Trigger Warning: Discussion of rape in detail

There isn't a shortage of buzz on the internet in the past few weeks of a particular incident that has enraged many for a multitude of reasons. The incident was the rape of a 23 year old woman at Stanford University by the university's star swimmer, Brock Turner. It is unfortunate to say, but college campus assaults are not uncommon and while there is much rage (even documentaries such as the fantastic documentary called The Hunting Grounds) there is not enough anger to mount national attention. This case was different if only because of the subsequent "punishment" of Brock Turner. His sentence for the rape of an unconscious woman was a mere six months. What kind of system would pave the way for such an atrocious act to go basically unpunished? Brock Turner's father sums it up as "A long sentence would be a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 years of life." Meaning that the absolute violation of the woman that Brock Turner assaulted was ultimately justified since his sexual needs were not satisfied completely. There is a global epidemic in this world that promotes the kind of responses given by Brock Turner's father and the favorable sentencing of Brock Turner himself. It will not be the first time any of you will hear it, but it is true that we live in a rape culture. Oftentimes that term is thrown around with no such real context as to what it is and what it entails but hopefully after reading, anyone who may have been confused will understand completely what rape culture is. But before we get into any conversation about rape culture, it is important to discuss what rape is. A lot people seem to think that rapists are people in black ski masks jumping out of bushes at night getting ready to assault a poor woman or someone insane like that of the character in A Clockwork Orange. But rapists are people like me and you. They do not have severe psychological issues but are confused as to what the difference between sex and rape is for they are not one in the same. To be absolutely clear, Sex without consent is rape! If the person you are about engage in sexual activity with says no, then they have not given consent. If they are in a state of mind that cannot give proper consent (IE unconscious or inebriated) then no sexual activity should be done. So what is rape culture?

Rape culture is a society that has normalized sexual violence against women, made rape commonplace, and glorified it through media and other sources. The term came about in the early 70s and is a topic that is heavily studied by academic feminists. In this society there is a lot of unconscious consumption of rape culture, especially in our favorite medias. It is difficult to point out a lot of the times because if we refer back to our definition, rape culture is a normalization of rape in our society, so if it is normalized then we do not see it as a problem but this is probably the moment to step back and think really hard about how we can allow something as awful and heinous as rape to become the norm. Mostly it is predicated on our treatment of what it means to be feminine, seeing as how femininity is seen as lesser than masculinity and masculinity promotes conquest, especially sexual conquest. It also includes blaming the victim (victim blaming) for what they went through. Statements such as "she shouldn't been out that late." or "She shouldn't have been wearing that and maybe she wouldn't have gotten raped" or "Maybe if he didn't go to jail then he wouldn't have gotten raped". Victim blaming takes blame off of the attacker and puts it on the victim when it was the attacker who caused that actual issue. How do these things manifest anyway? Through all of our movies, video games, television, magazines, etc.. But I do think it is better for visual based learners to really see to understand the severity of this issue.

VIDEO GAMES

Oftentimes in the video games we play (most notably Role-Playing based games) we see hints at rape culture. The video game community in general has an issue with rape culture but we're going to focus on one aspect of it. The over-sexualization of women even when it comes to character creation shows that women are not seen as direct equals as men and are to be treated as just something to view rather than an actual character. Male characters in video games get to be disgusting troll monsters, horrific demons, and etc, while the female variant of those creatures are usually human in form and again sexualized for the male gaze (considering how video games have a mostly male audience)MUSIC

This an example of a rap song but a lot of music in general are prime agents for rape culture (especially here in the states) and is usually under the guise of being very masculine, or very sweet. Lyrics such as these are actual avocations of rape. The issue that we see how these lyrics promote rape, but where is the outrage and demand for accountability for these lyrics? Lyrics such as these aren't new nor are they few and far between. They are normal thus, many do not give them a second glance, more especially in black communities where sexual conquest over women by any means is heavily enforced. There is no excuse for lyrics such as these yet we let it slide, and if you want further proof, I implore you all to search Robin Thicke's "blurred lines" lyrics and see if you can point out how the entire song is based on rape and rape culture.

COMEDY

We all love to laugh and we love when our favorite comedian comes on television or we see them live at a show or whatever the case may be, but I believe comedy is one of the most prevalent means of spreading rape culture. Jokes are never just jokes a lot of the time, they are a reflection of our reality that is either heavily emphasized or exaggerated. Daniel Tosh isn't the only comedian who jokes about rape consistently, nor will he be the last but his bits on rape usually come at the expense of those who have went through traumatic experiences. Jokes seem harmless but it is a snowball effect when it comes to it, things start off as a joke until it is perpetrated by someone. The line between "joke" and reality have been blurred many times and mostly by males. They pave the way for assault of not just women and female bodied people but men and male bodied people as well.MERCHANDISE AND PRODUCTS

These products that are mostly given to women (just showing this societal idea that men are absolved from sexual attacks as well) are given because they are supposed to be deterrents towards rapists. They are mostly given to college women but as we pointed out earlier, rapists are not people jumping out of bushes. Pepper spray and a rape whistle does not do much when you are passed out or when your body freezes, or when you are with a friend and your guard is completely let down. These are examples of items are well intentioned, but further promote a rape culture because giving these out to women just states "hey you might get raped so let me arm you and make money off of the violence towards women" and while that sounds like a joke it isn't. Pepper spray sold to women is usually pink so they can entice you with it. I have a lot of female friends and a girlfriend who have pepper spray and they have never once used it but I also have female friends who have pepper spray and have been victims of assault. They were never in a position to use said spray or whistle or whatever product companies want to market towards women so they can bank on the rape of people.

Those were just a few examples of rape culture in our popular media. There are many many other examples that show the normalization of assault mostly towards women. An entire collegiate level course could be taught on the topic. Rape culture is something that affects everyone and helps no one. It ruins the minds of women and men who suffer through traumatic pain for the rest of their lives. It does not do anyone service and I would hope we can all agree that it has no place in our society. The issue comes with people's either apathy, or ignorance of the topic and that's where people such as I come in. It is our duty to spread the information of rape culture so one does not have to go through the agony of watching someone like Brock Turner basically get off free from such a horrific act. Hopefully this was an adequate guide on what rape culture is and how it is promoted.I should say that you can still enjoy these mediums that I've talked about. You can enjoy something while being critical of it. You can love playing video games and the industry yet still recognize that there something wrong with it.I would say, if you want to learn more, I am not the expert on this issue but I know many sources that helped me understand what this is and how it affects us. Please check out some of these amazing people or their works!

Anita Sarkeesian (video games)

The Hunting Grounds Documentary

Simone De Beauvoir's The Second Sex (French Feminist Philosopher)

Laci Green (Feminist Youtuber)