"Rape is one of the most terrible crimes on earth and it happens every few minutes. The problem with groups who deal with rape is that they try to educate women about how to defend themselves. What really needs to be done is teaching men not to rape. Go to the source and start there."
- Kurt Cobain
No one likes discussing this sombre topic, but it must be done.
Here we go, jumping in head first.
I once read a quote online that stated something along the lines of "if ignorance is bliss, then you must be a rapist" however I can't quite remember the source. What that quote expresses though, is that ignoring the crime is equally as punishable as committing the crime. Food for thought...
Here we go, jumping in head first.
I once read a quote online that stated something along the lines of "if ignorance is bliss, then you must be a rapist" however I can't quite remember the source. What that quote expresses though, is that ignoring the crime is equally as punishable as committing the crime. Food for thought...
We all know how horrific and tragic these events can be, so I'm not going to bombard you with gruesome facts.
Back to our beloved friend Kurt. What he had to say brings up many striking points about the morals behind rape. Let's start with the basics. Rape is bad, and I'm sure we all agree upon that. The topic itself is very controversial and arises many more subtopics to be disputed, like awareness, prevention, recovery, reasons, education and so on... Morally, it goes against the notions of respect, abuse and sexuality.
Back to our beloved friend Kurt. What he had to say brings up many striking points about the morals behind rape. Let's start with the basics. Rape is bad, and I'm sure we all agree upon that. The topic itself is very controversial and arises many more subtopics to be disputed, like awareness, prevention, recovery, reasons, education and so on... Morally, it goes against the notions of respect, abuse and sexuality.
What Cobain said has its positive and negative points. I don't agree with the use the word women, as though only they are ever victimized. Men and children are often victims as well, with men and women alike acting as aggressors. Furthermore, The victims of rape shouldn't have to be educated on how to act in prevention so that they don't get targeted, because ultimately it shouldn't happen.
It seems as though in society, one of the rules of life seem to be "Rape is bad". Yet, we've been taught through history, particularly as women "Don't get raped". By this, they assume things such as, don't dress provocatively, don't roam the streets alone at night, don't put yourself in the situation. In my opinion, being stripped of the right to dress how I feel and the right to be alone merely because I am more susceptible to it, is absolutely wrong. Although I feel this way, I understand that not all cases happen under these conditions, some have nothing to do with the victim.
With progression in society, today we reach the realms of a more "Don't rape" type moral. Sadly, not everything has magically been fixed, rape culture still exists (blaming the victim, sexually objectifying...) but it is much more advanced than it once was. It is truly wonderful how society has progressed. Yet in my eyes, this still poses a problem.
The plausible aggressors shouldn't be taught not to commit rape. To me, that means that we view rape as a choice, when it shouldn't be. We are teaching them to chose not to do it. Thats like saying, "We hope you don't do it, but if you do thats okay because it was your choice". It shouldn't even be viewed in that context. It should be taught to men, women and children alike to respect, love and be compassionate with one another, and therefore not commit it.
The notion of rape being bad in society is constantly being interpreted into a moral ideology that many people abide to, thankfully. Yet this moral, as I've just shared with you, has been misconstrued into many undesirable points of views. We've gone from don't get raped, to don't rape. Now we just need to get to respect one another's personal being and sexuality.
What do you think?
References:
http://www.marshall.edu/wcenter/sexual-assault/rape-culture/
http://upsettingrapeculture.com/about_the_exhibition.php
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001955.htm
http://www.marshall.edu/wcenter/sexual-assault/rape-culture/
http://upsettingrapeculture.com/about_the_exhibition.php
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001955.htm
You have some very strong opinions Gen and I respect that. The way you write and formulate your sentences makes it extremely easy to follow your blog and even enjoy it despite the nature of the topic. I look forward to reading more of your work because I’m sure we’ll share opinions on many things.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your opinion that rape should ultimately not happen, I believe that "it is better to unload the gun rather than construct better bullet proof vest", because in that way you solve the problem at the source rather than further along the line. There is one thing that I must disagree with though. If women, children, men (the victims) don't wish to be raped or be abused or viewed in a negative way, why would they dress provocatively or in any revealing way. I am not saying rape is caused by the way they dress but I simply believe that the victims wouldn't be in that situation if they dressed reasonably.
ReplyDeleteI'll apologize in advance for the novel-sized comment I will inevitably write. If it's TL;DR, I'll just resume it now. RAPE IS BAD.
ReplyDeleteAhem.
Anyway, I have mucho respect for this blog entry. Rape is certainly an awful thing, and I genuinely hope no one thinks otherwise. Rape culture, on the other hand, is sickening. We as a society choose to blame the victim, and to shame them, instead of supporting them and trying to ensure nothing similar ever happens again. And not to point fingers anything of the sort, but Alexandre's comment about the way victims dress sort of goes along those lines. I don't think it was intentional - it's just a byproduct of the culture we've been brought up in. No one should be responsible for what others have done to them. To a certain extent, yes, the victim can be blamed, but not in the cases of rape. Poking a bear and being surprised when it claws your face off is different than wearing what one may feel comfortable in and having someone sexually assault you.
I also like your idea of not even presenting rape as an "option", even if it may not always viable. There needs to be awareness to help prevent it, but the concept of teaching everyone to respect and love one another is solid, especially when it comes to respecting someone's wishes. There needs to be a stronger emphasis on what defines "consent". Not saying "no" is not the same as saying "yes".
Anyways, just wanted to put in my two cents (although it was more like 25). Sorry for the mini-novel!
AMEN!!
DeleteYour completely right, we need to target this thing at the roots. Focus on the rapist instead of the victim. We criminalize the victim and victimize the criminal. You clearly did your research. Fascinating read, can't wait to see what's next. Who doesn't love a little controversy.
ReplyDelete