This week, we are going to start tackling some of the pretty weighty issues prevalent in our world today. These issues do not only affect women as you will see; all too often society has a way of excluding the men from the victimology of sexual assault, abuse and harassment, and some of the things we will read about and look at will show how damaging that can be.
First, we need to talk a bit about the notion of "rape culture" and how we can define that. So, you guessed it--I'd like you to take the first stab at making sense of something that should really not make any sense to anyone.
What exactly is "rape culture"?
In class we are going to be taking a look at songs and their lyrics, and to that end, we will be examining the 2013 summer jam "Blurred Lines" by R. Thicke, that everyone and their uncles were singing 3 years ago.
Are there other books, movies, songs, videos that you feel may send mixed messages about what constitutes appropriate sexual behavior. expectations, etc? Give some examples.
Finally, the link below will take you to an article about Project Unbreakable. Give it a read. The images are powerful. We will talk about it in class throughout the week.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/25/project-unbreakable_n_3989621.html
Many people often become indifferent and unaffected by the seriousness of rape because of how often it happens. The tragic topic transforms into a casual one where some people do not even blink an eye when they talk about it. And that is where rape culture comes in. In its most basic terms, rape culture is the normalization of rape in society, where victims (often times females) are seen to be the ones at fault. Also, it encompasses the idea that supports and defends male violence against women. Rape culture can involve anything from blaming a sexual assault victim to stating how “boys will be boys” to making jokes that undervalue the intensity of the word “rape.”
ReplyDeleteNot to mention, social media and pop culture very often downplays the gravity of rape. For instance, the Maroon 5 song “Animals” condones stalking and infringements of privacy in the excuse that women and men are like “animals;” which also promotes the underlying idea of stating that men are predators and women are prey. Additionally, rape culture can include the idea where women who become pregnant through rape are often looked down upon when choosing to have an abortion. In the book, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” written by Margaret Atwood, handmaids are raped on the daily in order to produce offspring in the most extreme way. It plays on the idea that handmaids do not own their own bodies anymore and are, in fact, just objects used for the pleasure and benefit of men and the society in which men rule. And through this idea of “baby-making” in the book, raping handmaids is seen as acceptable and a necessity in society. It is almost as acceptable as rape is becoming today in reality. Rape is a terrible and horrible act that not only no one should commit, but also one where the victim of should not be set aside and blamed for the actions of a person that society creates with the mindset that rape is okay. Because in the end, rape culture says that rape is normal and rape is acceptable.
I personally don’t know exactly what rape culture is, or the definition of it. And as I was told, I didn’t look it up either. Going off of what I’ve heard in conversations, the news, and social media it is this: the acceptance/ excuses of rape, or the issue of rape itself. I am not entirely sure which one is what rape culture is-- if either-- but that’s what I come up with. I find it almost scary that I don’t know that it is, because if someone like me doesn’t know what it is, then that means a lot more people don’t know as well. As said in my last blog, ignorance is one of the biggest ills in our society. If you have no knowledge about something, you can't do anything to prevent it, or to help it because you are simply oblivious. In this case, I'm ignorant about rape culture. After this blog post I’ll be sure to look it up, but for now I’m no good to the cause. Rape culture, in the way I think it is, is disgusting. I think that it is a disgraceful topic and I think it is something that can be improved. Rape seems to be widely more accepted now than before because of excuses like “she had too much to drink” or “she was dressed like she was asking for it” or “she didn’t say no.” It’s too easy for people to make excuses about it that it’s not taken as seriously as it should be.
