memory that you are starting to believe is your fault. People face this every single day and it has become known as rape culture. Victims are left to believe it is their fault somebody thought it would be just fine to take the innocence of another human being for no reason. Rape, which is defined as the unlawful compelling of a person through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse, has always been a problem in society but it recently has become something bigger than just a fight about proving whether someone raped the other person or not. (Dictionary.com) Recently, cases have come to the point where if the victim was a female, she is questioned on what she was wearing and whether or not she was intoxicated. When people question the victim based on what scenery she/he was in and whether or not she was showing more skin than she should have it is called rape culture. (Dictionary.com) Rape culture is defined as a concept which links rape and sexual
According to Marshall University’s Women Center, the definition of 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.”) This can be found in ideas such as victim-blaming, trivialization of assault, and pressure for individuals to adhere to strict gender roles. This culture is
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)
Rape culture, which was coined as a culture during the second wave of feminism during the early 1970’s and was, according to the encyclopedia of rape, “often used by feminists to describe contemporary American culture as a whole.” Rape culture, by definition though, is “a culture in which rape and other sexual violence (usually against women and gender diverse peoples ) are common
It always important to be safe and also feel safe wherever you are. There is no excuse for someone to rape you out your will. Rape can be traumatizing for the helpless victim. There are many resources and talk groups provided for the victim of rape in order to help them to overcome this tragic event. Most victims cannot get over the fact that they have been touched in an inappropriate way but this helps them understand it’s not their fault. If you have been raped or know someone who has been raped you should call a trusted friend, family members or anyone that you trust who can be with you and give you support throughout the whole situation. Go to a safe place and contact the police immediately make sure you are not in any danger anymore. You are likely to go through a range of emotions, such as fear, anxiety shock, guilt and anger. However remember you are the victim of sexual assault or rape in order to cope with trauma of the event many women will just to carry on as normal and not tell anyone for a long time. Being raped is something you wouldn’t wish on anyone that’s why we need to ensure of the people we are
Rapists are rarely imprisoned for an adequate amount of time—if any—which is why once convicted, the sentencing that they receive should remain unchanged until it is fulfilled. Too many judges will allow the convict’s sentence to be shortened or changed to house arrest. Which means that survivors of rape have to deal with the fear of being raped again or even killed when their assailant is released from prison earlier than expected. Rape is a very traumatic experience and can happen to anyone. The effects after a traumatizing experience, such as rape, can last a lifetime and lead to the decay of a victim’s life. These outcomes can cause physical and mental damage for the survivor. To make matters worse, victims are essentially punished by the justice system for their own rapes when a rapist is not sufficiently prosecute and there are not any laws to protect the survivors. They are forced to live in fear of being raped again and sometimes are even ridiculed or shunned by peers and family for being raped, Therefore elucidating the impression that the rape was the fault of the victim. Many people who do not sympathize or empathize with the trauma of rape may claim that the survivor wanted to be raped. This is never true, even despite the circumstances. Nobody asks to be raped, not a woman, not a man, not a
“It wasn’t rape you were being such a tease.” “NO I said. I covered my vagina with both of my hands and I said NO! I was with a close male friend and I thought I was safe. I thought I was safe when I went out drinking with said friend and I thought I was safe when we went to my place to “hangout.” This is an anonymous rape survivor’s story. These common occurrences affect a fair portion of the population in Missoula, in comparison to the national average, and something should be done. There is also a low number of people who are there to support and help the survivors of sexual assault.
In 2014, Buzzfeed News came out with an article titled, “Sexual Assault Survivors Answer The Question “What Were You Wearing When You Were Assaulted?”, was a huge headline a couple years ago. In response, many of the survivors answered with responses such as pants and a plain t-shirt or a sweater and with sweatpants. That just shows the simplest clothes can attract a potential assaulter. For many years sexual assault has been a huge social topic amongst many individuals, especially with young females in school settings. In which many females are the ones who are blamed for being assaulted due to them wearing “provocative” attire or being in area around the wrong “timing”. In this research paper I will be arguing as to why I believe
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
Rape culture is an issue that has gained moment through the feminist movement within the last couple of decades. Rape itself has been around since the beginning of time and its definition has changed over the years. In the United
The topic that we talked about in the class, Sex Crimes and the Law that really interested me was the topic of rape. After having the guest speaker that was a Temple student really bothered me and I thought about it for days. For starters, I think it is absolutely scary that she was rapped on Temple University’s campus, to be exact in Peabody hall and absolutely nothing was done to help her. This is bothering me the most because I am a Temple student, this happened in her own room, no one helped her, and her rapist is still out there. I feel horrible that no one even tried to help and most people even made it seem like it was her fault by saying things such as “you know you wanted it”. No one wants to be rapped and the victim should never be to blame. This poor girl tried to kill herself multiple times. I believe that no one should go through this trauma alone or even go through it at all. Since our guest speaker, I have gone on a binge of watching Law & Order: SVU and even through about becoming a special victim unit detective for my career. Another reason that the topic of rapped bothered me was because just recently one of my friends came out and said that she was raped by her boyfriend. No one even knew this happened until she made it public on Facebook. For the longest time she was drawn back and really did not hang out with the group and now I know why. The guest speaker really helped me to understand, just to be there for her. When she wants to talk she will and not
“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” (1a) Today you can't turn the television on without hearing references to rape culture. Jokes about sexual abuse plague every sitcom and news channels question rape victim’s every move. Even entire shows are dedicated to the topic such as Law and Order SVU. The media trivializes rape leading to a rape culture in America.
Rape is an experience which shakes the foundations of the lives of the victims. For many its effect is long term, impairing their capacity for personal relationships, altering their behaviour and values and generating fear, Temkin (1986:17).
What is rape culture? Rape culture, a term created by feminists circa 1972, ‘…is best defined as a culture in which rape is prevalent, pervasive, and
Sexual assault and rape are on-going issues plaguing college campuses all across the nation. In part, I believe this is due to a lack of education on what sexual assault actually is. All too often, victims are leaving these situations feeling confused about something that they will forever deem "a weird night". It often isn't until much later that they realize what happened to them was a violation of their body and of their rights.
Rape culture is an environment in which social attitudes have the effect of normalizing sexual violence against women and excusing it in the media and other popular cultures. Rape culture attempts to rationalize a continuum of sexual violence that range from sexist remarks to unwanted sexual touching, and rape itself. Rape culture has become so desensitized by society that perpetrators may not be aware of their wrongdoings and victims may not realize they are being victimized. It is a culture in which victims are suppressed when they decide to speak up about their traumatic attack, because they are seen as being dramatic or untruthful while the perpetrator's actions are left unpunished. While the majority of victims are women, rape culture is not solemnly an issue of female oppression, it is a general disconnect between human beings. It is a culture that many of us refuse to accept exist, however there are numerous examples that normalize rape and sexual assault on a daily basis. Rape culture is not a new topic. The term was first used back in the 1970’s by a group of feminist to raise the awareness of the normalization of sexual violence in society. In recent years the topic has become a popular, controversial issue and has come to permeate virtually every aspect of our lives through media, song lyrics, and everyday jargon.