I confess I don't understand "rape culture"

[libodem]

I went looking for answers and definitions. I found this story. I'm still researching why the terminology bothers me so much.


http://slatestarcodex.com/2013/04/19/i-do-not-understand-rape-culture/

[Atman]

1. It's a HoF invention.

They need something to be outraged about. Fortunately, they all have me on ignore so I can speak freely.

[libodem]

2. I went googling

And the name has roots in the mid seventies. I wouldn't have thought so. I have the same resentment about that group pushing an agenda.

I think our lenses of perception colors our world views.

It seems distorted to me. But I want to be fair. And I want to understand.

[tosh]

3. There is a commenter there

with user name "Fnord". I highly recommend her/his comments to stimulate the thought process.

[libodem]

5. I scrolled down to read them

Interesting.

[BainsBane]

11. Completely false

A simple google search would show you it's a well established concept developed by academics.

[redqueen]

13. You could not have demonstrated your lack of empathy any more clearly.

Thank you. For anyone still in doubt, that should clear it up.

[Atman]

14. Oh, surprise! Redqueen is going to call me a pig again!

Nothing I can say would ever matter to you, would ever change your mind. None of the work I've done for NOW or NARAL means anything to you. My comment was not about rape or rape culture. It was about the guerrilla bully tactics of your DU group and the division it has caused among otherwise good, decent DUers.

[redqueen]

15. "My comment was not about rape or rape culture."

No?

What was this about: "It's a HoF invention."

[hrmjustin]

27. I am sorry to budge in here but you did say rape culture is a hof invention.

[niyad]

24. some of us are actually aware of your speech. given your statement, it is easily understood why

so many have you on ignore.

[rrneck]

4. I think a good argument can be made for it

But I'm still working on it.

[libodem]

6. I think overstating it as a total culture

Phenomena makes it seem like a bludgeon to beat all men over the head with.

Instead of gaining support for an antirape campaign, any one asking questions may stand accused of being apologists and therefore an enemy. Support and understanding are lost.

[Niceguy1]

7. when I hear the term rape culture

India comes to mind. But I don't think it's reasonable to use the term for American society because we do not have a rape culture. Rate is not legal and not encouraged.

[BlueToTheBone]

8. Sudan the DRC

also come to mind. But sports players have real issues.

[libodem]

9. Same here

I think possible military, some Fraturnities, and the sports/jock types that might be protected by schools and coaches. I think there are pockets of possible protection and denial. But not all of America and not the whole world. I hope.

I checked wiki for definitions and history. Seems the notion started around 1975. I think that is when the concept of date rape took hold. I think it was a rather new idea that if your date pressed you for sex after you already said no, that they figured you wanted sex, and went ahead anyway. I think it was new to press charges for forcing intentions on someone you actually went out with. We had to get over the guilt and shame of putting oneself in such a position. Then all the horrors of a rape trial to make it seem like you were actually willing.

[arcane1]

32. That was also the era of "playing hard-to-get" which I always thought was insane.

Telling women "if you want it, men love it if you say 'no'" while telling men "if she says 'no' then she really likes it". No wonder the concept of date rape took hold!

[rrneck]

10. Any time I see the word

"culture" preceded by a noun a red flag goes up for me. It's a deliciously imprecise phrase that seems to have more to do with the perceptions of the person making an accusation than any objective reality. But everything comes from something, and the concept itself could have some basis in fact.

[BainsBane]

12. I find the basic Wikipedia definition of rape culture instructive

There are lots of ways in which rape culture is manifested, but the most important, I believe, relate to impediments in prosecuting rape like other crimes.

Within feminism, rape culture is a concept that links rape and sexual violence to the culture of a society,[1] and in which prevalent attitudes and practices normalize, excuse, tolerate, and even condone rape.[2]
Examples of behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include victim blaming, sexual objectification, and trivializing rape. Rape culture has been used to model behavior within social groups, including prison rape and conflict areas where war rape is used as psychological warfare. Entire countries have also been alleged to be rape cultures.[3][4][5][6][7]
Although the concept of rape culture is used in feminist academia,[8] there is disagreement over what defines a rape culture and to what degree a given society meets the criteria to be considered a rape culture.[3]
Rape culture has been observed to correlate with other social factors and behaviors. Research identifies correlation between rape myths, victim blaming and trivialization of rape with increased incidence of racism, homophobia, ageism, classism, religious intolerance and other forms of discrimination.[9][10]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_culture