ReplyDeleteJust like Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke mirrors a rape situation, many other songs do as well. But, it’s not only songs, it’s on social media and in TV shows. But yes, it is more prevalent in songs. A majority of the songs don’t always mirror rape, but they talk a lot about sex. Everything nowadays is sex. If the song isn’t about FBGM then it’s not a hit. So-- and this is not me making excuses or making it right-- little kids are hearing these songs and thinking that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Or they’re hearing these songs and thinking, “if they can do it, I can do it, so I WILL do it.” Or “to be cool I guess you have to have sex with girls so that’s what I’ll do, I’ll MAKE girls have sex with me so I can be cool and famous like them!” There’s this one song that comes to mind now that I’ve seen the majority of “Audrie and Disy.” And that is “Blame it,” and you know what the chorus of that song is? Well, I’ll tell ya!... it’s “blame it on the alcoho.” As if for some reason the alcohol was the one telling the rapist “yes” while the victim pleaded “no.” As if just because someone is drunk, it gives another person-- or should I say monster-- the right to rape someone and “blame it on the alcohol.” It’s really a sad truth, and I hate to admit it, but it is. If it’s not a yes, it’s a no. Why can’t people get that through their minds? Sick, sick people out there, I wish this world was just a little nightmare, but unfortunately it is our reality…
Rape I don't like the word or anything about it, it's upsetting every time I hear about it happening. It's not okay and this whole rape culture is not okay and anyone who's fine with it needs some help. Disturbing that this is something accepted by the majority of people with everyone blindly bumbing that new song with no realization (or maybe they do) of the true meaning of the songs message. The over sexualization in pop music over the years I do believe have helped it getting here and being susceptible to the majority. Especially mainstream hip hop in general and rappers if you want to call them that, are very derogatory towards women in there lyrics. A perfect song that reflects rape culture in hip hop would be "Blame it on the alcohol" by Jamie Foxx ft. T-pain with plenty people defending it as just a fine chill out song and not really about rape. The song is disgusting from the beginning to end any smart person would understand he is obviously talking about trying to take advantage over a women who is under the influence. Nothing about rape I'm okay with no I have not been raped but it has affected me and my family so I understand the hardships. I've liked that we've been talking about it this week people need to be more aware of it and realize that this serious and is not something that should be brushed off.
ReplyDeleteRape. I don't even know where to start. Today in class we read the impact statement from the victim of the Brock Turner case. I am disgusted that a girl has to go through that. I am disgusted that a boy can get and attempt to cover up his actions that blantanlty destroyed a girl that he doesn't even know. The questions alone that the poor girl was interrogated with is insane. That is the problem. How can we question a girl who did not want to have any sexual interaction with a man she does not even know? We grow up thinking of these standards and signs of rape and when it is "acceptable" and "reasonable" but it never is. Rape does not only effect the victim but everyone else in their lives. Their families. Their friends. Everyone. In Daisy's case, her entire family was effected. Her house was burned down, they moved twice, their new house was ruined due to saving her from suicide attempts multiple times. You live in different world. The victim of the Brock Turners case was right, you have a ticket to you're own planet. I can't even imagine. And we promote it in society. These songs are ridiculous. We present the highest standard as a girl with a big butt and boobs that dances on guys that throw money at her. How is that okay? How is it okay that we talk about a girls body that it's a possession and no given to a man. It's insulting. Blurred lines is a perfect example. And I could name plenty but I feel even more disgusted writing them down. I don't even know why I sing some of the songs. I refuse to watch "50 Shades of Gray" because I heard it promotes rape. I never noticed how bad it truly was until I listened to the statement today in class. I wish society would realize the pain their causing.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't know what rape culture is I assume it goes along the lines of rape happening throughout our society/culture. After looking this up I now know that rape culture was made to show how society down plays the word rape. Rape culture was made to show how society blamed the victims instead of the one who did the raping.
ReplyDeleteAfter being read the lyrics of "Blurred Lines" I am most importantly very disappointed in myself. I scream many basic songs that come on the radio and I can honestly say one of the first times I have ever used my accent was while singing that song. Some of the worst lines in the song,
Tried to domesticate you
But you're an animal
Baby, it's in your nature
Just let me liberate you
were my favorite lines in the entire song. After having these lines read to me and after registering them I am very ashamed of myself. I cannot think of a single line in that song that doesn't make me feel disgusted. I feel very oblivious to love and jam out to a song that is so disgusting and after thinking about it all the songs I sing too are probably just the same. Since all of our most popular songs are like "Blurred Lines" it makes a lot of sense that people down grade the word rape. And that is not right.
