Rape Culture 101

Click the links to read more 


“…a complex set of beliefs that encourage male sexual aggression and supports violence against women. It is a society where violence is seen as sexy and sexuality as violent. In a rape culture, women perceive a continuum of threatened violence that ranges from sexual remarks to sexual touching to rape itself. A rape culture condones physical and emotional terrorism against women as the norm . . . In a rape culture both men and women assume that sexual violence is a fact of life, inevitable . . . However . . . much of what we accept as inevitable is in fact the expression of values and attitudes that can change.”
-          Emilie Buchenwald





“To understand rape culture better, first we need to understand that it’s not necessarily a society or group of people that outwardly promotes rape (although it could be).
When we talk about rape culture, we’re discussing something more implicit than that. We’re talking about cultural practices (that, yes, we commonly engage in together as a society) that excuse or otherwise tolerate sexual violence.
We’re talking about the way that we collectively think about rape.
More often than not, it’s situations in which sexual assault, rape, and general violence are ignored, trivialized, normalized, or made into jokes.
And this happens a lot.”

follow the link above for 25 real examples of casual, everyday rape culture


follow the link for picks of the twitter hashtag #EverydaySexism


"…male victims of rape have been feminized and, just like female victims, are thus erased, ignored ,or deemed unimportant. Male victims are sometimes brought up in an attempt to derail conversations about rape culture by people seeking to invalidate the concept. These detractors are often unaware that misogyny underlies crimes of sexual dominance against men as well as women."



 Comment or pop up for any questions :)
Hannah


8 comments:

  1. So. If I say a rape joke, then that is 'rape culture' and if I say a joke about Jews or African Americans I am immediately a Nazi and/or I hate black people and their lives all mean naught. Correct? So if I was to joke about anything I am immediately someone who believes whole heartedly in the joke and will act out according to it.
    This same objectification happens when a female calls a male hot? That since rape is defined by penetration that women can't rape and that even during the act of sex if a woman retracts her consent he is immediately a rapist? Or Emma Sulkowicz lied about being raped and is glorified?
    Are you promoting the idea that male rape victims are not rape victims, by saying that is trying to invalidate rape of females are you not saying that itself is invalid? Is that not a circular argument.
    Male victims don't get support, male victims are trivialized, barely any male shelters are available.
    There is bare minimum evidence to support your case that rape culture is a real thing. By legal definitions rape culture cannot exist as there are laws against rape.
    What you are doing, is pushing for censorship, the day I can tell a stupid joke at my own expense will be gone, soon I HAVE to feel victimized if someone makes a general joke about a race I happen to be a part of.
    I'd like to hear your ideas about this, not other people's. Thank you.
    Also if you don't mind, I'd like to hear your responses to my previous comments as I can't seem to access your old blog very well.

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  2. Lets break down your points:
    1. Male rape victims.
    It is very true that male rape victims are not given the opportunity, airtime, or respect to speak up about their experiences which are just as valid as any woman's. However many people use the "male rape victim" argument in order to prove that rape culture doesnt exist and/or that women are overreacting. If you look at the statistics, you will see that 97% of rapists are men. So while many men are raped and systematically silenced, the perpetrators are that same demographic of men who create rape culture. rape culture affects men in that it shames men who are raped because they are painted as "weak" "effeminate" or "gay", all of which are also negative social stigmas. So basically yeah thanks for pointing out that men are raped too, because its the exact same problem that leads to women literally living in fear of the random man on the street because we have been taught that he has the potential to harm us regardless of our personal choices :)
    2. Telling rape jokes
    a) http://41.media.tumblr.com/a6e22ec78f210d0f1fb084b55eae6884/tumblr_n5lp2v7BB41soprbro1_1280.jpg
    b) http://40.media.tumblr.com/8cc648715d5493fafb3594a725e21c84/tumblr_n5lp2v7BB41soprbro2_1280.jpg
    c) http://36.media.tumblr.com/a9ac4ed75effa18e7f9df9036ce7d71d/tumblr_n5lp2v7BB41soprbro3_1280.jpg
    d) http://40.media.tumblr.com/752c63549e57fdfbdbc04c230090916e/tumblr_n5lp2v7BB41soprbro4_1280.jpg
    e) http://40.media.tumblr.com/9b20da879a607e5f87fd0d4b9bf3591a/tumblr_n5lp2v7BB41soprbro5_1280.jpg
    f) http://40.media.tumblr.com/555f0fd6f6cccc56e9c07ba44a392713/tumblr_n5lp2v7BB41soprbro6_1280.jpg
    g) http://40.media.tumblr.com/e16325c59ba784039411506a643fc31e/tumblr_n5lp2v7BB41soprbro7_1280.jpg
    h) http://41.media.tumblr.com/d8850c66596107dda5487f8565cb645b/tumblr_n5lp2v7BB41soprbro8_1280.jpg
    so sorry about all the links, it was the only way I could send the pics

