Explaining Rape Culture

A rape culture condones physical and emotional terrorism against women as the norm.

(originally posted as a Facebook Note on October 14, 2016)

TRIGGER WARNING

There are graphic and explicit terms used in this. Topics discussed include rape, sexual assault, abusive relationships, and victim blaming.

What is rape culture?

In her book Transforming a Rape Culture (1995), Emily Buchwald provides a great explanation:

“A rape culture is a complex of beliefs that encourages male sexual aggression and supports violence against women. It is a society where violence is seen as sexy and sexuality as violent. In a rape culture, women perceive a continuum of threatened violence that ranges from sexual remarks to sexual touching to rape itself. A rape culture condones physical and emotional terrorism against women as the norm.”

“In a rape culture both men and women assume that sexual violence is a fact of life, inevitable as death or taxes. This violence, however, is neither biologically nor divinely ordained. Much of what we accept as inevitable is in fact the expression of values and attitudes that can change.”

A rape culture condones physical and emotional terrorism against women as the norm.

Melissa McEwan, in a 2009 blog post, wrote an excellent article titled Rape Culture 101.

WARNING

The article has a LOT of triggers in it (rape, sexual assault, violence, victim blaming).

I suggest you read the article if you want a whole helluva lot of descriptions of exactly what a rape culture is (not just a definition of it).

Here are some of the points I thought were especially pertinent today:

Rape culture is treating rape as a compliment.

That means that a woman was so damned sexy that a man just couldn’t help himself – he had to have her!

Rape culture is victim blaming.

You know what that is, right? It’s when you question the victim (What were you wearing? Were you drunk? Did you lead him on?) rather than question the rapist (Why the fuck didn’t you keep your dick in your pants you asshole?).

Rape culture is tasking victims with the burden of rape prevention.

Because we all know it’s easier to teach a women how to keep from being raped than it is to tell men, “Don’t rape women.”

Rape culture is telling women that if they don’t follow all of the rules, it’s their fault when they get raped.

“Be careful what you wear and how you wear it.”

Because we all know you’re asking to get raped when you expose skin, right?

“Be careful how you walk, where you walk, when you walk there, and who you walk with.”

Because we all know that if you walk through a questionable neighborhood, you’re just asking to get raped, right?

“Be careful about what you drink and how much you drink.”

Because we all know that if you get drunk, it’s your own damned fault if you get raped.

“Be careful about making eye contact.”

Because we all know that’s all it takes to set off the uncontrollable desires of a man, right?

“Be careful about being alone.”

Because we all know that if you’re walking anywhere alone, you’re just asking to get raped, right?
“Be careful if it’s dark.”

Because we all know that walking around after dark is just asking to get raped, right?

“Make sure you check the door before you open it.”

Because if you don’t check to make sure you know who’s on the other side of the door, it’s your own fault when you get raped, right?