Status: Done!
“But, Officer! Our Culture Made Me Do It!”
No Means No
“No means no.” A lesson that has been neglected by many Americans. It has lead to a culture that now sees rape as just another minute problem. The acceptance of rape leads to putting the blame on victims, especially if that victim is a male. Rape has become glorified by culture and it is not getting any better. If a girl is drunk she is seen as free gain, if she is dressed in a non-conservative way it’s like a bonus. The social media has given men the power to excuse their possessive actions by the simple phrase “Boys will be boys.” Rape culture has become so out of hand that one of the most popular book and movie series of our generation, Twilight, is basically about excusing rape. Instead of having week long “Sex Ed” classes in school that obsess over telling girls to not get raped and if they are raped it is their fault, tell boys to not rape. Rape culture has gotten so out of control that in Steubenville, Ohio a group of boys known as the “Rape Gang” drugged a girl and contentiously raped her over and over again. Because those boys participate in local football the local government let them off with little to no punishment. The situation became so bad that the Attorney General took over the situation. This is where Rape Culture is finally being noticed and this is where it should be stopped.
Slut Shaming is blaming a female for rape, saying that “she deserved it because she was dressed in a provocative way.” It has become so mainstream that even Dr. Phil had a show on it. What is worse is that the blame is being pushed on victims as young as eleven years old. That was the case for the eleven year old girl from Cleveland, Texas who was raped by eighteen men. Then, a writer that works for The New York Times had the audacity to blame it on her all because people said that she dressed older and hung out with older boys. Also in the case of the young girl from Steubenville, Ohio. The young men who raped her are trying to blame it on her because of what she was wearing. It seems that they have forgotten that they actually tweeted photographs of the event which obviously showed her wearing anything a normal girl would wear. Women are taught to dress and act a certain way to attract men, but not too much because if she looks too good then she will get raped. Then, after that happens the rapist is told that what he has done is fine because the victim was dressed in a provocative way which obviously proves that she, “wants it.”
Since when has someone’s choice in fashion give someone permission to violate the body of another being? This problem has become so prominent in our society that “Slut Walks” have popped up all over the nation. Slut Walks are when people march in the streets to bring awareness to the masses of victim blaming. This goes both ways; if a man is dressed in a too nice way and the gets raped the rapist has no right to blame the victim over something as meaningless as clothes.
Just because a woman enjoys sex does not mean she is a slut. Just because a girl has sex does not mean she is a slut. Just because a woman likes sex, does not mean she wants to have sex with everyone. The same with men: not all men want sex all the time. If a man has lots of sex he is seen as a god. However, if a woman has a lot of sex she is seen as a slut. That is a lie made up by people wanting to keep young girls pure. From the time a girl is old enough to be taught wrong and right she is taught to keep herself away from boys, pure. Boys on the other hand are taught to chase after a girl, and if she says no, she is just playing with you. Girls are taught that if he is mean to you that means he likes you because “boys will be boys.” These children grow up and are left with these same basic morals that affect them in later years. If a man has lots of sex he is seen as a god. However, if a woman has a lot of sex she is seen as a slut. This is an example of how gender roles seem to make rape less of a problem.
“Oh, well that is just what boys do.”
“That is just playing the game.”
“Boys will be boys.”
The phrase “Boys will be boys” is complete and utter tripe. That is teaching young men that what they do is ok because that is what boys do. That also makes women seem as though they are less. People don’t walk around saying “Girls will be girls.” Along with teaching girls, “Don’t get raped,” teach young boys, “Don’t rape.” The way things work now is a form of giving males even more power. As if they already didn’t have enough. Men make more money, have more job opportunities, are treated as if they are stronger, and now if they want a woman they have the right to just make her submit to his needs. Men seem to think it is completely harmless to come on to women in provocative ways and manipulate them into sex by lowering their self confidence. They get women drunk, insult them in passive aggressive ways, lie to them, then have sex with them. Which, is the sickest, and most sexist form of manipulation out there. There are millions of books out there that tell men how “easy” it is to get women to sleep with them. This whole society needs to be taught the lesson of respect.
