...is raped, and the chances of being that victim are four times greater for a college female student than for any other age group. The phenomenon of date rape is not new, however it has evolved into a communication phenomenon, in which communication about sex and rape, the negotiation of consent, the rape itself, the aftermath of rape and the reaction to date rape, are central to defining a rape culture on campus. Women have been muted in a multitude of ways, including the methods in which women tell stories, through male-controlled media, in ways women’s bodies are portrayed and analyzed, and through censorship of women’s voices. Rape is a horrible experience, so why would women keep quiet about it. Campus cultures perpetuate the `culture of silence` that exists among young men and women by fostering a culture of rape which silences experiences and advocates victim blaming (self blame) that is set ablaze by the social acceptance of rape myths, experiences not being defined as rape, secondary rape, and the absence of deterrence, all of which create an underlying tolerance towards rape. In this paper I will examine how women are affected by the rape supportive culture that exists on campuses and creates an internalization of self blame are muted before, during, and after the experience of date rape. Both male and female students contribute to muting women, thus perpetuating a rape culture in which rape becomes an expectation, or part of the social milieu. Only a male dominated...
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...Rape Culture Views: Attitudes and Practices in our Society that Normalize or Excuse Rape. Brianna Burke Sociology of Women Dr. King June, 20, 2013 Abstract Rape Culture views are based on attitudes and practices in our society that normalize or excuse rape. Society excuses rape because it has come to the belief that sex is an act of male domination and female submission. Although we have laws against rape they do not appear to be a main focus point. Society seems to minimalizes rape to the point of not caring, in some cases making the victims seem to be at fault. Because it seems that the repercussions of the rapist are not as tough as they should be, rapists repeat their actions without fear of severe punishment. The average sentence for convicted rapists was 11.8 years, while the actual time served was 5.4 years. In the US because of our rape culture, rape in the military became a major problem in recent years, even up until this problem was publicized. When first brought into the public’s eye the military didn’t seem to be taking rape seriously. Rape is not just a nightmare for military women but for men as well. Rape seems to be more main stream than some might think. Society more often than not are blaming the victims, the proof is in a recent 12-minute video of young men in Steubenville, Ohio, joking about the brutal, extended gang rape of a 16-year-old girl. According to one study of 16,000 Americans, 17.6% of women report having been victims of rape or...
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...The effects of alcohol on date rape on college campuses Jessica Lynch Tarleton State University Abstract College is usually thought of as a time for pushing boundaries, experimenting, coming into ones own, learning, making new friends, learning to be independent, and becoming an adult. Unfortunately date rape has also become a part of the college experience. It is a life shattering reality of many college students. Date rape does not conform to the normal idea of rape. The perpetrator is usually an acquaintance and the rape takes place in a semi-public place, like a party or dorm room. Alcohol is almost always involved in date rape. Rape is never the victim’s fault but there are steps that can be taken to help prevent it. The effects of alcohol on date rape on college campuses College is supposed to be a time of learning, fun, making new friends, discovering one’s self, partying, and dating. Unfortunately, college becomes a nightmare for some women when partying and dating are combined. Date rape has become very common amongst university students. It is important to understand what date rape is, how alcohol affects the rapist and the victim in date rape, and how it can be prevented. What is date rape? Rape is usually thought of as something that happens to other people, done by a stranger in a dark alley or during a home invasion; however, that is not usually the case. In fact, forty-seven percent of rapists are a friend or acquaintance of the victim. According to the Federal...
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...should imagine that you are writing a letter to the editor of the newspaper that this article was published in. 1. Identify two rape myths that were discussed in class or in your readings. Highlight or underline the rape myths in the text. Use coloured highlighters or pens to differentiate the two myths. Please explain the false assumptions that the author is making. /5 Prior to discussing the rape myths that are used in this column, rape myths must first be explored in terms of how they entail. Rape myths are prejudicial and stereotyped beliefs about rape and synonymous situations surrounding sexual violence [1]. These beliefs are used as a tool to minimize the seriousness of sexual violence. They belittle the act and, in the process, influence self-blame of the victims. This, in turn, decreased the probability of these crimes being reported due to the increased level of victim blaming....
