We live in a country where politicians call rape a “gift from God” and suggest that women regularly lie about being raped. Where a group of young men in high school think so little of sexual assault that they thought it was fine—hilarious, even—to post pictures online of a passed out rape victim, and to live-tweet the rape, joking about the victim being urinated on. We live in a country where media as revered as The New York Times finds it necessary to describe an 11-year-old gang rape victim as “wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s.” Where a woman can be fired because her boss finds her “irresistable” and a woman’s rape case falls flat because she isn’t married.
It’s time to acknowledge that the rape epidemic in the United States is not just about the crimes themselves, but our own cultural and political willful ignorance. Rape is as American as apple pie—until we own that, nothing will change.
h/t Zerlina Maxwell
More from Greg Mitchell, Alexander Abad-Santos, and Amanda Marcotte.
Previously: When Is A Rape Not a Rape? In California…
This article in The American Prospect hits the nail on the head.
Purity Culture is Rape Culture
The shocking assault in India reveals that rape isn’t about sex—it’s about controlling women’s lives.
E.J. Graff writes:
More at the link
In progressive land, if a woman steps out of line, sexist images are thrown at her to remind her of her ‘proper’ place.
Rape is anger; it is about control over another. The act, itself, is secondary to the power the rapist feels.
I’ve followed these, and other stories, but it’s difficult to find words. I’ve been there, and at first, thought I could just shake it off – that I dealt with it. Now, years later, I’ve relived each and every moment as I read the news.
First, you feel violated (you are). If you tell parents, doctor or police, you find yourself questioning what you did to entice. Then, self-esteem spirals downward. Some of it doesn’t happen at first. It may show up years later, either in how you perceive yourself, or how you behave with a man. Either you are frigid, or overcompensate and pretend to be a sexual, sensuous woman. You also get good at faking because part of you has been shut down.
On the other hand, I’ve watched young women invite this bizarre attention, and my heart bleeds. They are so desperate for affection, love, and for just a moment, to believe that they are ok. Sadly, rape or sport sex have nothing in common with love,
As to the brutality in India, nothing one says is enough.
Thank you for sharing this.
The minor sexual assault I experienced two years ago made me want to puke and left me with a feeling of pure repulsion.
Now those fighting for a just world get blamed for a woman being raped? Incredible!
Idle No More not Responsible for Violence in Thunder Bay
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More here
I get a lot on “Idle No More,” but hadn’t seen this. Thanks for posting.
A Theory of Violence: In Honor of Kasandra, CeCe, Victoria, Savita and Anonymous
Conclusion:
More at the link
Female vigilantes take matters into their own hands in India
They’re not taking crap from anyone. Women in India have had their fill of rape and abuse, and they’re fighting violence with violence.
The women of the Gulabi Gang (or Pink Gang) wear rose-colored saris and carry big, menacing sticks. They’re your average kick-ass, female crime fighters, but you won’t find them in a comic book. No, the Pink Gang, founded in 2006, takes to the streets of India, dealing out their own version of justice to rapists and corrupt politicians – and the sentiment is catching on.
More here
The beginning of Gender Wars?
Occupy Steubenville Protesters Descend On Ohio Town To Demonstrate For Rape Victims, Call For Football Coach’s Job
IBT, BY Jeff Stone, January 5
Protestors descended on Steubenville, Ohio, on Saturday to demonstrate their opposition to the possible cover-up of the alleged rape of a 16-year-old high school student by members of the Steubenville High School football team.
The alleged cover-up is attributed to school administrators and law enforcement authorities in the small town of Steubenville, where high school football is a mainstay with many residents.
Occupy Steubenville, as the rally came to be called throughout social media, was the second such protest in as many weeks, and it was organized by the hacker collective known as Anonymous and an offshoot group known as KnightSec.