Why rape culture is a phrase that is normalized in today’s society, I do not know, but it’s definitely upsetting that it is. My understanding of what rape culture is, is that society blames victims of sexual assault and normalizes the sexual violence males or females commit. Rape culture frustrates me so much because it is absolutely absurd. First of all, why is the victim being blamed for the awful and traumatizing event someone else put them through? Second, in what way is sexually assaulting someone socially acceptable? The whole concept of rape culture enrages me extremely because words cannot even come close to explain how awful it is to be blamed for being the victim of something like this.
ReplyDeleteBesides the song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, I cannot think of another song or book or movie that underlies rape culture at this moment. But I know there have been books, songs, and movies that involved vulgar, sexist, and stereotypical statements of women. And the artists of those products should be ashamed of themselves for be ignorant to the message they are sending to people; that in some messed-up way, saying or doing stuff like this is alright and ‘OK’.
There is no reason why rape culture is normalized in today's society. I didn't know the definition of this so I looked it up. Rape culture is blaming the victim instead of blaming the person who did it. There's no reason why the victim should be the one at fault, they didn't rape themselves. When someone gets raped it doesn't just hurt them, it hurts everyone else in their lives. A poor child raped not knowing what or who now has to live this this feeling for the rest of their life. Being made fun of and threats just because someone decided to rape you, makes you the bad person. I don't understand people's mind set. The word is digusting and I don't understand how someone can be so cruel to do it to a person no matter the age. Why can't people just take no for an answer. The fact that people don't admit when they rape someone is even more disgusting. If your going to have the balls to rape someone then have the balls to say you did it!! Rape is rape whether they are intoxicated, unconscious, awake or whatever the case may be.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know what exactly rape culture is. If I had to guess, I would say it’s the group of people that have something to do with a case of rape. I could be completely wrong with this definition, but I won’t look it up. It’s crazy that rape occurs in society so often, and I can’t even give a definition of rape culture. I feel like everyone should at least have an idea of what rape culture is. At the very minimum, people should acknowledge that rape exists in the world we live in. The only thing that I think of that sends mixed messages is the song “Blurred Lines”. Even though the song comes off as catchy and fun to sing, it constantly portrays women as objects and sounds very “rapey”. In the line “Can’t let it get past me,” Robbin Thicke doesn’t even refer to women as “she,” but as an “it”. Sure, the song has a positive beat, but the words to the song are just wrong and he can’t blame the rapey situation on the drunk girl he’s talking about.
ReplyDeleteTo me, rape is a disgusting word. I feel ashamed that this word is almost associated with men (as them being the ‘raper’). It’s just something that bothers the heck out of me because I know I am not like that and neither are any of my friends. We know how to treat a girl properly. As for the definition of rape, to me, it’s sexually assaulting someone against their will. It’s tragic how often rap is commited in our society, it’s sickening. I find it pathetic that men are so desperate they result in raping a woman who is usually under the influence and cannot make the right decisions. What is the point of rape? Because you’re horny and desperate but girls do like you (wonder why)? To show male dominance? Whatever the reason is it is complete bullshit and I don’t care what happened to you, you do NOT do this to girls. I think men that do this are true scumbags and should be locked up for very long. For example, Brock Turner should still be in jail for another 20 years or so, in my opinion, and he should not be able to have any type of career because that is what he deserves. Not only because he raped her, but because then he proceeded to pay for the best lawyer and defend himself like he wasn’t guilty. That disgusts me.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s society, even music points towards rape culture. There are endless songs that have hidden meanings that direct you towards rape. Nowadays, songs are about sex, drugs, or alcohol. There is legit nothing else. For example, Blame It (On the Alcohol), the 2008 song by Jamie Foxx and T-Pain is an obvious song that directs you towards rape. The lyrics are a story of a boy encouraging a girl to stop acting like she doesn’t want to have sex. Then, Foxx goes on to state his intention of using alcohol against the girl he wants to have sex with: “Just one more round and you’re down I’d know it.” The chorus of the song shows Foxx’s familiarity of alcohol and their rape qualities:
“Blame it on the goose
Got you feeling loose
Blame it on Patron
Got you in the zone
Blame it on the a a a a a
Alcohol (2x)
Blame it on the vodka
Blame it on the henny
Blame it on the blue top
Got you feeling dizzy
Blame it on the a a a a a
Alcohol (2x).”
