Rape Culture Does Not Exist
[QUOTE]April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and it will be used to promote a big lie — namely, that we live in a “rape culture.”+
The term “rape culture” was coined by politically correct (PC) feminists in the 1970s. It refers to attitudes, beliefs, and values that allegedly normalize sexual violence against women and encourage the act of rape by men. America is called a “rape culture” because sexual violence is deemed to be so pervasive that all women live in constant danger from all men. The violence or threat of it occurs on a continuum running from sexual glances to physical rape. The fact that so many people are unaware of the rape culture surrounding them only points to its omnipresence; that is, the rape culture is supposed to be as common as air and taken as much for granted.+
The solution proposed by PC feminists is to change the fundamentals of society, especially with regard to gender, sexuality, and power. Institutions such as law, religion, and the educational system must be deconstructed and reconstructed in order to remove the alleged danger and discrimination that is inherent in being a woman today. Of course, this deconstruction and reconstruction requires extensive action by the state. For instance, PC feminists are trying to use the dubious legal doctrine of “affirmative consent” to increase the regulation of sex on post-secondary campuses.+
The idea that America is a rape culture is a particularly vicious big lie, because it brands all men as rapists or rape facilitators. This lie has been successful despite reality. The rate of actual rape is declining. The crime is severely punished, and even an accusation can ruin lives; men who rape are reviled; the social messages on rape delivered regularly to young men are the opposite of encouragement.+
Nevertheless, in January 2014, the White House Council on Women and Girls issued a report that stated, “1 in 5 women has been sexually assaulted while in college” (PDF). A key reason for this amazingly high statistic is that the report significantly expands the definition of rape, and it counts every accusation as true. Since then, the “1 in 5” statistic has gained legs in the media and been used as proof that we live in a rape culture. (For a debunking of the White House report, please see The Future of Freedom Foundationarticle “Making Men Rapists.”)+
How do big lies like this one become politically powerful forces?+
Finally, a Good Reason to Use Hitler in a Discussion +
The concept of a “big lie” as a propaganda tool is often traced back to Adolf Hitler and his bookMein Kampf (1925). In its pages, he accused Jews and Marxists of shifting responsibility for the loss of World War I onto the shoulders of a particular German Army officer. Hitler wrote,+
n the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily.… [T]hey more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.
Here are some of the components that build a successful big lie:+
A Sea Change on “Rape Culture”?+
A fascinating phenomenon is occurring. There has been significant blowback to the White House report and to PC activists who suggest lowering the standards of evidence and legal procedures by which, for instance, campus hearings find male students guilty of rape. A remarkable flood of articles have criticized the “rape culture” campaign, and they have done so in prominent venues. One example: Caroline Kitchens has published an article entitled “It’s Time to End ‘Rape Culture’ Hysteria”in Time magazine. Kitchens points to an even more surprising example of blowback.+
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is America’s largest anti-sexual-violence organization. In a letter on February 28 addressed to the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, RAINN rejected the idea of America as a “rape culture” (PDF). The letter stated, “Rape is caused not by cultural factors but by the conscious decisions, of a small percentage of the community, to commit a violent crime. While that may seem an obvious point, it has tended to get lost in recent debates.” As a result, the letter continued, the dialogue on rape has tended to focus “on particular segments of the student population (e.g., athletes) … or traits that are common in many millions of law-abiding Americans (e.g., ‘masculinity’), rather than on the subpopulation at fault: those who choose to commit rape.”+
The letter argued powerfully that focusing on the “rape culture” makes “it harder to stop sexual violence, since it removes the focus from the individual at fault, and seemingly mitigates personal responsibility for his or her own actions.”+
Conclusion+
April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Outcry against the “rape culture” will almost certainly be a core part of the rhetoric and reporting. As a woman who has experienced genuine sexual violence, I ask one thing of the awareness month and the people promoting it. Tell the truth. Tell the truth to women and tell it about men. Those who use the big lie of “rape culture” to promote their politics have more in common with rapists than they know; both use the pain and fear of women to their own advantage.
Ok so the article is a year old but I agree with the points made.