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...Why is sex such an unmentionable topic in American culture? In the media and society, students and young adults are constantly bombarded with mentions of sex, but schools are reluctant to talk about it. Though this might not seem like a big deal, this stigma putting sex off-limits from discussion and the disconnection between what kids see in and outside of school has done harm to sex-ed programs in the United States. Many programs throughout the country since the 1970s-80s push for abstinence-only sex education, which promotes the idea that because students are told to wait, they do not need to discuss how to have safe sex. Because of the largely negative effects of abstinence-only sex education on students and the inefficacy of the current...
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...The Impact of Acquaintance Rape for Female College Students Word Count: 3,027 Abstract Acquaintance rape, commonly referred to as "date rape," is sweeping across college campuses throughout the United States. Described as nonconsensual sexual contact achieved by force, manipulation or coercion between two people who know each other, it is a form of sexual violence that had been given little attention prior to the 1980’s. Recent studies indicate that one in four female college students will be the victim of acquaintance rape at some time during four years of college making it the fastest growing crime against females in college institutions. However, because there are widespread false impressions among all college students that acquaintance rape does not exist, is not “really rape” or is not a serious crime, many believe that it is not as traumatic to the victim as rape by someone unknown to them. These erroneous beliefs often leave the victims of acquaintance rape more devastated than the rape action itself. The purpose of this paper is to examine the facts surrounding female acquaintance rape on college campuses and the role that crisis intervention techniques play in the recovery from an experience that many experts describe as crippling. The Impact of Acquaintance Rape for Female College Students Every two minutes someone in the United States is raped, and the chance of the victim being a female college student is four times greater than that of any...
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...) Rape Culture on College Campuses and Why it Prevails Rape has become a taboo topic. Sexual assault is sugar coated into something less disturbing and brutal than it actually is. But rape is rape: the act of male or female taking sexual control or dominance over a nonwilling participant. It does not matter whether or not people feels comfortable discussing the topic of rape. Uncomfortability does not make a problem disappear. It is possible that rape culture is ignored because no one knows a permanent solution for it. But not talking about it will not fix it. An environment where rape culture prevails is on college campuses. 1 in every 4 college students admit to being raped or sexually assaulted on campus, this number fails to include the thousands of rape victims whose stories are never heard. Rape culture prevails on college campus because only an estimated 35% of these victims’ abusers are dealt with. Of those, only an estimated 20 30% percent are dealt with severely. Colleges ignore the severity rape culture on campus because it is a problem that is extremely difficult to remedy, but ignoring a problem will not solve it. “Culture is vital to the human species, but some cultural patterns are destructive” (Herman 45). Rape culture occurs when a set of values or beliefs create an environment that is conducive to rape. Rape culture does not refer to an actual place or setting, but to a culture that directly and indirectly surrounds and supports rape. ...
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...Gender specific violence is a term used to capture violence that occurs as a result of the traditional role beliefs related to each gender, along with the imbalanced power relationships between the two genders, within the circumstance of a particular society. In America, there are certain crimes that are gender specific. For example, rape is a gender specific crime that is targeted primarily on women. Women are defined based on their relationship to men and their space in male hegemonic structures (Guy-Sheftall). Hegemonic masculinity is the perfectly created male and is class and race bound. Hegemonic masculinity is against femininity. Characteristic of hegemonic masculine...
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...The Victorian notion of rape culture is not a strong viewpoint that universities should guide rape off of. The Victorian rape culture argues “the male is the guardian of female safety” in my opinion this is incorrect. By this logic, the term adult is loosely phrased and females should be subordinates of males. Females should be able to guide themselves and be able to distinguish right from wrong. Why else did women become strong figureheads in the corporate world? The arguments by Heath MacDonald in his article “Neo-Victorianism on Campus” demonstrate how false rape accusations are being justified and leading to males being punished for the females actions. Rape and sexual abuse on college campuses is unjust and bias towards females. In order for sex not to be considered rape “all parties must demonstrate a clear and mutual understanding of the nature and score of the act to which they are consenting”(2). By going into sex nobody knows what he or she is getting out of it, instead...