Rape is something that needs to be stopped. The only way that it can start is by not promoting in songs and people setting examples (such as Brock Turner) and then the media trying their best to save them with great personal qualities the ‘raper’ has/had. The way rape works is just terrible. Both the event and the repercussion. It simply needs to stop.
Rape is rape is rape is rape. I don’t care what other people think; if you force yourself onto someone in a sexual way without their consent, conscious or unconscious, you are a rapist. But that’s the thing about society: Even if you are a victim, somehow, someway, you’re the one at fault here. The clothes you wore, the way you talked, the way you walked-- You did this to yourself; you brought this disaster upon yourself. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is rape culture (or how i perceive it anyways). Instead of teaching people not to rape, we are teaching people not to BE raped. And it really, really sucks.
ReplyDeleteI feel like nowadays, everyone just throws the topic around like a hacky sack. It’s in songs, in movies, in books. It’s almost like no one takes it seriously. For example, the song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke (obviously). It’s basically a rape song, insisting that she “wants” it. It’s disgusting and sad and makes me sick. They view girls as object, a trophy for their own pleasure. He even calls her an “animal”, saying it’s in her nature. Why, why is this song so popular? Why is this an acceptable thing in society? Rape and sex and everything in between-- it’s a very serious topic. It’s not something people should laugh about or ya know, make a big hit out of. I don’t know. It just sucks and i can’t believe there are people out there who think it’s okay to do these things to someone.
I used to not believe in Rape Culture. Me, of all people. Back in 9th grade, when the term was first explained to me, I was told it means that people in society “don’t think Rape is bad”- and I thought, “well that’s not true”. And I was partly right. No one (at least no decent person or any socially acceptable person in our society) actively promotes Rape. We are taught that Rape is bad. Just as bad, in fact, as murder or theft or any other crime. The problem, though, is that murder victims are not blamed for their own murders (unless they’re black and wearing a hoodie and on their way home from 7-Eleven, but that’s a whole other issue) and people aren’t told to hide their expensive Rolex watches in public to keep others from stealing it. What I failed to realize is that Rape Culture isn’t the complete acceptance of Rape as a perfectly moral pursuit, but the victimization of the rapist and the criminalization of the victim.
ReplyDeleteRape Culture asks the victim what they were wearing during the time of the assault before questioning if an individual’s clothing justly warrants punishment or blame. Rape Culture says that “boys will be boys”, thereby not only excusing the actions of rapists but also perpetuating the toxic assumption that rape can only be done by boys to girls; not by boys to boys, or by girls to girls, or by girls to boys, or by any person of any gender to any other person of any other gender. Rape Culture lets a brave victim confront their rapist with the darkest and most vulnerable parts of their soul, in front of a courtroom filled with spectators, and then allows that rapist to walk free after 2 months and 29 days on account of good behavior and above-average swimming times. Rape Culture quiets the voice of the victim and amplifies the constructed suffering of the perpetrator.
The media has profited off of Rape Culture for decades. The holiday classic, “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, is just one example of how pop culture and tradition work together to promote the objectification and ownership of women. Written in the 1940’s, the duet focuses on a man’s fervent attempts to convince a woman to stay at his house, despite the woman’s constant refusal. In one part of the song, the woman even says “My answer is no” (a straightforward answer, with no room for interpretation), yet the man dismisses her response and opts for an egotistical approach, asking her “What’s the sense of hurting my pride?” In this line, it’s clear that the man values his own ego over the woman’s lack of consent and overall uncomfortableness. This song preaches that men should go after what they want, no matter the cost, and claims that whenever a woman says “no”, she’s actually saying “convince me”.