The term “rape culture” was coined by politically correct (PC) feminists in the 1970s. It refers to attitudes, beliefs, and values that allegedly normalize sexual violence against women and encourage the act of rape by men. America is called a “rape culture” because sexual violence is deemed to be so pervasive that all women live in constant danger from all men. The violence or threat of it occurs on a continuum running from sexual glances to physical rape. The fact that so many people are unaware of the rape culture surrounding them only points to its omnipresence; that is, the rape culture is supposed to be as common as air and taken as much for granted.+
The solution proposed by PC feminists is to change the fundamentals of society, especially with regard to gender, sexuality, and power. Institutions such as law, religion, and the educational system must be deconstructed and reconstructed in order to remove the alleged danger and discrimination that is inherent in being a woman today. Of course, this deconstruction and reconstruction requires extensive action by the state. For instance, PC feminists are trying to use the dubious legal doctrine of “affirmative consent” to increase the regulation of sex on post-secondary campuses.+
The idea that America is a rape culture is a particularly vicious big lie, because it brands all men as rapists or rape facilitators. This lie has been successful despite reality. The rate of actual rape is declining. The crime is severely punished, and even an accusation can ruin lives; men who rape are reviled; the social messages on rape delivered regularly to young men are the opposite of encouragement.+
Nevertheless, in January 2014, the White House Council on Women and Girls issued a report that stated, “1 in 5 women has been sexually assaulted while in college” (PDF). A key reason for this amazingly high statistic is that the report significantly expands the definition of rape, and it counts every accusation as true. Since then, the “1 in 5” statistic has gained legs in the media and been used as proof that we live in a rape culture. (For a debunking of the White House report, please see The Future of Freedom Foundationarticle “Making Men Rapists.”)+
How do big lies like this one become politically powerful forces?+
Finally, a Good Reason to Use Hitler in a Discussion +
The concept of a “big lie” as a propaganda tool is often traced back to Adolf Hitler and his bookMein Kampf (1925). In its pages, he accused Jews and Marxists of shifting responsibility for the loss of World War I onto the shoulders of a particular German Army officer. Hitler wrote,+
n the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily.… [T]hey more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.
Here are some of the components that build a successful big lie:+
•
The lie must be “grossly impudent” and “colossal” — for example, the lie that men and women are not human beings who share the same political interests, such as freedom of speech, but are separate classes with separate and antagonistic political interests.+
•
The lie must be frequently repeated, because some people believe whatever they hear often enough or from enough people. For example, PC feminists who endorse the idea of a “rape culture” also interpret everything in society through its lens, from casual glances to the prospect of a nuclear winter. It is the constant explanation.+
•
It should make the average person ask, “Who would lie about that?” It is assumed that women would not lie about rape, and that feminists would not commit the intellectual crime of a mass fabrication about women. After all, aren’t they for women?+
•
A big lie must be maintained by the state. For example, tax-funded campuses become places where ideas are stifled rather than explored. In classrooms, only “correct” discussions occur, and they do so only by using “correct” words.+
•
A big lie must impact “the deeper strata” of people’s “emotional nature.” Few images elicit as much emotion as that of women being savagely raped. That’s why “they are coming to rape our women!” has been a popular rallying cry to rouse men into battle.+
•
It must be something many people wish to believe. The gender war has broadened and deepened since the ‘70s. There is a palpable anger within PC feminism and within many women who feel oppressed, whether or not they really are. The “rape culture” myth appeals to that anger.+
•
A big lie is best expressed in a tone of moral outrage and in the name of a noble goal. Both aspects discourage casual critics and allow the liars to vilify any critic who dares to proceed. The rape-culture myth is advanced in the name of protecting women, and anyone who questions it is said to be defending rapists.+
A Sea Change on “Rape Culture”?+
A fascinating phenomenon is occurring. There has been significant blowback to the White House report and to PC activists who suggest lowering the standards of evidence and legal procedures by which, for instance, campus hearings find male students guilty of rape. A remarkable flood of articles have criticized the “rape culture” campaign, and they have done so in prominent venues. One example: Caroline Kitchens has published an article entitled “It’s Time to End ‘Rape Culture’ Hysteria”in Time magazine. Kitchens points to an even more surprising example of blowback.+
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is America’s largest anti-sexual-violence organization. In a letter on February 28 addressed to the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, RAINN rejected the idea of America as a “rape culture” (PDF). The letter stated, “Rape is caused not by cultural factors but by the conscious decisions, of a small percentage of the community, to commit a violent crime. While that may seem an obvious point, it has tended to get lost in recent debates.” As a result, the letter continued, the dialogue on rape has tended to focus “on particular segments of the student population (e.g., athletes) … or traits that are common in many millions of law-abiding Americans (e.g., ‘masculinity’), rather than on the subpopulation at fault: those who choose to commit rape.”+
The letter argued powerfully that focusing on the “rape culture” makes “it harder to stop sexual violence, since it removes the focus from the individual at fault, and seemingly mitigates personal responsibility for his or her own actions.”+
Conclusion+
April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Outcry against the “rape culture” will almost certainly be a core part of the rhetoric and reporting. As a woman who has experienced genuine sexual violence, I ask one thing of the awareness month and the people promoting it. Tell the truth. Tell the truth to women and tell it about men. Those who use the big lie of “rape culture” to promote their politics have more in common with rapists than they know; both use the pain and fear of women to their own advantage.
