In light of Donald Trump's recent scandal, where he is quoted saying "You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful [women]. I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait . And when you’re a star they let you do it . You can do anything ... Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything", here is some information for those who are confused as to why people are calling this an example of rape culture.
Rape culture is an environment where rape is prevalent and normalized. In our American culture, it means that at times, we excuse rape or other forms of sexual assault under certain conditions. A lot of the time, evidence of rape culture comes through the things we say and the excuses we make for sexual assault. Here are some examples of rape culture:
1. Tolerance
Once I was speaking to my friend (we were 15-years-old at the time), and she told me stories about all the times' men have said sexual things to her and about older boys who had sent her sexually explicit pictures. This started from the time she was twelve. Not only was this a normal thing for her, but no one tried to fix it. No matter who she told, the excuse would be that she looked older than she was and that she was full figured.
She's not the only one to experience this. In fact, by the age 17, 84% of young women have been catcalled at least once in their life.
2. Victim Blaming
Victim blaming is when a victim of rape or sexual assault is questioned about their credibility. Questions are asked like: "What were you wearing?" "Were you intoxicated?" "Did you lead them on in any way?"
This is an example of rape culture because the rapist's actions are excused because of the victim's condition at the time the rape occurred. This gives a false impression that says what you're wearing or how drunk you are is a form of consent, rather than a verbal "Yes".
3. Rape Jokes
Jokes about rape and sexual assault are one of the many forms of desensitization to rape. This gives people a way to laugh off the intensity of it and cover it up.
4. Rape and Sexual Assault Towards Men
One out of every ten victims in the U.S. are male. A lot of times, men's feelings and stories are suppressed by the lie that being raped makes you weak or takes away your "manhood". This is a sick lie that is unfortunately believed by many.
5. Rape Porn
88.2% of top rated porn scenes contain aggressive acts. While only 9.9% contain scenes of laughter, kissing, and hand holding. This shows us that violence is more desired than fluff.
In 70% of porn content, an act of aggression is performed by a man, and 94% of the time, the act is done to a woman. About 20% of porn content is child sexual abuse.
This is just a general idea of rape culture. The problem lies so much deeper. This problem is embedded into our society, our minds, and our hearts. This problem cannot be solved by remaining silent. We have to educate and start paying attention to the world around us if we want to get rid of rape culture.
So, no, Donald Trump. We will not let you do just anything. We're more than just sexual objects.
