Rape: Type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration perpetrated against a person without that person's consent.
Culture: The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.
Yet, to me, it surprises me that there is such a thing as ‘Rape Culture.’ In my right or wrong opinion, depending on how you look at it, I don’t see how a ‘Rape Culture’ can exist. A culture is often used to define someone of their ethnic background. And to me, there is NO specific culture that engages in that act. For a fact, rape occurs all around the world! Not just in America. And not just on college campuses. Yes, I am obviously a girl and yes, there was something about feminists thing about ‘Rape Culture’ back in the 1970s. But still, just because I’m a girl and I do believe that women should be equal to men doesn’t mean that I condone “Rape Culture” in the same way that they’ve believed. Whether or not you’re agreeing with me at the moment, hear me out and continue to read. I’m not going to rant on “Rape Culture,” but I will be discussing rape in general on college campuses.
Moving on to campus rapes, I’ll get back to my rant on “Rape Culture,” but stick with me here. Before I start of this part of the article, I want everyone to know that if you see someone being raped or have been raped yourself tell the city police station! Going to the campus police won’t get you very far. I hate to say it, but after doing research you’re not going to see the results you’d hope for. Anyway, though, knowing that school has just gotten out doesn’t mean that campus rapes still won’t occur. In fact, the peak of campus rape occurs during the first few weeks of the fall semester or Welcoming Weekend. Yeah, yeah, I know it’s frightening to think of classes starting up again, but It’s important to be aware of these things. Especially if you’re an incoming freshman. Yes, it is true that men aren’t raped as often as women but it still occurs. As more often than not, the rapes will occur at parties where the poison could be mixed with alcohol and/or drugs. So make sure that if you’re at a party, you can trust someone to keep tabs on you (and I’m not talking about beer tabs). I know, that sounds so middle school, but it’s totally worth knowing- for yourself and your friend(s). Just one last thing, I want to say about rape in general, before I move on to “Rape Culture,” is that just because the girl/guy is wearing something more sensual doesn’t mean that it’s consensual.
So what’s the deal on “Rape Culture?” I mean really, why is it even a thing? How can a certain culture truly be centered around rape? If you look around, the United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world. So it’s impossible to pinpoint that all “whites” commit rape or that all “Mexicans” commit this act. I don’t know what it is, but anytime someone brings up “Rape Culture,” I’m always baffled that this is a thing that exists in our society.
Does this clear up anything about what rape is and what a culture is, and how somehow “Rape Culture,” exists in this society? I always find myself heated up whenever rape is ever discussed, but I know that not everyone is going to believe the same things as I do, but this is my 500 words on rape and “Rape Culture.”