Well rape is rape, and it’s pretty simple to understand. I mean I don’t understand why people would want to harm other people but then again I’m not average or even remotely close to it. I believe that people should fully be held accountable to their actions which is an idea that has seemed to have faded in last couple decades, like everyone deserves a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh chance at life at the expense of everyone else. Basically rape culture is not holding people to the actions which they have committed.
ReplyDelete“Yvette” by Jason Isbell is a very good song that depicts sexual abuse. Im having difficulty with this blog because I just don’t think about things like this. I don’t go to parties, I don’t drink or smoke, I don’t like losing any sort of control of myself, and I was taught to value women for more than their bodies but once again I’m atypical.
To be honest, I had to look up what rape culture was. It's a culture accepting the sexual assault as the norm; people are taught not be raped rather than not to rape. But rape is NOT normal! It's a disgusting crime that's can be acceptable. In rape culture, the blame shifts onto the victims, typically women, and off their rapists. The media will call them names such as whores and sluts. You'll find on the media jokes, shows, movies, songs, advertisement, imagery, etc. that make this violence against women seem normal. The book and film, 50 Shades of Grey, is an example that glorifies rape. I've never seen the movie because it's pornographic and it supports the normalization of sexual abuse.
ReplyDeletePeople think this is "just the way things are." It shouldn't be; its not okay! Women shouldn't be treated like this. We meed to notice the great harm this does and share our outrage with others.
I do not know the exact definition of rape culture but from my observation of the world around me rape culture seems to be when the idea of belittling a women or making her your property and treating her as an object is accepted. This is a wildly underplayed issue in society. As much as we like to pretend that people are not influenced by music and media...they are. I can see it in the way the LITTLE boys I go to school with speak about women in general. They call girls things like "dumb broad" and " idiot bitch". But that's the least of our worries. The main issue with the promotion of rape culture is that half of us don't even know when it's being promoted. The song "Famous" by Kayne West opens up with "For all my south side niggas that know me best, I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex why? I made that bitch famous" I feel like this line is important in explaining rape culture because look at what it's really saying. He is speaking to his friends about a "bitch" who he thinks he should get to have sex with because he apparently gave her something. It's entitlement in its finest form. Our music and movies teach Americas male youth that treating women like a piece of meat is okay. As if we were put on this earth to serve their most disgusting fantasies. Rape culture is such a growing problem in our society. When cops are saying "she probably just wanted attention" after undeniable proof that a 13 year old was rapped THERE IS AN ISSUE!!! It's an issue that desperately needs to be discussed.
ReplyDeleteI have no clue on what is rape culture. I guess it means people view rape in a different way. Like during the documentary, everyone started to bully Daisy once the two rapist were found not guilty. Guilty or not, rape is still rape. Its means that someone sexually assaulted someone without their constant.Yet the town of Maryville goes out of their way to make life hell to Daisy and not the two rapists because those two have well known families that are big in the town. Just because the two rapists are well known football players, doesn’t mean they can go scotch free. People say that “they have a better future and this was a misunderstand”. How about the victim? Was Daisy’s rape a misunderstanding? The Maryville citizens burned Daisy’s house down and Daisy’s mom lost her job.It just blows my mind what the society do in situations like this one. I hate it when people judge the victim more than the rapists. I can’t think of anything that secretly talks about rape or sexual assault other than the blurred lines song. I do know some TV shows that involves rape. The first thing that came to mind was the teen drama, “degrassi”. I know some of the characters got raped and like the show depicts it as a teen problem. I would go deep on how the characters continue on after their incidents, but I rarely watch the show.
