<p>Rape culture is a culture (or subculture) that sees rape as normal, not criminal and pathological. One might consider the Hobart Williams College fraternity Kappa Sigma, if not the whole campus, to support rape culture. momofthreeboys, I thought you would have picked that up on the long, long Sexual Assault thread where you were so very active in defending the rights of men. </p>
<p>Let me clearer for you yet again mamlion, I was not defending the rights of men, I was defending the rights of all people to due process and I think my posts were quite clear about that. I’m still not sure if I understand what “rape culture” is. I can’t imagine any university or any society of people in the United States believes that rape is “normal” so that can’t be the definition of rape culture at least here in the United States. We’re a pretty intelligent bunch here so it puzzles me that terms would be used that cannot be defined. Do I think there is rape culture at HWS, no I do not and I suspect the vast majority of kids and administrators think rape is a horrible crime. Do I think that the victim was horribly misguided, yes. Do we know all the facts in the HWS case, we do not… although I suspect she might have gotten more justice from the criminal justice system had she pressed charges after she left the hospital.</p>
<p>Even RAIIN has this to say as I found when trying to find the definition of rape culture since it seems to be used quite often:
<p>Momofthreeboys, what do you mean when you say that the victim was “horribly misguided?” And how about the boys who raped her, were they also “misguided?”</p>
<p>*The biggest takeaway it seems to me is that she was admittedly drunk out of her mind and can’t remember much. I’m never going to understand why people just seem to accept this part and move right past it to the rape charges. If you can’t remember what happened prosecuting anything will obviously be much more difficult. *</p>
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<p>A lot of people don’t believe in rape culture. It has been a recent revelation to me. I believe the italicized quotes are examples of victim blaming, which is part of the definition of rape culture. I am in no position to point fingers. Last weekend my husband pointed out to me some very thoughtless language I had used. On the last thread about sexual violence on campuses, many objected to the use of “misogyny” to describe the tone of the thread. Maybe it is useful to just spell out what some of us consider a misogynistic reaction to the NY Times article. Misogyny doesn’t only mean hatred of women. It has more subtle meanings. It encompasses the idea that women are “less than” and that unconscious biases exist in our society.</p>
<p>ETA:
The first problem is rape. Focusing the discussion elsewhere is an example of how rape culture influences our thinking and reaction to rape. IMHO</p>
<p>I hesitate to step into yet another discussion of this topic, but I do like to add the viewpoint of a lawyer, and also somebody who cares a lot about due process. It certainly sounds to me like the panel at HWS mishandled the reported case–but I can’t be sure. The article provides some facts, but not others. Were there facts in the evidence that made the panel think it more likely than not that the accuser participated consensually in sexual activity? Presumably there must have been, unless they are simply corrupt. I note in passing that the HWS panel used the “preponderance of the evidence” standard, which I have argued in previous discussions is an inappropriate standard to use in a quasi-criminal proceeding. But even using that very lenient standard, they acquitted the accused persons. When the “real” legal authorities were given the case (six months later), they felt there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed. They could also be corrupt, of course, but it could also be that they accurately evaluated the totality of the evidence and realized that they would not be able to obtain a conviction.</p>
<p>So was this a case of a college protecting athletes? Maybe. Was it a case of incompetent tribunal personnel? Probably, but not definitely.</p>
<p>In another thread, I suggested that one cultural problem is that college boys are learning about sex from porn–which often features multiple men having sex with one woman. I don’t know if I would call it “rape culture,” but I wouldn’t hesitate to refer to “porn culture.” It creates a warped (and degraded) view of sex.</p>
<p>Post 24 (love that we have post numbers again) has the lengthy language around changes to the Violence Against Women Act. It is heartening to see that they are broadening the language and it is heartening to see they are defining some ambiguous language. I just scanned it this weekend but it appears they are also trying to qualify how all these fit within the context of Title IX. It’s a slow moving train, but it will get there. </p>