Ok so the article is a year old but I agree with the points made.
(edited 8 years ago)
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Anyone that believes that the west has a rape culture is not worth listening to.
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"Rape culture" is a load of rubbish.
"Rape culture" along with "Patriarchy" and "Oppression" are buzzwords used by neo-feminists which hold no value or meaning in a debate.
Seriously, I don't know how deluded one has to be to believe we encourage rape in this country; you rape somebody, you go to prison, it's a simple as that.
Seriously, I don't know how deluded one has to be to believe we encourage rape in this country; you rape somebody, you go to prison, it's a simple as that.
Anyone who uses the phrase "she deserved the way she was dressed" or something like that is rape culture.
Its not about encouraging rape its getting people to understand the boundaries of consent.
Its not about encouraging rape its getting people to understand the boundaries of consent.
Original post by silverbolt
Anyone who uses the phrase "she deserved the way she was dressed" or something like that is rape culture.
Its not about encouraging rape its getting people to understand the boundaries of consent.
Its not about encouraging rape its getting people to understand the boundaries of consent.
In all my years I have never heard anyone actually the phrase "She deserved to be raped"
I'd argue that we live in the most anti-rape culture that has ever existed. People have never been more aware of it, it is now a crime that is seen as equal to murder, whereas for most of human history rape within marriage wasn't even considered to exist, let alone seen as a crime. This isn't to say that there isn't work to be done on the rape issue, but to speak of 'rape culture' is to suggest that we live in an age which is actively pro-rape, which couldn't be further from the truth.
Original post by silverbolt
Anyone who uses the phrase "she deserved the way she was dressed" or something like that is rape culture.
Its not about encouraging rape its getting people to understand the boundaries of consent.
Its not about encouraging rape its getting people to understand the boundaries of consent.
Just because some individuals or groups say the phrase doesn't mean that we live in the same mindset as them. Are we also living in racism culture because some praise segregation?
Original post by silverbolt
Anyone who uses the phrase "she deserved the way she was dressed" or something like that is rape culture.
Its not about encouraging rape its getting people to understand the boundaries of consent.
Its not about encouraging rape its getting people to understand the boundaries of consent.
The problem is that very few people ever say that, or believe that: if they did, they would obviously think that raping a immodestly dressed woman should be legal.
On the other hand, it isn't so unusual for someone to suggest that 'she was stupid for being out at night alone', or 'she should have dressed more modestly', or something similar, but though Feminists are desperate to construe such claims as endorsements: they aren't. It is exactly the same as if someone said 'you shouldn't have left your phone out on the dashboard if you didn't want your car to be robbed', and nobody would understand that to be an endorsement of robbery.
Original post by Cup o' Tea
Ok so the article is a year old but I agree with the points made.
Hey, please could you cite in the OP where the article is from. Thanks.
Original post by BefuddledPenguin
I'd argue that we live in the most anti-rape culture that has ever existed. People have never been more aware of it, it is now a crime that is seen as equal to murder, whereas for most of human history rape within marriage wasn't even considered to exist, let alone seen as a crime. This isn't to say that there isn't work to be done on the rape issue, but to speak of 'rape culture' is to suggest that we live in an age which is actively pro-rape, which couldn't be further from the truth.