ReplyDeleteRape Culture? Sounds ridiculous. That’s probably due to the fact that it is ridiculous. A culture with rape. Does that sound like America? At first, probably not, but upon deeper thought, it really does. Obviously, together as a whole we do not embrace rape, nobody is idolized for being a rapist, (except by a select group of fucked up people) but between law enforcement and a lot of sexist people, it is almost okay to rape. And many people are blind to the fact. The Brock Turner case and the what happened to Daisy in the documentary are perfect examples of this. Brock Turner rapes a girl behind a dumpster, with witnesses, blatantly lies about it, and gets a 6 month sentence, and serves not even 3 months of it. That is ridiculous, infuriated at the least. Daisy’s rapist, admits to it, admits there is a video of it, has witnesses of it happening, and because the video of the act was deleted he doesn’t even get rape charge, he gets 2 years of probation. HE ADMITTED TO A RAPE AND DIDN’T SPEND A SINGLE DAY IN JAIL. Ad then after it was all done, Daisy was the one getting all the hate and suffering because of it. It’s really ridiculous. And about Blurred Lines, by Robin Thicke, it is a pretty disgusting, misogynistic song. I’m not going to lie, I was one of the people singing along to it, not paying attention to the meaning, but after I actually read it, it’s a song about rape. It’s literally a song about going to the club, and committing rape, and also explaining why it’s okay, and a little bit about how it’s done. (T.I.) And just about everyone in America was singing along to it like nothing. It’s horrible. Our culture has developed into one that is not punishing rapist nearly enough, and is blinded to rape and rape-related things going on everywhere.
ReplyDeleteDefining rape culture to the best of my knowledge: it the premise of how in today's society rape, sexual harassment and women/men being treated as objects is just brushed under the rug. Rape culture as a whole is the unanimous agreement just to not acknowledge the wrong. Rape culture is a horrific thing, yet it is seen everyday in so many places. Everytime I turn on the radio I hear some rap artist dehumanizing females and I hear the same songs being played loud every time I walk past the weight room or hear some kids music playing too loud from their headphones. This terrible music is sung everyday by people who just aren't paying attention the the lyrics. Many of the songs on the radio nowadays are putting certain expectations about sexual behavior in people's minds that shouldn't exist. The rap music played on radio stations such as 99.3 (here in Mays Landing) usually has underlying messages appropriating acts such as one night stands, getting girls wasted, cheating, and much more. These songs are just telling teens that acting in this manner is okay. But it’s not just music. I can go through a list of so many movies that just send so many mixed messages about appropriate behavior. All of these wrong messages about what appropriate sexual behavior is and these expectations are just furthering today’s rape culture. Now there are books and songs out there trying to stand up against rape culture but more action needs to be taken. Too many people are scared to speak up because they don’t think they will be taken seriously and too many people aren't getting any punishment for their actions. Why? Because Rape culture is too real. The victims are blamed for assaults the guilty are defended our society needs a major reality check and a big change.
ReplyDeleteSo unfortunately I’m late with my blog AGAIN. Sorry bunj. I’m getting my stuff together don’t worry. But anyways, rape culture is the fact that some people are ignorant and utterly incomprehensible to common sense. Common sense meaning that they try to defend the actions of a rapist, and then call the rapist a non- rapist. Let that sink in for a moment. A rapist… is not a rapist because some members of society will support them/ defend them. Rape culture is taking the victim and switching the role and making the rapist the victim. Because of course they are all distraught and heartbroken. They(rapists) have feelings too. (Those last two sentences were sarcasm btw). But rape culture is also the fact that humans will say, “Boys will be boys”, or something in that nature. “Boys will be boys”... no boys won’t be boys. Because not ALL boys are the same. Saying that statement you put all boys into one category. Raise your child to understand the word NO, and to not look at girls as if you were a lion about to track down their prey. I feel like there’s so many songs like raps that bring rape situations up. Some rappers just talk about being on lean, smoking weed, popping off the xans and how they’re out of control. They’ll talk about seeing hoes, or how hard they’re about to have sex with them. (Not saying some people don’t like rough sex, but what if they’re so out of control and they’re having “hard” sex but it’s actually rape.) I just think many people confuse rough sex with rape.