    and last but not least: "barely any male shelters are available". YES! its such a problem! ...the fact that it is a problem does not mean rape culture ceases to exist? in fact it is part of it

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  3. Also if you actually follow the links on the page, many of the articles actually address what you're saying :)

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  4. There are more men that are raped in the US than there is women, because of the number in prison that get raped. If you are going to address rape, please do it fairly and worry about everyone, not just the women. I am a woman and I have often joked about raping men, are you saying that I am promoting rape culture towards myself? This whole article revolves around putting down men and is a very constricted view on the world.

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  5. The "more men are raped" argument often comes up, and it is extremely legitimate, just not quite in the way you are phrasing it. Yes more men are raped in the US, and 97% of this rape is perpetuated /by/ men. Rape culture is prevalent in our society due to the social conditioning that men receive throughout their lives, that leads them to certain mindsets and behaviours - some intentional, some not - that normalises rape. The reason we need more knowledge about rape culture is to recognise that we must be diligent in educating young boys correctly to prevent this (e.g. properly teaching people what real consent is... so many people dont know!). So by being aware of rape culture and how it is perpetuated in and by a male dominated society, we help both the men and women who rape victims.

    That said, you are also correct that most men are raped in prison.
    a) as a feminist I believe incarceration and the prison system is wrong and unjustly treats men.
    b) the reason a lot of articles etc. about rape culture talk about female victims is because women are the ones who most commonly detriment from the /culture/. Although statistically more men are raped, men generally do not have to fear rape while walking alone at night, do not have to fear having their drink spiked and subsequently being raped, do not have to fear that someone will not accept "no" to sex as an answer. Rape culture most often victimises women because women usually /fear/ rape on a daily basis, due to a male dominated, sexual-violence-normalised society.

    And lastly, calling out a patriarchal system that benefits men is not "putting men down". its calling attention to unfair privilege that causes the oppression of women. It is constructive, and should make men feel empowered to help the feminist cause :)

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  6. I think the bigger issues is the private nature of the crime boiling down to conflicting testimonials. You can't convict someone of rape on a single eyewitness testimony and even if there is proof of intercourse it is difficult to prove that consent wasn't given. Its a unique crime with biological skews that overly complicates the prosecution process.

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  7. One of the links you provided mentioned victim blaming.
    If I leave my car with its doors open on the street in a neighbourhood with a high crime rate and my car is stolen, it's not my fault. The thief is at fault for violating my proprietary rights. That being said it was/is a stupid decision. Similarly a victim of rape is never truly at fault, but suggesting preventative measures is in no way blaming the victim, rather it is practical advice aimed at minimising risk.
    The notion that men are taught that they have special permissions to violate bodily autonomy is ludicrous. Contrary to your beliefs there is no secret club where men are taught to employ subterfuge and societal conditioning to obtain exclusive advantages or to violate civil rights.

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  8. Hannah this was a phenomenal read tonight thank you x

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