"We take this very seriously."
"We have a zero tolerance."
These same statements we hear repeatedly when a female or male decides to step forward and lay bare all the secrets that have been burning holes in the deepest parts of their souls. The secrets of rape that haunt their minds and dreams.
These victims are asked these questions:
"What were you wearing?"
"How much did you have to drink?"
"Should you have even been there in the first place?"
"Why did you give the guy so much attention?"
"It is a frat, what do you expect?"
Who should college officials and law enforcement team members be holding to a higher standard? The women who are supposed to cover themselves and not feel safe to have a drink on a Saturday night? Or the men that believe they have the sexual entitlement to any body they come into contact with?
Let's make it crystal clear, rape is not about sex. It is the great power struggle between the sexes. By asking the women these questions only, we lower the standards that should be expected of men.
Sex has been so demoralized that we no longer need to know anything more than the physical beauty or "hotness" of someone to crawl into bed with. It does not matter how long the flirting goes on for, both the man or woman are entitled to "NO, I do not want too". Both genders are entitled to put their clothes back on and walk out; it is their God given right to stop whenever the feelings of uneasiness begin to fill their veins.
What does zero tolerance mean? Does it mean that if accused, they are immediately thrown out of the university? Or does it mean that when a university has students that are accused, they turn the other cheek? As a society, we have become more interested in the revenue of a school than the protection of our students.
Rape culture has become the hunting grounds on college campuses. The prey are brought into the den of the predator. Their spirits are killed and their dignity has vanished.
At the height of the rape culture is the mystical sorority versus fraternity. The rules for these organizations, which are set by the country for college sororities, reach the height of a double standard. Sororities are not allowed to have alcohol in the house even if you are the legal age of 21. If six or more women live in the house and alcohol is present, it is considered a brothel. So where do these women go to drink? The grounds of the fraternity, where the men are in complete control. They control who comes in and the amount of achohol distributed, down to what guy gets each girl by the end of the night. They are glorified as the cool guy because the hunt has become easier, the prey came right into the den.
Why does a shirt that shows cleavage, means she wants to have sex? Why does "lets take a shot" mean "yeah, you can slip that date rape drug into my drink!"
There is zero entitlement to a body that is not your own. No matter how cool your frat is, if you just made the winning touchdown that night, or the winning basket that is bringing your team to the championship.
Everyone is ENTITLED to the word NO, regardless of the circumstance.
Everyone has a job to protect themselves, because sometimes, the system that we expect to protect us from sexual assault turns the cheek to save itself rather than the individuals inhabiting it.