Well said. The UK has become so staunchly unwavering about the issue of rape that I think it's bizarre people still claim we live in a 'rape culture'. Rape is an issue that will never go away completely, and that's just reality unfortunately. But it's not half as much an issue as many will have you think in this country. I just wish people who preach we're living in a rape culture would take a minute to appreciate where the essence of rape culture exists; notably in Islamic countries where a woman is put to death for having committed 'zina' by engaging sexually with someone to whom she is not married, even if she did not consent. Is the man put to death as well? Rarely. Surely that is rape culture if I'm understanding the term correctly. It seems quite subjective, similar to 'lad culture'.
"Rape culture" smh Tumblr, the quicker that site dies the better.
Original post by Drunken Bard
In all my years I have never heard anyone actually the phrase "She deserved to be raped"
It doesn't have to be explicitly said. For example, if a girl wears a short skirt and guys try and chat her up or cat call her etc then a common response would be "Well if you want men to leave you alone then you shouldn't wear clothes like that" or something along those lines. The blame is taken from the men who should exercise self control and put onto the woman. That's what feminists mean when they talk about a rape culture.
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Original post by Colour Me Pretty
It doesn't have to be explicitly said. For example, if a girl wears a short skirt and guys try and chat her up or cat call her etc then a common response would be "Well if you want men to leave you alone then you shouldn't wear clothes like that" or something along those lines. The blame is taken from the men who should exercise self control and put onto the woman. That's what feminists mean when they talk about a rape culture.
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Blame isn't taken from the men. Most of these people would firmly agree that the rapist is in the wrong and deserves a prison sentence.
Much of the time feminists abuse this narrative. Warnings concerning sensible precautions and personal safety (which we are advised to take with all crimes) are criticized as 'victim blaming' and being part of rape culture despite the obvious logic of such things and the fact that they don't actually excuse the actions of the rapist nor seek to. Sometimes the recommendations are stupid (i.e. don't dress provocatively), but this is not evidence of a wider 'rape culture' (which is the cultural endorsement and normalization of rape). We do not live in a rape culture as the normalization, acceptance and/or encouragement of rape is not pervasive or endorsed - quite the opposite, in fact. So-called 'Rape culture' is an attempt to self-righteously blame modern culture for the actions of a delinquent few and create a moral panic over something widely stigmatized that everybody knows is wrong.
Women at risk of men rapeing them. No it's also homosexual defensless young boys that are high on being raped. That would be me about 8 to 10 years ago
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(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by BefuddledPenguin
I'd argue that we live in the most anti-rape culture that has ever existed. People have never been more aware of it, it is now a crime that is seen as equal to murder, whereas for most of human history rape within marriage wasn't even considered to exist, let alone seen as a crime. This isn't to say that there isn't work to be done on the rape issue, but to speak of 'rape culture' is to suggest that we live in an age which is actively pro-rape, which couldn't be further from the truth.
You have still internalised some feminist historiography. In truth, rape has always in every society been seen as a terrible crime both at the moral and legal level in the same sense that murder or theft has.
Under the doctrine of coverture it was conceptualised as property damage, of course, rather than a sexual crime or an offence against the person - this is why (as you correctly point out) a man couldn't rape his wife. But I'm pretty sure rapists were still reviled just as much as today, and certainly among the people if a man raped a woman he would be beaten to a pulp and driven out of town.
Corruption, deference and lack of access to justice meant no claim would be made against a social superior, and the high premium placed on chastity discouraged women from speaking out, but society was only organised in such a way because we weren't as civilised as we are today with liberal concepts like equality under the law and the welfare state.
Feminists name this power structure patriarchy and assert that it all has to do with systematic oppression of women, but it's an entirely wrong-headed analysis; the same power structure oppressed almost everyone and it was rational for people to navigate it through social norms, such as those listed above, which perpetuated that oppression.
Original post by Colour Me Pretty
It doesn't have to be explicitly said. For example, if a girl wears a short skirt and guys try and chat her up or cat call her etc then a common response would be "Well if you want men to leave you alone then you shouldn't wear clothes like that" or something along those lines. The blame is taken from the men who should exercise self control and put onto the woman. That's what feminists mean when they talk about a rape culture.
