For those of you not familiar with this term, “rape culture” was coined by 1970s feminists that has come back recently. It refers to the way society blames the victims of sexual assault for their own rape.
We hear this when people say, “What were you wearing?”
Some people say that it is the woman’s fault if she was drunk, or if she was wearing a short skirt.
One student, Katherine Cambareri, made a photo exhibit with the clothes that women were wearing when they were assaulted. Surprise, surprise, they were not skimpy or blatantly sexy.
An organization called “CARE Norway” released a powerful video about sexual assault called “Dear Daddy.” It is a tear-jerking story of rape and victim-blaming and abuse. It is a narrative from the point of view of an unborn girl telling her father not to let her get raped.
From the transcript:
“Because, you see, I will be born a girl, which means that by the time I’m 14, the boys in my class will have called me a ‘whore,’ a ‘bitch,’ a “cunt,’ and many other things. It’s just for fun, of course, something boys do, so you won’t worry, and I understand that.”
“Perhaps you did the same when you were young, trying to impress some of the other boys. I’m sure you didn’t mean anything by it. Still, some of the people won’t get the joke, and funnily enough, it isn’t any of the girls. It’s some of the boys. So by the time I turn 16, a couple of the boys will have snuck their hands down my pants while I’m so drunk I can’t even stand straight. And although I say ‘no,’ they just laugh. It’s funny, right?”
“If you saw me, Daddy, you would be so ashamed, because I’m wasted. No wonder I’m raped when I’m 21. 21, and on my way home in a taxi driven by the son of a guy you went swimming with every Wednesday. The guy who always told insulting jokes, but they were, of course, only jokes, so you laughed. Had you known that his son would end up raping me, you would’ve told him to get a grip, but how could you know? He was just a boy telling weird jokes, and in any case, it wasn’t your business. You were just being nice.”
These timely tweets show just how serious rape culture is – and much danger teens and young women are both on and off college campuses.
Warning: The following tweets are vulgar and may contain graphic images or language:
Ah yes, nothing says back to school like some good old passivity toward rape culture! pic.twitter.com/jKWuvGPT0b
— Mads (@MaddyBuffardi) August 26, 2016
If someone says "rape culture where? It doesn't exist" show them this cause this is rape culture. pic.twitter.com/Knnh5xKhRz
— VOTE! REGISTER AND VOTE (@TheAffinityMag) September 3, 2016
What if You See These Rape Culture Signs at College Drop-Off? https://t.co/DfQPBckzi5 #keephersafe #rapeculture pic.twitter.com/qsTlLpqiMY
— Rescuing Little L (@RescuingLittleL) August 26, 2016
Here is a YouTuber talking about the history of rape culture:
Featured image via Twitter.
