Nicole Ndlovu, Volunteer
"Rape culture" is a concept in which rape is ordinary and pervasive due to our society's outlook on sexuality and gender. It indulges in victim-blaming, sexual objectification, rape trivialisation, denial of widespread rape and refusal to acknowledge certain forms of sexual violence.
The rapper Tyga's relationship with Kylie Jenner along with its acceptance is a prime example of how rape culture has become trivialised. Although Kylie Jenner is now 18, her alleged relationship with the 25 year old rapper raised suspicions among the general public as she was only 17 when the allegations began. The rapper was not arrested, questioned or ostracised because of his involvement with the then minor. Instead he gained support from his peers most notably Kanye West who praised Tyga by stating that "he was smart" because he "got in early" which implied that the relationship had begun earlier. Furthermore, the rapper released a song "Stimulated" which made reference to Jenner. However, the song's explicit lyrics "They say she young, I should have waited, she a big girl dog when she stimulated" horrified many as they implied that the rapper was romantically involved with Jenner before.
"The Pick Up Artist" also known as Julien Blanc is a prime example of how rape culture is becoming trivialised as many people, particularly men, flock to Julien's talks to be advised how to attract women....at any cost. For example, his advice to his male clientèle includes the technique of “choking” women that they’re interested in and “hushing them” until they get a date. Recently, the comedian Dapper Laughs was under fire for his comment to a female audience member, in a video footage by the Mirror that she was "gagging for a rape". He, however, defended himself by saying that he was not teaching men how to sexually assault women.
The rapper Tyga's relationship with Kylie Jenner along with its acceptance is a prime example of how rape culture has become trivialised. Although Kylie Jenner is now 18, her alleged relationship with the 25 year old rapper raised suspicions among the general public as she was only 17 when the allegations began. The rapper was not arrested, questioned or ostracised because of his involvement with the then minor. Instead he gained support from his peers most notably Kanye West who praised Tyga by stating that "he was smart" because he "got in early" which implied that the relationship had begun earlier. Furthermore, the rapper released a song "Stimulated" which made reference to Jenner. However, the song's explicit lyrics "They say she young, I should have waited, she a big girl dog when she stimulated" horrified many as they implied that the rapper was romantically involved with Jenner before.
"The Pick Up Artist" also known as Julien Blanc is a prime example of how rape culture is becoming trivialised as many people, particularly men, flock to Julien's talks to be advised how to attract women....at any cost. For example, his advice to his male clientèle includes the technique of “choking” women that they’re interested in and “hushing them” until they get a date. Recently, the comedian Dapper Laughs was under fire for his comment to a female audience member, in a video footage by the Mirror that she was "gagging for a rape". He, however, defended himself by saying that he was not teaching men how to sexually assault women.
It is undeniable that these notions about sexual violence and intimidation are increasingly contributing to the rape culture that our society seems to be familiarising itself with. In January 2013, the Ministry of Justice, Office for National Statistics, and Home Office reported in "An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales" that approximately 85, 000 women are raped on average in England and Wales every year and over 400, 000 women are sexually assaulted each year. Furthermore, it reported that 1 in 5 women (aged 16-59) have experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 16. However, researchers at the University of Surrey have stated that between 70-90% of rapes go unreported as victims fail to report their ordeals to the police. This mainly stems from fear of not being believed, being blamed for the incident as well as being ostracised. In addition, 94% of the reported cases don't end in conviction which exemplifies the reason why many victims are not willing to confide in the law enforcement.
Victim shaming is an element that has prevented Bill Cosby's victims from speaking out about their ordeals as they lived in fear that if they came forward, they would be vindicated. Unfortunately, Cosby's victims were vilified by many when they did speak out, as many people accused the women of trying to damage the actor's legacy. Actress Jill Scott stated that she would not believe the sexual assault allegations without "proof" or "charges". Cosby's lawyer Pressley also insisted that the victims had "waited too long" to report the incidents and had a "responsibility" to gather evidence and report the incidents.
Social media has become an instrument which is encouraging rape culture with Twitter being the platform for many insensitive memes and comments regarding rape. In particular, many female users have been displaying attitudes which suggests their disregard for male sexual assault. For example, in response to the question "Ladies, if you wanna have sex and your man says no, what would you do?", many women seemed to ignore the fact that a man can be raped as they reacted viciously by mentioning that they would "rape him", tell him to "lay back and I won't be long" and some responded by asking "What is no?"" Others responded to the idea of forcing sexual intercourse on a man as a privilege that he should be "grateful" for as they mentioned that "if a man gets raped he should be grateful because he got laid".
It seems that our society today has become desensitised to the idea that sexual assault and rape are serious matters that should not be joked about or ignored. Unfortunately, the dismissive behaviours are dangerous in that they incite the rape culture within many as they adopt ignorant beliefs and attitudes towards rape. This results in victims feeling ashamed and blamed for their ordeals, which causes many incidents to go unreported. It seems we should individually educate ourselves as well as correct each other when we display these dismissive attitudes. Through this way, we would be reducing the risk of a culture that normalises rape.
Victim shaming is an element that has prevented Bill Cosby's victims from speaking out about their ordeals as they lived in fear that if they came forward, they would be vindicated. Unfortunately, Cosby's victims were vilified by many when they did speak out, as many people accused the women of trying to damage the actor's legacy. Actress Jill Scott stated that she would not believe the sexual assault allegations without "proof" or "charges". Cosby's lawyer Pressley also insisted that the victims had "waited too long" to report the incidents and had a "responsibility" to gather evidence and report the incidents.
Social media has become an instrument which is encouraging rape culture with Twitter being the platform for many insensitive memes and comments regarding rape. In particular, many female users have been displaying attitudes which suggests their disregard for male sexual assault. For example, in response to the question "Ladies, if you wanna have sex and your man says no, what would you do?", many women seemed to ignore the fact that a man can be raped as they reacted viciously by mentioning that they would "rape him", tell him to "lay back and I won't be long" and some responded by asking "What is no?"" Others responded to the idea of forcing sexual intercourse on a man as a privilege that he should be "grateful" for as they mentioned that "if a man gets raped he should be grateful because he got laid".
It seems that our society today has become desensitised to the idea that sexual assault and rape are serious matters that should not be joked about or ignored. Unfortunately, the dismissive behaviours are dangerous in that they incite the rape culture within many as they adopt ignorant beliefs and attitudes towards rape. This results in victims feeling ashamed and blamed for their ordeals, which causes many incidents to go unreported. It seems we should individually educate ourselves as well as correct each other when we display these dismissive attitudes. Through this way, we would be reducing the risk of a culture that normalises rape.
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