loveyourrebellion:

Rape culture is bullshit, am I right? So, let’s break this shit down logically: how can we dismantle rape culture? One way is erasing ideologies and values that perpetuate rape culture, so below are 5 mentalities that perpetuate rape culture because awareness is key.

5. She’s a Slut

Clutch Phrases:

• “Sluts deserve to be raped.”
• “It’s not like she was a virgin.”
• “Who knows if it was even rape; she’s slept with so many guys.”
• “You can’t believe a slut.” 

Slut shaming is the foundation for many of the mentalities that uphold rape culture, including She Was Asking For It and Victim Blaming. Bringing a person’s sexual history into question validates the actions of rapists, because, really, any woman can be classified as a slut just by doing, well, nearly anything.Out alone at night? Slut. Drunk? Slut. Dressed up? Slut. Pre-teen wearing make up? Slut. You don’t have to fuck a lot of people to be a slut. Calling someone a slut is often justified when someone dresses a certain way or is of a certain class/race/sexual orientation/body size. Anything and everything can make you a slut, because slut shaming isn’t about what’s “right” and “wrong;” it’s about controlling women’s sexuality and their bodies; it’s about telling them they are worth their vaginas; it’s about making them fearful of sex, their bodies, their own sexualities, and pretty much the world at large. And if you don’t think slut shaming plays a role in rape cases that see trial or are reported, I am not sorry; you are wrong.

4. She Should Learn to Protect Herself

Clutch Phrases:

• “If more women protected themselves, there would be less rape.”
• “Give women guns and see how the rape rate drops.”
• “Do these things/follow these rules to protect yourself and you’ll be rape proof!”

So, okay: maybe that last phrase isn’t word for word, but you’ve all heard the precautions: don’t wear your hair in a pony tail; walk with your keys out; don’t go out alone at night; don’t live alone; don’t wear tight/revealing clothes; beware of men pretending to be police officers, etc. etc. etc. Doesn’t this all sound like the responsibility for rape is being put on the victim? As if you could follow all these strategies and make yourself rape proof. Or as Wanda Sykes joked, leave your pussy at home.

Since you can’t leave your pussy at home, there’s always a lot of talk about how women can carry guns or learn self defense to prevent rape, but as the articulate Zerlina Maxwell so eloquently stated on Fox News this past week:

“I don’t think that we should be telling women anything. I think we should be telling men not to rape women and start the conversation there…You’re talking about this as if it’s some faceless, nameless criminal, when a lot of times it’s someone you know and trust…If you train men not to grow up to become rapists, you prevent rape.”

Enough said.

3. She Was Asking For It 

Clutch Phrases:

• “She was asking for it.”
• “Women secretly want to be raped.”
• “She was wearing/doing X so she wanted it.”
• “She was drinking/doing drugs/out late/without a man/alone.” 

The absolute absurdity that anyone asks to get raped is completely stunning. There is literally nothing a person can do to ask for a heinous act of violence: not dress a certain way, not identify a certain way, not act a certain way, etc. It should be clear by now that these mentalities don’t serve to protect women; they create boundaries in which we are to live policed by the threat of sexual violence. By telling us we cannot go out late or drink or have any sort of life outside of our homes without the threat of rape, you have effectively removed our humanity. There is no autonomy in following a strict set of standards, lest we risk violence and the label of “asking for it.” The myth that some women asked to be raped means that those “some women” behave/look a certain way, and to avoid being raped, a woman should operate inside the boundaries set out by society. Of course, that does not work. Women are raped regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, or marital status because rape is not an act of desire/sex; rape is an act of violence. 

2. Boys Will be Boys

Clutch Phrases:

• “Boys will be boys.”
• “Rape is biological.”
• “That’s just the way men are/the world is.” 

When the phrase “boys will be boys” is used in regards to sexual violence, it is normalized. That is, it is assumed that every male identifying person is a rapist. Boys will be boys = that’s the way boys are: they rape. I don’t know about you, but I expect a lot more out of humanity than the innate, biological need to rape. Telling me that men cannot control their “desire” for someone, or must expel the fruit of their loins, or have some “point of no return” removes their capacity for logical thought: dick gets hard; brain shuts off. What’s really going on is that a lot of men don’t see women as people. Yes, you read that right. Objectification leads to dehumanization.(And you can’t commit a crime against an object, can you?) The rationale that “men are that way” or “that’s the way the world is” suggests that women are fish in water: that the threat of violence is an immovable, unchangeable part of society, and that women should learn to deal with it (re: protect themselves/follow the rules) instead of trying to change it. I, for one, I am not buying it. Instead, let’s follow the 5 Ways We Can Teach Men Not to Rape by Zerlina Maxwell.

1. Victim Blaming

Clutch Phrases: 

• “She didn’t fight/say anything/say no/yell.”
• “What was she doing there/with that man?”
• “Why didn’t she try to run?”
• “What was she wearing/doing?”
• “Where was she/who was she with?” 