With that being said, not all males are guilty, not all females are innocent. But, because of strict and draconic gender roles most men do not report their rape. Even if the do report their rape, the FBI does not recognize it. The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is what FBI goes by and this is what it says on rape: “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” The amount of males raped according to the UCR: 0. The amount of males raped according to the Department of Justice: 93,00. Gender roles have become so strict that a male is seen as less of a man if he is raped. Men should be exposed to the fact that they can be raped too, both sexes should be told to not rape.
Movies like Twilight have made rape acceptable for both men and women. The protagonist female, Bella, spends the whole book fighting off men with rapist tendances and then trying to rape her beloved Edward herself. In the first few books she encounters many men trying to control her every move and force her to do things she does not want to. The prime offender is Edward, the vampire who wants to kill her. The last two books are Bella trying to force Edward to have sex with him. Eventually she succeeds, and it ends with her being covered in bruises and impregnated with a vampire baby. This saga portrays it as something beautiful and romantic, but really it is Edward in misery for her gain.
It seems as if every other form of entertainment is alluding to rape and how it is acceptable.. Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother in a majority of episodes of the earlier seasons of the show spent his entire time manipulating girls so he can have sex with them. Which is a form of rape. Songs heard from all kinds of artists across the globe promote rape. Even the much loved Christmas song “Baby
It’s Cold Outside” promotes rape. The entire song is a man persuading a woman to have sex with him. He is so persistent that he even slips something into her drink.
Victoria’s Secret started their “PINK” campaign in 2004 to help young girls please men without being too adult. Although it is not the exact reason why they made it, it promotes the same idea of manipulation rape. The entire establishment is based on the theory that women are made to please men. This leads to male dominance, which leads to rape. It does not promote confidence, just the allusion of confidence. Without confidence, it is easier for women to be taken advantage of. Our whole society is built on crushing the confidence of women. People have the voice to point it out but not the courage to do something about it. Why? Because Americans have been conditioned to believe that a certain type of woman is sexy and that is the only type of woman that is worth anything. All other women are pushed to the curb, not feeling as confident and beautiful as they are.
Rape culture has become such a problem that it is everywhere. Society can not become great everyone is treated as pieces of meat to have sex with. Until everyone can learn to respect one another rape culture is going to continue to be a problem. Stop blaming women who express themselves of asking for it. Stop claiming all men want sex. Stop excusing bad behavior just because of where someone is in society. This is America, all citizens are supposed to be treated equal.
Slut Shaming is blaming a female for rape, saying that “she deserved it because she was dressed in a provocative way.” It has become so mainstream that even Dr. Phil had a show on it. What is worse is that the blame is being pushed on victims as young as eleven years old. That was the case for the eleven year old girl from Cleveland, Texas who was raped by eighteen men. Then, a writer that works for The New York Times had the audacity to blame it on her all because people said that she dressed older and hung out with older boys. Also in the case of the young girl from Steubenville, Ohio. The young men who raped her are trying to blame it on her because of what she was wearing. It seems that they have forgotten that they actually tweeted photographs of the event which obviously showed her wearing anything a normal girl would wear. Women are taught to dress and act a certain way to attract men, but not too much because if she looks too good then she will get raped. Then, after that happens the rapist is told that what he has done is fine because the victim was dressed in a provocative way which obviously proves that she, “wants it.”
Since when has someone’s choice in fashion give someone permission to violate the body of another being? This problem has become so prominent in our society that “Slut Walks” have popped up all over the nation. Slut Walks are when people march in the streets to bring awareness to the masses of victim blaming. This goes both ways; if a man is dressed in a too nice way and the gets raped the rapist has no right to blame the victim over something as meaningless as clothes.