ReplyDeleteRape culture is the way society views rape and how through the years society victimizes women. The way society views rape is downright disgusting and repulsive. The girl is always blamed and it is simply not right. I do not understand how people like Brock Turner get away with rape and only go to jail for 2 and a half months!!!! How the hell???? Cases like this automatically downgrade rape and are making it known that it isn’t important when it is. Rape is one of the most heinous and popular crimes to date. But rape culture grew because of cases where rape victims received absolutely no justice. Overtime society ended up blaming girls. “She was drunk it’s her fault,” “she was wearing revealing clothing it’s her fault.” Claims like this define rape culture. I think society is what makes people believe sexual assault is okay or isn’t that serious. Movies and songs do yeah, but I feel like the real life court cases that go wrong are furthering the injustices that take place and the way victims of sexual assault are perceived.
ReplyDeleteI could rant for days about rape culture. Rape culture is the notion that girls should cover their bodies to save boys from temptation. Rape culture is not limited to dress codes though, in fact it’s under a way broader scope. It is prevalent at any time in which a girl is blamed for the actions that were done to her unwillingly. Since most people see its influence as subtle and mostly unnoticed, rape culture is disregarded. Rape is disgusting. It is savagery, disrespectful and innocence-stripping. I can’t even fathom how repulsive the action itself is but, to think about how society blames the victim makes matters severely worse. Society will blame the girl’s crop top, the girl’s shorts, the girl’s BAC and the way the girl danced on the male before they ever question the man who put his penis inside her. Rape is never okay and rape culture needs to breach. Bunj I liked your tweet that went along the lines of, “Stop saying to girls “Don’t get raped” and start saying to boys “Don’t rape” because it gives the responsibility to the rapist instead of the victim.
ReplyDeleteAlong with Blurred Lines, which I can’t bear to humm consciously anymore, the song “Banned From TV” by Lil Uzi Vert has some borderline “rape-y” language.
“I got a problem, niggas out here tryna run with my style
You kiss your bitch ‘fore work, I make her swallow my child
Shes suckin my dick
We moving, shaking, working now that money going pile
My ex be so upset because I’m balling right now”
Originally, I jammed to this song. Until I considered its content did my opinion of it change. The part that bothers me is how #1, Uzi is hating on other men for kissing their lady before work while he on the other hand is saying “oh I make my bitch swallow my child” hence the phrase “I MAKE HER” This overlooked lyrics are the same reason why Cornell swimmers get 4 months in prison for rape.
Might I add, Donald Trump promoted rape culture during the debates as he degraded women (as usual) and made excuses for his “locker room talk!” Rape is never okay, people. Stop treating Women like an object you’d like to conquer.
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DeleteI was very unaware of the true definition of "rape culture". I am very ashamed about being a male in a society where our gender is specifically associated with when talking about something so disgusting as rape. Being ashamed of something like this is very understandable when you think about all of the women who are victims of rape. Rape culture is the normalization of women being a target of rape. After really hearing the song 'blurred lines' read to me it makes me upset because I used to jam out to this song all the time. Its disgusting to finally understand what the song is saying and to hear how 'okay' they were with what they were portraying rape as.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a society where we teach are girls to 'stay safe' 'dress appropriate' but what we should really be doing is teaching our boys to respect women and to have self control. we need to start disciplining our men instead of sheltering our women. Its not right that women have to go out everyday in a society where is it okay for 'boys to be boys' and where its okay to have 'locker room talk!'. Men need to stop looking at women as a possession and more as a privilege.
Rape Culture is opening your browser to porn ads, keywords “young” “girls”, or “forced” “sister”, or “hardcore”, “bondage”. Rape Culture is not being able to avoid half naked girls plastered on billboards while driving down the street. Rape Culture is being allowed to cat call girls and being justified in getting mad when they react in a defensive tone. Rape Culture is sexist dress codes that appeal to only men. Rape Culture is asking “well, what did she wear?” Rape Culture is asking “was it really raape though” and asking “what do girls expect?” Rape Culture is the title “slut”, or “whore” or “cunt” or any demeaning words used to degrade women to the objects that men take them as. Rape culture is men avoiding jail time for raping someone, the problem being veered from their crimes to women’s presumed lies, and women taking blame for something they fell VICTIM to. Rape Culture is acting like women lying is more of a problem than rapists getting set free. Rape Culture is rape being okay and rape culture is allowing rape to happen and rape culture is allowing rapists to run free in turn raising the number of rapes that occur every day and rape culture is looking away and rape culture is sitting down; it must be sitting down because it exists more and more every day. Rape Culture is society. Rape Culture is America’s Culture.