How can a rapist ever be at fault if there are always reasons why the victim is to blame? The entirety of this list all adds up to blaming the person who was raped for being the target of a violent crime. One of the most common arguments (behind, of course, the sexy clothing excuse) is that women do not struggle enough, do not say no, or cannot say no. Listen: silence is not a yes; no is not a yes; only yes is a yes. This bullshit about women “saying no when they mean yes” only perpetuates the mentality that some women are asking for it. Sadly, victim blaming is deeply embedded into society; so far, in fact, that it is often used in the most subtle ways and the most disgusting ways. In turn, rapes are under reported and under prosecuted. And when rapes are reported women undergo an invasive examination of their entire lives while their story is speculated on and their experience discredited.

So, if you find yourself or someone you know falling into one of these mentalities about rape and rape survivors, think about the consequences of perpetuating those ideas, and whether they are really creating the kind of world you want to live in. 

By Angela Page

(Source: loveyourrebellion)

cactustreemotel:

thepoliticalfreakshow:

A Canadian teenager hung herself after photos of her rape were spread by classmates on Facebook and Twitter, now the internet is demanding justice.

Rehtaeh Parsons, a 17-year-old from Halifax, Nova Scotia, hung herself in her family’s bathroom last week after photos of her gang rape were distributed online by classmates. She fell into a coma. Her family pulled her off life support on Sunday.

Source: facebook.com

The rape happened when she was fifteen, allegedly by four classmates at a friend’s house.

Source: facebook.com

After the incident, her classmates passed the photos among each other online, forcing Rehtaeh to change schools due to constant harassment.

Source: @rprsnsxo

Rehtaeh’s mother set up a memorial Facebook page and describes Rehtaeh’s horrific experiences with cyberbullying in grim detail:

Via: facebook.com

“One of those boys took a photo of her being raped and decided it would be fun to distribute the photo to everyone in Rehtaeh’s school and community where it quickly went viral… Rehtaeh was suddenly shunned by almost everyone she knew, the harassment was so bad she had to move out of her own community to try to start anew in Halifax.”

The Chronicle Herald, a local news outlet, recently published an article titled “Who Failed Rehtaeh Parsons.”

Via: @rprsnsxo

The piece goes into even more detail about Rehtaeh’s shunning from the community:

“People texted her all the time, saying ‘Will you have sex with me?’” she remembered. “Girls texting, saying ‘You’re such a slut.’”

But then there is the question of how the adults handled the alleged sexual assault that Rehtaeh described to her mother.

The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) investigation took a year, said Parsons.

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Scott MacRae confirmed the police are now investigating a sudden death involving a young person.

“An investigation into an earlier sexual assault was completed, and in consultation with the Crown, there was insufficient evidence to lay charges,” MacRae said.

Internet users have become more and more outraged as news of Rehtaeh’s suicide has spread online. With many users pointing to her suicide as a direct result of rape culture.

Steve Sheppard @stevesheppard1

I have yet to read a single line into this Rehtaeh Parsons story. And frankly, based on the collective disgust, I’m not sure I want to know.

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Alison Gail Walters @AlisonGail79

Rape Culture Claims Another Victim: Teen Ends Life After Photo Of Her Alleged Gang Rape Goes Viral fb.me/2mg3qSEmj

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Mueen Ismail @Mueen193

@Anon_Central / RIP Rehtaeh Parsons never forget never forgive …

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Terminally Snarky @whiskeypants

This breaks my heart. thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1122345-… #rapeculture #RehtaehParsons

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Multiple Anonymous-affiliated OP accounts are already trying to find and publish the identities of the four men involved with Rehtaeh’s rape.

Source: @AnOnDiVbYzEro

Robin Drysdale @soulmeaning

Why are 4men who raped a 15 yr old + distributed photographic evidence of their crime walking free today? @nottehpriest #OpJustice4Rehtaeh

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CanAnoda @happyiggy

#OpJustice4Rehtaeh anyone who has names of the rapists follow and DM them to me. This is not what Canada stands for. #ExpectUs

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Ryan Spicer @ryanspicer

This is disgusting. thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1122345-… #opjustice4rehtaeh Welcome to Halifax, Anonymous. Happy Hunting.

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Anne Verge @AnneVerge

I’m appalled and outraged at what appear’s to be Halifax’s Stuebenville. glad that anon seems to be on it. #OpJustice4Rehtaeh

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While both the official Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation and Anonymous’ doxxing are ongoing…

Source: facebook.com

Rehtaeh’s mother concludes her Facebook testimonial with this message:

“Rehtaeh is gone today because of The four boys that thought that raping a 15yr old girl was OK and to distribute a photo to ruin her spirit and reputation would be fun. Secondly, All the bullying and messaging and harassment that never let up are also to blame. Lastly, the justice system failed her. Those are the people that took the life of my beautiful girl. Rehtaeh stood up for others, showed compassion to animals and people. She was an amazing artist .She made my life complete. When Rehtaeh was born I dedicated everything to her and promised her the world. Others in this world took that away from her.”

