Chances are if you're in college you have had an extremely hard exam. Chances also are you have heard a student, maybe even a friend say: "That exam raped me." You may have not been offended by the statement, but chances are that someone in that classroom hearing the very same statement is a victim of sexual assault or rape. Nearly one in four women, and one in 16 men, are sexually assaulted or raped while in college, and more than 90% of those victims never report the incident that happened to them. Even scarier is the fact that most of these victims personally know the man or woman who raped them. If you look around in your 200 person lecture, and apply these statistics, you may think twice of making light of rape.
How is it possible that even as college rape statistics are skyrocketing we are still so desensitized to the word rape? Is it because we are so accustomed to hearing the word used as a joke, or is it because society as a whole is too scared to stand up and address the fact that the word rape shouldn't be used as a joke. The majority of times I have tried to make a comment about how the word should be taken more seriously, I get shot down. Reasons like, "you're being too sensitive," "its only a joke," "get a sense of humor," and "you sound like a feminist," are often the response. I appreciate the concern of someone being worried about the fact that I have no sense of humor, but I do have one, it just doesn't involve using someone else's sexual exploitation as a joke. Of course there is the whole argument of free speech too. Yes, under the first amendment you have the right to free speech in this country, which allows you to make a joke out of someone else's pain. But, just because you have the legal right to say whatever you want does not make what you're saying ethically right. The change with rape culture starts with the people encouraging it. There is no bill that can be passed that can make people take rape more seriously. Vice President Joe Biden said it best: "We don't need new laws for this... We're trying to change culture."
The physical and mental pain that comes along with rape does not stop the second the act is over, the emotional trauma can last a lifetime. Rape leads to depression, anxiety and other mental disorders that make it difficult for the victim to go about their day normally. Rape victims have a 50-90% chance of developing PTSD and are four times more likely to commit suicide after their attack. But, somehow these victims are still the punch line for jokes that glorify what their rapists did. Someone's emotional pain should not be used to benefit someone else to get a chuckle out of their group of friends. Victims of sexual assault and rape should not feel like it's their fault and that they do not have the right to speak up and take action to prosecute their attackers.
What if it was your sister? Your best friend? Your daughter or son? Your mother? Would you still make that joke?
