Slam poetry is a medium for many artists to add emotion to their written work and expand their audience. The following slam poets talk about a difficult topic - rape. They say what society needs to hear about rape.
1. “Rape no longer only knows closed doors and dark hallways, it’s assimilated into our daily routine.”
Desiree Dallagiacomo & FreeQuency - "American Rape Culture"
Today, rape is heavily integrated into our culture. It is in top hit songs (Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines, Rocko Feat. Rick Ross - You Don’t Even Know It), in jokes, advertising, movies, books and other media. These songs and much of the other media teaches boys to take what they want, and teaches girls to go along with it. This rape culture America is creating is dangerous - it paints rape as a normal, acceptable action.
2. “Victim has been redefined as slut, asking for it, liar, too drunk, too sloppy, not worth the investigation.”
Desiree Dallagiacomo & FreeQuency - "American Rape Culture"
A rapist has been redefined as director singer, baller, actor, boxer and rapper. Rapists are put on pedestals while victims take the blame. Even though famous rape cases are a small fraction of the total, they set precedent for the total.
3.“If you want a healing relationship, how do you talk about it when the language is rooting against you?”
Belissa Ecoloedo and Rhiannon McGavin - "Rape Joke"
Opening up a healthy discussion about sex is difficult because of the the language that surrounds it. 'Bang', 'screw', 'pound'. It is all so violent.
4. “Our bodies are not up for your selection.”
Cayla Benjamin - "Rape Culture"
Victim blaming, slut shaming and media have a way of making women believe that their bodies are for men's consumption. But women have rights to their bodies, always.
5. “We were lovers after all, with a love like that you hardly have to ask, right?”
Neil Hilborn and Ollie Schminkey - "One Color"
Rapists are often people that the victims know personally or have a relationship with. Sometimes he/she is a current lover. Contrary to popular belief, saying yes once does not automatically mean yes for every proceeding time. You are free to say no at any point.
6. “The first time a man I loved held me by the wrists and called me a whore, I did not think ‘run’, I thought ‘this is just like the movies’.”
Brenna Twohy - "Fantastic Breasts and Where to Find Them"
American rape culture has caused desensitization to the topic. This desensitization is particularly harmful to victims who, consequently, think that their rapists actions are normal or even acceptable.
7. “We can joke about it because it is ours to joke about, similar to how our bruises are ours to poke at, and yours to keep away from.”
Belissa Ecoloedo and Rhiannon McGavin - "Rape Joke"
Stop rape jokes. They aren’t funny. They are never funny.
8. “No one comes running for young boys who cry rape.”
Kevin Kantor - "People you May Know"
Society tells boys they should want sex, all the time, no matter the circumstance. But boys are just as much victims as girls are.
9. “And people that don’t know I want to know I’m afraid to let know.”
Kevin Kantor - "People you May Know"
This is a real struggle for many victims - wanting someone to know what happened to them but not wanting to tell them.
10. “Rape poems will continue...until I can walk alone on dark streets and not be cat called...until my voice speaks louder than my outfit.”
"Rape Poem To End All Rape Poems" at Rutgers University
Society often expresses annoyance at the increasing amount of rape poems (or articles such as this one). But the fact is, we will continue to write until there is not a reason to write anymore.
11. “We tell victims to trust a system that puts them on mute.”
Desiree Dallagiacomo & FreeQuency - "American Rape Culture"
Rape victims are silenced too often. This is why so many rapes go unreported. And if they are reported, they are often abandoned. Nationwide, there are over 400 thousand unprocessed rape kits.
12. “This is preventable so someone must be responsible for preventing it; we can teach this better.”
Neil Hilborn and Ollie Schminkey - "One Color"
Sex-Education in school often teaches about date rape drugs and protecting drinks, but fails to teach students that rape can happen to them. They also fail to teach students how to protect themselves in these cases.
