ElBadewi1

DaniaElBadewi

Williams
English112
25March2015
RapeCultureintheUnitedStates
Injusticeanywhereisathreattojusticeeverywhere.MartinLutherKingJr.was
certainlyrightwhenhesaidthis,theonlyproblemisthatpeopledontfixobviousinjustice
splayedoutinfrontofusrapeculture.ThereisclearinjusticeallacrosstheUnitedStates,oneof
themainonesbeingrapeculture,anenvironmentinwhichrapeisprevalentandinwhichsexual
violenceagainstwomenandmenisnormalizedandexcusedinthemediaandpopularculture.
Bymakingharmlessinappropriatejokes,andadvertisementforwomenobjectificationpeople
promoterapeculture.Peopledonottakeactionwiththiscausebyeducatingeveryoneproperly
fromthissituationonhand,insteadpeoplepushboysandgirlsintoastereotypicalthinkingthat
rapecultureandeverythingrelatedtorapecultureisajoke.
Sowhatexactlyisrapeculture?Peoplemayknowthisterm,butareunfamiliarwithwhat
itlookslike.Mostofthetimerapecultureispromotedbywhatseemsliketrivialjokes,themain
essenceofrapeculturethough,arestereotypes.Peoplecreatestereotypestoignorethisproblem.
SouthernConnecticutStateUniversitymentionsthatrapeculturelookssomethinglikethis,
blamingthevictim,trivializingsexualassault,sexuallyexplicitjokes,toleranceofsexual
harassment,inflatingfalserapereportstatistics,publiclyscrutinizingthevictimsdress,mental
state,motivesandhistory,gratuitousgenderedviolenceinmovies,andtelevision,defining
manhoodasdominantandsexuallyaggressive,definingwomanhoodassubmissiveand


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sexuallypassive,assumingonlypromiscuouswomangetraped,assumingthatmendontget
rapedoronlyweakmengetraped,refusingtotakerapeaccusationsseriously,teachingwomen
nottogetraped,insteadofteachingmennottorape.Rapeculturehasbecomesoprominentin
peopleslives,peopledontseemtonoticewhattheysay.Oneofthemainproblemspeoplehave
withrapecultureisthatboysarenttaughtnottorape.Ofcoursetherewillobviouslybe
vindictivepeoplethatnomatterwhatotherssaywillstillcommithorribleacts,butfroma
youngageboysareonlytaughtthatrapeisbad,butnotwhy.Thereareobviousreasonsbutstill
itmakessensethatboysdontunderstandthatrapeisbadbecausepeoplehaventtakeninitiative
tohaveassembliesteachingboysandgirlsthedangersofrape,peopleinsteadsecludegirlsand
tellthemonlyhowtoprotectthemselvesinsteadofdisregardingintotalkingtoboystoo.Society
educatespeopleonthewrongstereotypesandfactswhichalsoleadstoanothermaincontributor
torapeculturevictimblaming.
Victimblamingistheactoflabelingoraccusingthevictimofsexualharassmentdoneto
them.Victimblamingismassivelydetrimentaltorapeculture,womenandmenmaynotfeel
safeabouttellingsomeonewhathappenedtothemandtheircasemaynevergetopened.
Southernct.edugivesanexampleofthevictimblamingandcontinuestoexpalintheproblem
withthisstatement,
Shemusthaveprovokedhimintobeingabusive.Theybothneedto
change.

Thisstatementassumesthatthevictimisequallytoblamefortheabuse,whenin
reality,abuseisaconsciouschoicemadebytheabuser.Abusershaveachoiceinhowtheyreact
totheirpartnersactions
.

Oneofthemainvictimblamingexamplesisclothingattire.People
assumethatifawomaniswearinganarticleofclothingthathighlightstheirbodies,theywere
askingforit,whenreallyitsstillneverthevictimsfault.Peopleevengofurthertosaythat


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theydeserveditforevengoingtoletssayapartyorconsumingalcohol,peoplearesoquickto
blamethevictimbecauseitseasierthanthinkingthatsomeonecouldbeheldresponsiblefor
rape.Theresalsotheideaofrapecultureandpatriarchyhurtmen.
Patriarchyis
themanifestationandinstitutionalizationofmaledominanceoverwomen
andchildreninthefamilyandtheextensionofmaledominanceoverwomeninthesocietyin
general.Boysaretaughtatayoungagetobetoughortomanupthewordsof
encouragementpeoplegive,endupdamagingmorethanhelping.
Wagingnonviolence.org
proclaims
thatmenholdpowerinalltheimportantinstitutionsofsocietyandthatwomenare
deprivedofaccesstosuchpower.Feminismchallengesactsofmaledominanceandanalyzes,
theunderlyingpatriarchalideologythattriestomakethatdominanceseeminevitableand
immutableshowinghowdeeplypatriarchyaffectsourworldandrapeculture.Thisarticle
continuestogivethoughtprovokingquestionsandhypotheticalsituationssuchas,
Menwhodo
notrape,butwouldbewillingtorapeiftheyweresuretheywouldnotbepunished.Menwhodo
notrapebutwillnotintervenewhenanothermanrapes.Thesemenhavenotcommittedrapeby
law,butdoesthisstillmakeitethical?
Inconclusion,rapecultureisanextremelydangeroussituationthatpeopletrivialize
becausepeopledontrealizethatsocialmediaalongsidewithourselvespromoterapeandrape
culture.Therearesomanycontributingfactorstorapeculture,buttosumitup,peoplearethe
mastersoftheirowndestruction.Inotherwords,peoplehavecreatedthismess,butthatalso
meanspeoplecanfixittoo.Bymoreawarenessofthisissuepeoplecouldmakeahugechangein
theesocialconstructthatpeoplehavecreated.Butevenwithalltheknowledgeandtoolsneeded
tofixthisproblem,itsunlikelypeoplewillbewillingtobecomeanactivistandhelp.People


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lovetheirignoranceinsteadoftheknowledgebecausesometimestotruthistoohardtodeal
with.


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Workscited
"EssentialConcepts:HowPatriarchyandRapeCultureHurtMen."
SaferCampus.org
.N.p.,1
Mar.2011.Web.24Mar.2015.
"Rape,RapeCulture,andtheproblemofPatriarchy."
WagingNonViolence.org
.N.p.,n.d.Web.
24Mar.2015.
"RapeCulture."
Marshall.edu
.N.p.,n.d.Web.24Mar.2015.
"RapeCulture,VictimBlaming,andMyths."
Southernct.edu
.N.p.,n.d.Web.24Mar.2015.
"WebInfoonSexualAssaultandAbuse."
UIC.edu
.N.p.,n.d.Web.24Mar.2015.