By: Mekenzie Enloe
Have you ever walked outside,
especially at night, and felt uncomfortable and scared that someone might
attack and rape you? If so, then you have been a victim of this tragedy in
America called rape culture. This is the environment that we inhabit today; one
in which rape is a commonplace and the media does nothing expect normalize it.
As much as people like to say that it only affects a woman, that’s simply not
true. The reality is that men are bothered by it, just not as prevalently.[1] It
is more important than ever to recognize this disaster and change it.
Rape
culture is far from a new phenomenon. When early explorers came to the new
world they created sexual imperialism and increased the prevalence of rape.
Even documents such as the “Law of War and Peace” which said rape should not be
permitted contradicted itself by later stating it was permitted in times of
war.[2]
Moving into the colonial era rape wasn’t much better. It was considered a crime
only if the girl was under the age of 10, unmarried or engaged and even then
the woman had to give witnesses to say she had not consented.[3]
That pushes the blame to the victim, which often happens today as well. The
Victorian era didn’t prove to be any better sexually as sexual commerce and the
degrading of woman was at an all time high, especially amongst prostitutes.
This was immensely due to the growing cities providing men anonymity as they
acted out sexually.[4]
This sexual dominance only escalated as time went on and in some areas, such as
North Carolina, it was legal for a husband to rape his companion until the
early 1990’s. Feminists and other groups worked diligently for years to change
what defined rape and to change the rape culture, but progress was slow. It wasn’t
until 2012 that the Federal Bureau of Investigation changed what defined
aggressive rape.[5]
History shows that rape culture has been around for years and has more
importantly shown that much progress needs to be made in changing this.
Modern culture says that it’s the
woman’s fault for dressing inappropriately or for walking alone. It is one in
which the girl is blamed for drinking too much and putting herself in a sketchy
situation. Time magazine tells a story of a girl who was raped by her roommate’s
boyfriend while in college and told she shouldn’t have been drinking or rather
than asking about the perpetrator asked what the victim was wearing. Twenty
percent of women have survived some type of sexual assault and approximately
seventeen percent of men have been abused by the time they legally become an
adult.[6]
Why is society looking at this and standing there motionless?
I am so tired of having to walk
around in modest outfits, walk in groups and carry pepper spray anywhere I go
because I am in danger! Society needs to pull out their own pepper spray and
knock down the culprits. It is time that media stops writing songs normalizing
rape and officials stop victim blaming. How do we change this? Simply, stop
degrading women, speak out against this crime, be supportive of those suffering
from this, and quit buying and watching media that gives in to and creates rape
culture.[7]
Learn from the history and change the future.
[1]
Women's Center, "Rape
Culture," Marshall University, http://www.marshall.edu/wcenter/sexual-assault/rape-culture/
(accessed April 27, 2014).
[2]
Moore, Crystal, "Native American
Sexuality & Sexual Violation in the Conquest of the Americas,"
Lecture, History of Sexuality, Charlotte, January 21, 2014.
[3]
Moore, Crystal, "Sex in Colonial
America, 1400-1800," Lecture, History of Sexuality, Charlotte, February 4,
2014.
[4]
Moore, Crystal, "Sexual Commerce
in Victorian America," Lecture, History of Sexuality, Charlotte, February
27, 2014.
[5]
Eichelberger, Erika, "Men Defining
Rape: A History," Mother Jones,
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/08/men-defining-rape-history (accessed
April 27, 2014).
[7]
Women's Center, "Rape
Culture," Marshall University, http://www.marshall.edu/wcenter/sexual-assault/rape-culture/
(accessed April 27, 2014).
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