ReplyDeleteThe song Dance With the Devil by Immortal Technique is about a child raping and killing his own mother as a means to become a gang member. It doesn’t say it’s wrong. It doesn’t involve any type of remorse. He made money off of rapping about an incident that didn’t even occur involving a kid raping his own mom and killing her afterwards! He imagined that all on his own and made thousands of dollars from it. Disgusting. Just an example. Pretty much most pop music revolves around submissive women and how much money you can persuade them to do what you want with.
Close minded people have to be the worst thing on the list. With close minded people, nothing can be solved: sexism, racism, etc. It perpetuates all of the world’s issues because with close-mindedness comes lack of ability to change.
ReplyDeleteI’ve never met a more close-minded group of individuals than middle age adults. My mom never wants to research things and fully believes her opinions were developed from no one else’s. My dad says the law is the law and things are always illegal for a reason even if the reasons interfere with our natural rights. My grandmom doesn’t like black people. My grandpop loved them but had no hope in them and never did even before he died. My aunts and uncles don’t think you can recover from baggage. My pastors don’t support homosexuality. My parents think eating meat is a right we shouldn’t take for granted which doesn’t even make any sense and they also believe prescription pills, even when given in overly proportioned doses, are healthier than pot. All of this is fueled by close-mindedness.
They will never be anything but sexist, racist, conservative extremists, law abiding robot-like citizens because they live joyfully in their close-mindedness. I guess, then, you could say that close-mindedness and enjoyed joyful bliss are equally evil and detrimental to humanity.
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ReplyDeleteHearing the word rape, hearing people talk about rape like its okay and generally accepted like its a nonchalance topic makes me beyond upset. Rape victims get so much shit not just from people that don't believe them but the whole process. The fact that the victims have to go and repeat over and over what happened and repeat the word rape like its a new word they're trying to learn in English class. But the victim knows that word more than enough. Victims go through enough and so do their families and friends and others in general. Unfortunately not enough people realize the severity of rape and just seem to talk about it and joke about it as if its just another topic they can talk about and laugh over. Its not. Rape is a serious thing and a serious offense not just to those who have gone through it but for anyone. you don't know if someone has had a family member who went through something awful like that or if someone harmed themselves due to the fact that they were raped. Even sexually assaulted. Sexual assault and rape are two completely different things. Even though legally rape is under the category of sexual assault I disagree 100% they are two different things. Rape needs to be taken seriously and society needs to stop blaming victims and allowing people to talk about rape like its just another topic to gossip about. In songs they talk about girls as if they are objects. Objectifying woman seems to be the new things in the music industry. Even in politics, Trumps comments make me sick and the people that support his comments about touching girls and objectifying woman makes my head spin at the thought that someone could actually say that about woman knowing damn well if a man said that to their daughter or wife they would be all over it. Men aren't the only ones that do it, women even objectify themselves to be honest. Talking about their bodies like they are men's to take and control and that just makes me sad that women and girls feel the need to objectify themselves fro men to like them and that their looks mean more.
ReplyDeleteRape is rape. There's no way around it unless you got shmoney n get put in a fucked up justice system "a.k.a Brock turner. To be honest It gets me so mad even to hear that someone that I don't even know was raped. It puts a rage in me because if a woman says "stop" or "don't touch me" then that obviously a sign to STOP and keep going your way. What I hate even more is when a male takes advantage of a female at a party. Like you already know that she's intoxicated and that it's wrong to take advantage of an individual but people still do it. Rape culture is very much real and to say when it'll end is a mystery. As long as there's still wicked/sick people on this Earth rape culture shall continue sadly.
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