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No it is not.
Only the woman is present to receive advice and only the woman is thought of as a reasonable person.
The rapist here is:
- not present to tell off, beat up, etc.
- conceptualised as a "criminal", that is, a race apart, someone incorrigible who cannot be reasoned with.
(Indeed, things like "men, please don't rape" campaigns may (accusingly) inform men about consent issues in say relationships, but they are unlikely to deter hardened criminals who rape women in the sorts of situations where criticisms of women's actions are made, like on a night out.)
Same as any other crime, like theft. Everyone knows it is the thief who's the bad guy. Friends will offer the victim sympathy, immediate help with money. The authorities will offer redress. The insurance company will offer restitution. All will excoriate the thief and not the victim.
However, they will also point out to the victim that he, as the only person they can reason with, could probably do something to prevent such unreasonable pond life from thieving from him in the future. Some of this advice may be patronising (remember to lock your door), some useful (buy a timer that switches your lights on and off when you go on holiday) and some too much of an expectation (install gun turrets)
Blame is a value judgement; fault isn't. You could argue that the victim of a burglary committed fault when he left his window open, and in fact that's reflected in jurisprudence with the concept of "breaking and entering". It's fault because he was unreasonably neglectful, but he is not to blame for the burglary.
Fault is something reasonable you (fail to) do which if you'd (not) done otherwise would or could have prevented the adverse outcome.
With rape, we are rightly persuaded that the clothes someone is wearing are not a fault, because they don't provide an opportunity for the rapist: rapists rape because of vulnerability, not skin on show. However, some things could be construed as a fault, such as getting into a taxi with a strange man, or not getting so drunk you can't stand up.
Recall our three categories from above. The courses of action advised may be patronising, useful, or onerous. But none of them attempt to indicate anything other than fault, rather than blame.
If too onerous, it's not even fault; if patronising, it's fault but it's either likely that this was not actually a factor or likely that the victim realises her mistake without needing to be told.
Sorry for tl;dr
Original post by Colour Me Pretty
It doesn't have to be explicitly said. For example, if a girl wears a short skirt and guys try and chat her up or cat call her etc then a common response would be "Well if you want men to leave you alone then you shouldn't wear clothes like that" or something along those lines. The blame is taken from the men who should exercise self control and put onto the woman. That's what feminists mean when they talk about a rape culture.
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I tend to find people who use those kind of example, actually take the original statements out of context.
In my experience it is generally used by older people for people who wear skimpy clothes, get trashed and wake up with someone after a night out. Even then they are not saying that the woman deserved to be raped, just that the impression given is that the sex was consensual due to how the woman acted before going home with the man.
I don't think I've actually ever heard anyone use "she was asking for it" in the same context that tumblr and extreme feminist's claim.
I'm female and it really winds me up when feminists say things like 'instead of teaching men not to rape we teach women not to get raped' as evidence that we live in a 'rape culture'. It's the most absurd logic, we teach people not to steal and yet my mother tells me not to leave my valuables unattended or leave my bag unzipped on the tube. Telling criminals not to commit crime is not going to stop anybody!
We live in such a progressive society and they still find fault with it, would love all these feminists to live in Saudi Arabia for a week and see what a rape culture REALLY is
We live in such a progressive society and they still find fault with it, would love all these feminists to live in Saudi Arabia for a week and see what a rape culture REALLY is
Original post by Colour Me Pretty
It doesn't have to be explicitly said. For example, if a girl wears a short skirt and guys try and chat her up or cat call her etc then a common response would be "Well if you want men to leave you alone then you shouldn't wear clothes like that" or something along those lines. The blame is taken from the men who should exercise self control and put onto the woman. That's what feminists mean when they talk about a rape culture.
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Wolf whistling =/= Rape
All that does is completely undermine the victims of real, actual rape.
using that logic shouting abuse at someone across the street is equal to murder, it's total nonsensical.
All "Rape culture" involves is neo-feminists using buzzwords to further their agenda and it's disgusting, yes wolf whistling is sexist and wrong, but attempting to compare it to rape? sorry, you've lost me.
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