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...murder, is rape (Byers 47). As defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary rape is unlawful sexual intercourse carried out by force. Despite rape being an abominable crime more than half of all victims do not report their rape to authority (Byers 47). Of those victims who do report ninety percent are women (“Scope of”). Among those women, one in five are victims of sexual assault in college (Kutner 31). However, colleges are not doing enough to protect their female student body. The Center for Public Integrity has reported that only ten to twenty-five percent of these campus rapist will be expelled from school in fear that the school's reputation would be tarnish...
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...timely warning has been issued at University Park in regards to a rape or forceful sex offense on campus. We slide open our phones, check to see the details of the warning, and then close our screens to continue on with our day. However, although we may seem unaffected by the warning, someone’s life has become completely altered and turned upside down. In his powerful and tear-jerking narrative, Missoula, Jon Krakauer becomes the voice behind those involved in these tragic and nauseating cases that we are quick to bypass as just timely warnings. As a journalist, Krakauer’s main mission is to give a voice to the voiceless and shed light on the injustices...
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...Sexual violence against women has remained to be a pertinent issue for decades and has yet to obtain deserved justice. According to RAINN, Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, sexual violence is an all-encompassing term referring to violent crimes involving sexual abuse, rape, and sexual assault. Sexual assault can come in different forms such as physical, verbal, and/or visual acts each compels an individual to engage in a sexual act against their will or without affirmative consent. Since 1998, over 17,700, 000 women have reported a sexual assault. 1 out of every 6 American women have been a victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. With that, only 26% of victims will report to law enforcement agents. Furthermore, specifically,...
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...I. Description of the Research Topic Sexual assault and rape culture have become a predominant issue around the world. Ranging from college campuses to small villages in Rwanda, women are being taken advantage of for the benefit of men. Sexual assault detrimentally affects women and their way of life. In the following paper, I will discuss political violence through sexual assault in two countries, The Democratic of Congo, and Darfur the region in Sudan; the statistics of sexual assault on college campuses in the United States; laws, policies, procedures, and human rights developed to address sexual assault and how they affect women; sexual violence in the workplace; and current events about sexual assault and the effect on women today. II....
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...response to asexual assault report. We don’t apportion blame to victims of murder or robbery. Maybe an old world order exists where it is acceptable to blame a victim, creating a level of shame that somehow lessens the true reality of the crime. In a court of law, a prosecutor has the right to lay the victim’s past sexual history out on the table, like a couple of fun facts. As such, by introducing evidence that the victim is, for example, sexually "promiscuous", this may cause the jury to believe the he/she was likely to have been consenting to the sexual encounter under examination in the trial as well. That is, the defense counsel falsely uses such "evidence" to construct consent where there otherwise was none. As a result, sexual assault victims have labeled the criminal trial process as akin to a "second rape", as their behaviour and sexual history, rather than the defendant's, is scrutinised throughout the trial. Why should it matter whether the victim was wearing jeans or a bikini, flirty or indifferent? Women aren’t “asking” to be raped by dressing and acting in provocative and promiscuous ways. Wearing a short skirt or a tight dress is not an invitation to touch. · This summer, I...
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...As you read this sentence, someone is being raped on an American college campus. Imagine for a moment if you weren’t reading this sentence, and instead being a victim of rape? The question makes anyone’s body shiver, yet it doesn’t cross our mind when our parents drop us to college that we are entering a world as wild as one can imagine. Our excitement and hope at this new stage in life is unexplainable, but while we are glooming with happiness our parents are entering an alarming state of unease, because we are not immune to the hidden danger of rape, and other sexual crimes that happen in our new found “comfort zone.” Every new day is an example of a college potentially mishandling the sexual assault of one of its students. While sex crimes are on the rise in America’s higher-education system, so does the institutions negligence. The purpose of this paper is to try and unravel the injustices and misconceptions of what...
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