Happy hunting indeed.

(via aka14kgold)

elfstaranymore:

I’m not gonna write a big detailed masterpost on this topic, because it’s not a major area of expertise for me. I just want to point out a couple ways people screwed up in teaching *me* about rape.

One was that in kindergarten, we were taught that “no one should touch your private parts except…

(via native-detroiter)

stfuhypocrisy:

The Steubenville guilty verdict spawned nearly as much rape apology as the original news of the case did, highlighting the point — made by feminists like Zerlina Maxwell and Jaclyn Friedman — that America has a long way to go before it gets past blaming victims and sympathizing with rapists.

Below are the top 5 rape apologist reactions to the verdict.

1. CNN: “Those poor boys’ lives are ruined”

CNN correspondent Candy Crowley responded to the verdict by bemoaning the sad future of two rapists who traumatized one young girl for life but would never get to live out their football dreams.

2. The judge: “This is the problem with social media”

Feministe’s Jill Filipovic tweeted that the judge in the case noted that the verdict is a lesson in “how you record things on social media that are so prevalent today. As she said, “Problem =/ the recording.”

3. Author/blogger Michael Crooke: “It’s just buyer’s remorse”
Author/blogger Michael Crook, who additionally claims that “rape doesn’t exist,” won the race for most-likely-to-be-poorly-executed satire, at least until he took to his Twitter feed to demand that the survivor be “held accountable”, tell women that “skimpy clothing is pretty much implied consent” and encourage every woman to not “dress like a whore if you don’t want to be treated like one.”

4. Way too many people on Twitter: “Die, Jane Doe!”

Clearly, death threats are not the way to go.

5. Lee Stranahan on Breitbart: “The town’s the real victim here”

Stranahan says that the media and Anonymous are the real villains in the case, though they really should’ve been paying more attention to rapes reported in Occupy camps anyway.

(Source: stfueverything, via aka14kgold)

goingforpicture:

brute-reason:

[Content note: sexual assault]

I don’t want to hear anything more about the “ruined futures” of Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond. The verdict did not ruin their futures. They ruined their futures, when they made the decision to rape someone.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how you shouldn’t drink if you don’t want to get raped. One could get blackout drunk every single day for a lifetime and they still wouldn’t get raped unless someone decides to rape them.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how Jane Doe didn’t “affirmatively say no” and how Mays and Richmond thought they had consent. They said, ”She is so raped right now.” They knew exactly what they were doing.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how Jane Doe has been known to lie. Her rape was caught on video.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how it’s only rape if there’s a penis involved. It’s rape if someone is made to participate in sexual activity without their consent.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how hopefully girls and women will “learn from this.” No. Hopefully those who think they can assault others with impunity will learn from this.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how hopefully Mays and Richmond will get raped in prison. This is rape culture.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how “dangerous” partying is for young women. 40% of rapes occur in the victim’s home; an additional 20% occur at the home of a friend, relative, or neighbor. Only 24% happen in the early morning hours between midnight and 6 AM.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how “remorseful” Mays and Richmond were. They cried and begged for forgiveness only after the verdict came down. Sorry, that really doesn’t mean much.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how we need to crack down on teenage partying. Sure. But what we really need to crack down on is rape culture, violent masculinity, and the glorification of sports.

I don’t want to hear anything more about where Jane Doe’s parents were looking while she was out partying. Where were Mays’ and Richmond’s parents looking? Where was their coach looking? Oh, right, he said he “took care of it.”

I don’t want to hear anything more about how Mays and Richmond were ”just kids.” Kids may not be ready for adult responsibilities and rights, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re doing when they assault someone.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how Mays and Richmond are just ”sick,” how they’re ”monsters,” how nobody you know would ever do something like that.

I don’t want to hear anything more about how this case should teach us about the “dangers”of social media. It should teach us about the dangers of raping people.

I don’t want to hear anything more about justice being served. I mean, yeah, let’s give credit where credit was due. But what will happen in just a few years when Mays and Richmond are released? Will they have changed? Is Jane Doe getting the help she needs? Are we doing everything we can to make sure this never happens again? That would be justice. Our work is not done.

Here’s what I want to hear more about:

What will this community do to support Jane Doe? What will it do to impart better values not just to its children, but to its adults? What will it do to ensure that being a football player gets you absolutely no special privileges? What will it do to try to help Mays and Richmond become productive members of the community without letting them off the hook for what they did?

I want to hear more about rape culture, violent masculinity, and the glorification of sports.

I want to hear more about how rapists rape because they know they’ll get away with it, not because the victim was ”asking for it” or because men are too pathetic and driven by sexual urges to control themselves.

I want to hear more what makes you a rapist and less about what makes you a victim, more about structures and less about individuals, more about justice and less about revenge.

So I’m reblogging this to my main blog because it’s so damned important, even you film folks should read it.

(via sara-huynh)