<p>I don’t know Hunt, I’m not aware that porn is a huge thing with young men. I’d worry more about things like last year’s preoccupation with 50 Shades of Grey and other portrayals in entertainment and national media – call it soft porn that both men and women are exposed to and I’m of the opinion (and happen to agree with RAINN) that actual rapists or sexual predators are in a very small minority on campuses.</p>
<p>Shoot me now, but it kind of says it all that the link is from “bitchmagazine”…not familiar with that particular on-line literature and I say that affectionately. I don’t really need to use jargon like “rape culture” to understand the problem, quite frankly, and to care about solutions. </p>
<p>Rapists are a minority of men on campus, of course, and a minority of women are raped (1 in 4 or 5), but all women are affected in that they have to be constantly vigilant and self-monitoring. After all, if they make a mistake, they were asking for it. Blue lights all over campus constantly remind women that they are at risk. Rapists have effects far beyond their “occasional” rapes.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys:
“bitchmagzine” - I assume the title is a deliberate attempt to reclaim/reappropriate an ugly and common slur.</p>
<p>I have found the concept of rape culture very useful in recognizing and naming a lot of things that have always made me uncomfortable. We can call it anything we want, but it seems to me that we have to name it to really think about it in a constructive way. Maybe not. I’m not a linguist, psychologist or philosopher. </p>
<p>Also, isn’t the statistic that 1 in 5 women are “sexually assaulted” or the victims of “sexual assault or harassment?” I don’t think it’s shown that 1 in 4 or 5 women are raped, if you define rape as the law does.</p>
<p>Hunt, one in five will be assaulted or raped on a college campus. One in five will be raped in their lifetime. Clearly not all rape victims are college age. Or students. That’s all I’m adding to this tiresome subject. </p>
I’m sorry, but if it’s really true that 1 in 5 women are raped while in college, that’s a huge crime wave. If people believe that a crime wave of that size is being ignored, it’s not surprising that people want to see big changes made. But if that statistic isn’t really accurate, bringing it up all the time weakens the argument.</p>
<p>Let me put it another way: if it’s the case that most campus rapes are being perpetrated by a limited number of serial rapists, it seems highly unlikely that they are victimizing 1 in 5 women on campus. So is the core of the problem dealing with serial offenders, or are there a lot more “casual” rapists? It seems to me that the steps you will take are different depending on what the problem really is.</p>
<p>Recently I had this conversation with a young college women and her aunt who had never before heard the term “rape culture”. Mostly, I stayed quiet. The girl was upset that most of her friends had been raped. The aunt who is around 50 years old was shocked. After much discussion about specifics the aunt was informed that she had been raped at least 4 times which came as something of a surprise. However, she didn’t say yes and she didn’t much want to engage but decided it would be easier and never considered herself raped. That is the problem with the statistics, imho.</p>
<p>Okay, this is literally the LAST thing I’m going to say about his today.</p>
<p>The ONLY thing that has even brought about any interest in making any changes in this culture is women speaking up about their rapes and their experiences with their University and their rapists and their campus. No statistical accuracy can be obtained since women have been being discouraged from rape reporting for decades on college campuses now, first because, hey, “are you sure it wasn’t your fault?” Now, because, hey “If you report it to the police we have to report it in the Clery report.”</p>
<p>There is little support for women reporting rape, either on campus or elsewhere, and this is what we mean by “rape culture,” along with some other things that are too tedious to get into right now.</p>
<p>The only thing that even makes a case, right now, is the women themselves. The statistics were far worse several years ago, and that didn’t change a thing, anyway. The only reason people are even discussing it now is because the women themselves are discussing it, for the first time in history, unashamedly. </p>
<p>I think if three girls in 200 were raped on a college campus it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. One girl a year, same thing. Could you imagine a campus on which even one in ten young men faced bodily violence not being considered unbearably unsafe?</p>
<p>poetgrl, I don’t disagree with you at all. I’m just pointing out that if you lead with a statistic, people with inquiring minds are going to want to know the basis of the statistic. If the basis of the statistic isn’t very strong, it’s probably better not to lead with the statistic.</p>
and I say that affectionately. I don’t really need to use jargon like “rape culture” to understand the problem, quite frankly, and to care about solutions. </p>