Just because a woman enjoys sex does not mean she is a slut. Just because a girl has sex does not mean she is a slut. Just because a woman likes sex, does not mean she wants to have sex with everyone. The same with men: not all men want sex all the time. If a man has lots of sex he is seen as a god. However, if a woman has a lot of sex she is seen as a slut. That is a lie made up by people wanting to keep young girls pure. From the time a girl is old enough to be taught wrong and right she is taught to keep herself away from boys, pure. Boys on the other hand are taught to chase after a girl, and if she says no, she is just playing with you. Girls are taught that if he is mean to you that means he likes you because “boys will be boys.” These children grow up and are left with these same basic morals that affect them in later years. If a man has lots of sex he is seen as a god. However, if a woman has a lot of sex she is seen as a slut. This is an example of how gender roles seem to make rape less of a problem.
“Oh, well that is just what boys do.”
“That is just playing the game.”
“Boys will be boys.”
The phrase “Boys will be boys” is complete and utter tripe. That is teaching young men that what they do is ok because that is what boys do. That also makes women seem as though they are less. People don’t walk around saying “Girls will be girls.” Along with teaching girls, “Don’t get raped,” teach young boys, “Don’t rape.” The way things work now is a form of giving males even more power. As if they already didn’t have enough. Men make more money, have more job opportunities, are treated as if they are stronger, and now if they want a woman they have the right to just make her submit to his needs. Men seem to think it is completely harmless to come on to women in provocative ways and manipulate them into sex by lowering their self confidence. They get women drunk, insult them in passive aggressive ways, lie to them, then have sex with them. Which, is the sickest, and most sexist form of manipulation out there. There are millions of books out there that tell men how “easy” it is to get women to sleep with them. This whole society needs to be taught the lesson of respect.
With that being said, not all males are guilty, not all females are innocent. But, because of strict and draconic gender roles most men do not report their rape. Even if the do report their rape, the FBI does not recognize it. The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is what FBI goes by and this is what it says on rape: “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” The amount of males raped according to the UCR: 0. The amount of males raped according to the Department of Justice: 93,00. Gender roles have become so strict that a male is seen as less of a man if he is raped. Men should be exposed to the fact that they can be raped too, both sexes should be told to not rape.
Movies like Twilight have made rape acceptable for both men and women. The protagonist female, Bella, spends the whole book fighting off men with rapist tendances and then trying to rape her beloved Edward herself. In the first few books she encounters many men trying to control her every move and force her to do things she does not want to. The prime offender is Edward, the vampire who wants to kill her. The last two books are Bella trying to force Edward to have sex with him. Eventually she succeeds, and it ends with her being covered in bruises and impregnated with a vampire baby. This saga portrays it as something beautiful and romantic, but really it is Edward in misery for her gain.
It seems as if every other form of entertainment is alluding to rape and how it is acceptable.. Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother in a majority of episodes of the earlier seasons of the show spent his entire time manipulating girls so he can have sex with them. Which is a form of rape. Songs heard from all kinds of artists across the globe promote rape. Even the much loved Christmas song “Baby
It’s Cold Outside” promotes rape. The entire song is a man persuading a woman to have sex with him. He is so persistent that he even slips something into her drink.
Victoria’s Secret started their “PINK” campaign in 2004 to help young girls please men without being too adult. Although it is not the exact reason why they made it, it promotes the same idea of manipulation rape. The entire establishment is based on the theory that women are made to please men. This leads to male dominance, which leads to rape. It does not promote confidence, just the allusion of confidence. Without confidence, it is easier for women to be taken advantage of. Our whole society is built on crushing the confidence of women. People have the voice to point it out but not the courage to do something about it. Why? Because Americans have been conditioned to believe that a certain type of woman is sexy and that is the only type of woman that is worth anything. All other women are pushed to the curb, not feeling as confident and beautiful as they are.
Rape culture has become such a problem that it is everywhere. Society can not become great everyone is treated as pieces of meat to have sex with. Until everyone can learn to respect one another rape culture is going to continue to be a problem. Stop blaming women who express themselves of asking for it. Stop claiming all men want sex. Stop excusing bad behavior just because of where someone is in society. This is America, all citizens are supposed to be treated equal.
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I know this site is typically for stories but I feel the need to share this. If you would like to read more on any of these subjects just leave the comment and I will link you away to education! Ha.