The tendency to disbelieve victims, to hold them responsible for assaults against them by focusing on dress, drinking, and the woman's movements are all part of rape culture. Rape culture includes the shaming of victims, lately through social media, denouncing young rape victims as "sluts" and bullying them until they commit suicide, all while covering up for the offenders. Rape culture is the fact that only 3% of rapes end up with the perpetrator doing jail time (US stats from RAINN), means that rapists act with near impunity. The fact that any time a rapist is identified some people (like on DU) feel compelled to defend him and malign the victim. Rape culture is a whole series of attitudes that lead to the normalization of rape, the trivialization of its severity, and the low prosecution and conviction rates, as well as absurd jail terms of 30 days or sometimes nothing for what is a horrifically violent assault that destroys the lives of victims,

As Wikipedia notes, it is a concept explored by academics and not an invention of HOF posters. Anyone can verify that with a simple Google search.

[Atman]

16. I find it kind of fascinating...

...that despite the quote you posted...

Rape culture has been used to model behavior within social groups, including prison rape and conflict areas where war rape is used as psychological warfare. Entire countries have also been alleged to be rape cultures.

...your follow-up comments focus solely upon women, and you express no similar outrage toward prison rape, war rape, gay rape, etc. The very first words in your quote are "WITHIN FEMINISM..." so aren't these other issues concerns within feminism, too? Or is your concern focused only on the kind of rape that might happen to you personally?

I feel I must post this disclaimer once again, because most of your group has me on ignore (wrongly, I feel); I have done a lot of work for NOW, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and even LGBT rights campaigns. My apologies for saying the term Rape Culture was "invented" by HoF posters. That was going too far, but I hadn't actually seen your Wiki post at the time. However, the term is certainly PROMOTED by HoF posters, and used a cudgel to beat others over the head until they shut up, get banned, get alerted on or otherwise go away. It is not used to PROMOTE discussion or understanding. Speaking from a feminist who has been banned from the History of Feminism group.

[seaglass]

17. I would guess more people are ignoring you rather than have you on ignore. Do you think people

forgot why you stomped off for a while, thought by now you had figured it out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2407288
Atman (26,969 posts)
45. Who invented "18"

Why is it special? At that magical age, you can die in war, but not drink. You are an "adult" but you can't rent a car. What makes 18 special? A piece of paper some guy wrote and got passed into law. Ask the 16 year old whether or not he was "endangered" by having a skanky snatch ground in his face. He'd probably disagree with you. But give him two years, then it's all okay.

[BainsBane]

20. I had forgotten that

I feel most disgusted that someone is allowed to remain on this site after expressing such views. But what would I know. I'm not a real feminist anyway. I actually think the the lives of women like myself are relevant. Clearly I know nothing.

[seaglass]

21. I'm not likely to ever forget it but only bring it up when the poster starts the poor innocent me/

bad HoF act.

[redqueen]

22. Ugh. I forgot about that.

What an absolute shock to see the same person who posted that thinks rape culture is "a HoF invention".

[seaglass]

23. Well I was wrong then - it seems people did forget, sad for the poster that I didn't. LOL. n/t

[BainsBane]

18. Yes. we in HOF actually read

and some of us actually look into an issue before making a point of spouting off about something we know nothing about. Despite your insistence that women's rights be restricted to abortions, some of us think we actually have a right to be free from violence. I'm sorry that disturbs you so much. I don't need to consult you on whether I speak up for my basic human rights. What you call yourself is entirely irrelevant to me.

[Atman]

19. My "insistence that women's rights be restricted to abortions"??!!

It "disturbs me so much?" And you still don't see why so many DUers see you as irrelevant? And simply a reactionary bully?

I have done far more to help "your cause," however you wish to define that, than 99% of the posters on DU. Actively helping. But you choose to mis-read my posts and get all bent out of shape, and then wonder why you have become...

Never mind. I won't get goaded into a hidden post.

[niyad]

26. done more than 99%? I am so very impressed that you know how all the posters on DU spend

their time.

[niyad]

25. you are perfectly free to post about all those areas that you feel are being ignored.

[niyad]

28. having skimmed through just part of that (need strong drink to finish the usual claptrap), can

see the confusion.


Rape Culture
What is the “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.

