Victim blaming. It is a tool used by the privileged (usually White and male) to justify their actions which in any other context would be condemned as wicked and inhumane. Although this article is about victim blaming in rape, victim blaming can be seen repeatedly in history: colonialism, imperialism, gentrification, “Black on Black violence” (which does not exist but is rather used by news reporters, politicians, and officials to continually blame Black Americans for the violence that exists in their communities), and medicine. In both colonialism and imperialism, indigenous people were labeled as savages and treated as inferior; thus, the Europeans who forced them into submission (i.e. the Atlantic Slave Trade and during the Scramble for Africa) or wiped them out (i.e. the Spaniards in South America) justified the atrocities they committed by bringing them “civilization.” If only the natives had been “civilized.” How cruel. Justification for police brutality on unarmed Black men includes blaming the victims for wearing “suspicious clothing” or being out too late. Contrarily, society and mental illness are always to blame when White students shoot up their schools. However, as mentioned before, this article is about victim blaming in rape.
Rape is one of the worst crimes a human being can commit. It is a FORCED intrusion of one’s body, destroys one’s sense of security and trust, damages who the victim was and who they had the potential to be, and can scar a person for the rest of their life. It is NOT another form of sex, and it can in no way be justified. However, the privileged males (usually White) continue to blame their victims to free themselves from any fault. They were drunk. They knew they wanted it. They looked like they wanted me to do it. I didn’t hear them say no. They put themselves in that situation. I can’t control myself. They're lying. They're whores anyway. They shouldn’t have been wearing that. All excuses that are meant to distract society from the problem of rape culture.
Victim blaming in rape makes no logistic sense. How can you blame someone for what was done to THEM? Allow me to clarify this by replacing rape with a home intrusion. You are sleeping in your bed at night: you turned the alarm on, locked all the doors and made sure your windows were closed. Then you hear someone throw a brick through your window and begin to rob you. Are you at fault for being robbed or is the robber at fault for stealing from you? Now you no longer feel safe in your home.
This is an extremely watered down version of what rape does to those who are forced to experience it, except the police actually respond to people whose houses have been broken into and robbed. Victim blaming forces victims into silence and shames them for a situation they had no control over. It sends a message to privileged men that they can violate a woman (man) and her (his) body and steal her (his) dignity and get away scot free if they are White and wealthy (similar to that foolishness psychiatrists are calling affluenza. You familiar?)
For those who think I am a biased woman who has no proof, here is your proof. Brock Turner, a student at Stanford that the Washington Post called an “All-American Athlete”, raped a 23-year-old woman in January 2015. Instead of asking “Why is this still happening?” questions such as “Was she drinking?” were asked. Alcohol is NOT a free pass to someone’s body. Just like how your computer programs ask for your consent to be downloaded onto your devices, you MUST receive consent before you even think about laying your hands on somebody. It was discovered that the victim was drinking that night, and soon Turner’s “glorious” swimming career became the topic of conversation, something that is completely irrelevant. And the piece de resistance (and I mean that in the most sardonic way possible)?
His sentenced was shorted from 14 years to 6 months. 6 MONTHS! He completely violates someone, and the judge basically lets him off with a warning because his life has been “difficult” with what his father called “20 minutes of action.” APPALLING! This speaks volumes about how privileged White America handles the abuse of its women. Are our bodies and souls so insignificant? Instead of making us jump through hoops by not wearing this, not drinking, not giving off certain vibes, or not giving certain looks (WHICH DON’T STOP RAPE BY THE WAY), how about we change rape culture and make sure male society understands that not only is it not okay but rapists are ALWAYS at fault.
This article isn’t about what should be done to the sentence of Brock Turner. By what I’ve written, you can already guess my position on the subject. This article is about how harmful the effects of victim blaming in rape truly are. What’s the danger? It enforces rape culture and casts shame on rape victims. Stop silencing victims of rape. Do not dress up rapists as good boys who made one terrible mistake. Hold all rapists accountable for their crimes.
(For a musical representation/interpretation of this subject, listen to "His Story" by TLC. For a visual example of this subject, watch Season 2 Episode 20 "No Means No" of A Different World which is available on Netflix.)
