She was asking for it. She should have expected to be raped since she was drinking with older guys. I mean she was underage drinking too – she also broke the law!
This is rape culture.
The innocent football players’ lives are now ruined because of a wrongful conviction. Stupid whore….
This is rape culture.
Dude! Have you seen this video? It’s freaking hilarious! The girl is like dead!
This is rape culture.
“She is so raped,” “They raped her quicker than Mike Tyson!”, “They raped her more than the Duke lacrosse team!”, and she was “deader than Trayvon Martin.”
This is definitely rape culture.
Why does anybody need to care about rape culture? Why does anybody need to talk about it when it obviously is not a problem?
This is also rape culture.
This tweet above was sent after the conviction of two teenage boys in Ohio for raping a sixteen-year-old girl at a party in August and sending videos of the rape to friends and colleagues. But this tweet did not stand-alone. Thousands of tweets were sent after the conviction calling the victim a “slut”, a “whore” and saying that she deserves punishment. More of these tweets can be found here: http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/tagged/steubenville. Needless to say, these tweets are absolutely sickening, but I think the most appalling part of it all is that the Ohio rape case does not stand alone either. These cases happen all over the States and Canada; however, very few are reported and very few offenders are convicted. Those that are convicted are praised by their community and the victim is left being shamed and blamed for the rape.
It is NEVER the victim’s fault. The victim should never have to take blame when she or he is repeatedly sexually harassed and raped. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that thousands of individuals think otherwise. The question now is how do we talk about rape culture? How do we fight it?
I think the first fight that must be fought is within the courts. The two boys convicted in the Ohio rape case have now been sentenced to one year and two years respectively in a juvenile detention center. They will serve less time than someone convicted of stealing university papers in Ohio state two years ago. While I do praise the judge in this case for looking into convicting third parties, such as football coaches, friends that forwarded the video, and people who abused social media, the fact that the boys were convicted to very minimal time in a juvenile detention center is quite disheartening. Fortunately, there is some progress being made on the judicial level; however, much more needs to be done.
Secondly, I think we need to take a good look at the media before addressing the issue of rape culture. Images of male superiority and domination are all over advertisements, commercials and television. Some dubbed as fashion, others coined as marketing tools, perpetuate the idea that rape is OK. Perhaps by talking to our friends, parents, and children about this may help solve the issue – at the very least begin a much-needed conversation.
Finally, as university students, we must take a stand about rape culture on campus. The University of Ottawa does an incredible job at this already through various campaigns and workshops, but more needs to be done to target students who would otherwise not participate in these workshops and campaigns. The “No means No” campaign that is screamed throughout campus during 101 week is not enough. This year as a guide, I was left completely aghast when I began the “No means…” chant, and a 101-er yelled back “YES” quite defiantly. This is not OK. Whether it is by giving a consent workshop to every 101-er in September or lobbying high schools to talk about consent before students go off to university, something more must be done.
While this issue is extraordinarily complex in nature, I believe that through dialogue and action, change can happen. Rape culture can be fought. Rape culture can be destroyed. If you or anyone you know has gone through sexual harassment or rape on campus, there are tons of support services available: http://www.protection.uottawa.ca/en/help-victims.html. Don’t be afraid to stand up for something so wrong and accept help when needed.