Rape Culture affects every woman. The rape of one woman is a degradation, terror, and limitation to all women. Most women and girls limit their behavior because of the existence of rape. Most women and girls live in fear of rape. Men, in general, do not. That’s how rape functions as a powerful means by which the whole female population is held in a subordinate position to the whole male population, even though many men don’t rape, and many women are never victims of rape. This cycle of fear is the legacy of Rape Culture.
Examples of Rape Culture:

Blaming the victim (“She asked for it!”)
Trivializing sexual assault (“Boys will be boys!”)
Sexually explicit jokes
Tolerance of sexual harassment
Inflating false rape report statistics
Publicly scrutinizing a victim’s dress, mental state, motives, and history
Gratuitous gendered violence in movies and television
Defining “manhood” as dominant and sexually aggressive
Defining “womanhood” as submissive and sexually passive
Pressure on men to “score”
Pressure on women to not appear “cold”
Assuming only promiscuous women get raped
Assuming that men don’t get raped or that only “weak” men get raped
Refusing to take rape accusations seriously
Teaching women to avoid getting raped instead of teaching men not to rape

How can men and women combat Rape Culture?

Avoid using language that objectifies or degrades women
Speak out if you hear someone else making an offensive joke or trivializing rape
If a friend says she has been raped, take her seriously and be supportive
Think critically about the media’s messages about women, men, relationships, and violence
Be respectful of others’ physical space even in casual situations
Always communicate with sexual partners and do not assume consent
Define your own manhood or womanhood. Do not let stereotypes shape your actions.
Get involved! Join a student or community group working to end violence against women.

http://www.marshall.edu/wcenter/sexual-assault/rape-culture/

[giftedgirl77]

29. Personally as a 36 yr old mother of 2 sons & aunt

of 2 teenage nieces one of whom I am sharing in the duties of raising, I think the term rape culture is abused (especially on DU) which is why I stay out of many of these debates.

It was blown out of proportion a few months ago within the Robin Thicke song Blurred Lines, apparently that was advocating rape somehow. But what people fail to understand is the different cultures & age groups as a whole when it comes to things like that.

Stubenville, the rape case in MT where the guy got like 30 days demonstrate the best idea of what I would consider a "rape culture". I would consider it an environment that breeds a culture where rape & sexual violence is acceptable.

[niyad]

30. what is rape culture? answered by women against violence against women

What is Rape Culture?

Rape culture is a term that was coined by feminists in the United States in the 1970’s. It was designed to show the ways in which society blamed victims of sexual assault and normalized male sexual violence.

Many feminists have provided great definitions of what rape culture is and how it plays out everyday. Emilie Buchwald, author of Transforming a Rape Culture, describes that when society normalizes sexualized violence, it accepts and creates rape culture. In her book she defines rape culture as 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.

The website Force: Upsetting the Rape Culture explains how rape culture is the images, language, laws and other everyday phenomena that we see and hear everyday that validate
and perpetuate rape. Rape culture includes jokes, TV, music, advertising, legal jargon, laws, words and imagery, that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable. Rather than viewing the culture of rape as a problem to change, people in a rape culture think about the persistence of rape as “just the way things are.”

Melissa McEwan, the founder of the political and cultural group blog Shakesville, provides an extensive definition of rape culture that answers the questions What does Rape Culture look like and sound like and feel like? It is an excellent definition that provides various examples of Rape Culture, and it can be found here.

Furthermore, WAVAW itself did a comprehensive blog piece on Rape Culture just several months ago, titled “Rape Culture is Real—And Yes, We’ve Had Enough”, which included citing recent current events that exemplified Rape Culture:

Rape culture is…

…the existence of “Keep Calm and Rape A Lot” t-shirts. They really, seriously exist.

…the media’s constant glossing-over of sexual assault with euphemistic language: “inappropriate behaviour,” “sexual misconduct,” and even plain old “having sex.”

…Facebook’s refusal to pull sadistically graphic images of violence against women (while deeming photos of breastfeeding moms to be objectionable)!

…a beauty website that calls toddlers “effing hot” – even the preschool set can’t escape objectification!

…a magazine editor’s blasé admission that “the women we feature in the magazine are ornamental” and “objectified.”

…major news outlets waxing sympathetic about how two teen rapists’ “promising” lives will be destroyed by a youthful mistake, without once mentioning how the rape might affect the survivor.

…kids who call losing a sports game “getting totally raped.”

…a pizza marketing campaign that makes a joke out of rape.

…a subculture of self-proclaimed “ratters” who hack into women’s computers and steal their photos.

…college women being instructed to vomit or urinate on demand to protect themselves against rape.

…10,000 untested rape kits collecting dust on a shelf somewhere.
quotes3

We need to notice this stuff, get outraged, and share our outrage with others. Staying aware of rape culture is painful work, but we can’t interrupt the culture of violence unless we are willing to see it for what it is.

http://www.wavaw.ca/what-is-rape-culture/

[niyad]

31. a very interesting article here on rape culture and victim control/rapist control

http://www.k-state.edu/womenscenter/docs/Defining%20a%20Rape%20Culture.pdf