Rape Culture : Rape And The Media

When asked to define the word rape, a number of responses may be given depending upon what country or state one lives in and if one is a male or female. According to Pandora’s Project.org, rape is defined as any sexual contact or penetration attained without consent; with physical force, intimidation, threat, trickery, or when the victim is mentally capacitated, physically or mentally impaired, asleep or unconscious; this includes due to voluntary or involuntary alcohol or drug consumption.

Or is rape perpetuated by a small number of men who are at their core, predators? It can also be questioned, is rape a clearly definable crime or are there grey areas? A report from the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network expressed concern that “emphasizing rape culture makes it harder to stop sexual violence, since it removes the focus from the individual at fault, and seemingly mitigates personal responsibility for his or her own actions” (RAINN, 2015). This report was submitted to the White House in order to offer recommendations to the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault policy program; feminist pushed back at this claim pointing out that we live in a patriarchal society, “it shouldn’t be difficult to hold accountable the individuals who commit acts legally defined as rape, while we also discuss how prosecuting rapists is made difficult by those who blame victims and make excuses for men’s violence, all of which is related to the way our culture routinely glorifies other type’s of men’s violence (war, sports, and action movies) and routinely presents objectified female bodies to men for sexual pleasure (pornography, Hollywood movies, and strip clubs)” (Marcotte, 2014). The late feminist Gerda Lerner defined patriarchy as “the manifestation and institutionalization of male dominance over women and children in the family and the extension of male dominance over women in the society in

Issue: “Rape” also referred to a sexual assault, under New South Wales Crimes Act 1900 is defined as ‘a person who inflicts grievous bodily harm on another person with intent to engage in sexual intercourse with that other person, or with a third person who is present or nearby, is guilty of an offence punishable, on conviction, by imprisonment for 17 years’.

     Rape is a physical attack, not sex. Rape crisis counselors and researchers define rape as an act of violence in which sex is used as a weapon (Benedict 2). A woman is raped in this country every two minutes. Between 1996 &1999 7,787,00 rapes were reported. The

    There is a long history of rape and rape culture. Over the years history has changed the definition of rape because it was too broad and different jurisdictions interpreted it differently to disenfranchise certain victims. Rape is defined by Webster Dictionary as “ to seize and take away by force.” Legal definition of rape is “nonconsensual sexual intercourse that is committed by physical force, threat of injury, or other duress.” Common law defines rape as “unlawful intercourse by a man against a woman who is not his wife, by force or threat and against her will.” The new definition states rape as “penetration, no matter how slight of the vagina or anus with any body part

Many individuals might wonder, what is rape culture? “Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.” Most women limit their behavior because of the existence of rape. (Marshall University)

Rape, as defined by the Uniform Crime Reporting Program in 2011, is “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” This differs from the previous definition of rape, “first established in 1927, ‘the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.’ It thus included only forcible male penile

In all cases, sexual assault would be considered rape because it would involve non-consensual sex and other non-consensual sexual activities. Sometimes women can get severely injured and some even end up fighting for their lives. Recovering from a sexual assault is a

America has a proud history of being a country that has many different ethnicities and cultures living within its borders. But one of the most prevalent cultures is one that transcends race or country of origin, rape culture. The term used by modern day feminist and gender activist defines a culture which normalizes rape and sexual assaults because of the deeply rooted societal attitudes towards gender and sexuality. In a rape culture the instances of rape are accepted as everyday occurrences and even as the prerogative of men, resulting in the stigmatization and blame placing of rape victims. Although the phrase “rape culture” is relatively modern, the

“Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture” (1a) Today you can't turn the television on without hearing references to rape culture. Jokes about sexual abuse plague every sitcom and news channels question rape victim’s every move. Even entire shows are dedicated to the topic such as Law and Order SVU. The media trivializes rape leading to a rape culture in America.

Rape defined is forcing sexual intercourse upon someone without his or her consent. This isn’t just a girls’ problem, boys have to deal with this too. According to the American Psychological Association, nearly one in ten girls and one in twenty boys say they have been raped or experienced some form of sexual assault (Atlanta Journal, 1). Almost more than half of rape victims know their attacker; they don’t report it or tell anybody. In most date rape cases, the attacker and victim have known each other for at least a year or even longer. Only about 10 percent of rapes are reported, less than that go to court. According to data taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, one forcible rape is reported to the police every six minutes, on

If I was tasked with the responsibility of defining sexual assault or rape for the State of New Jersey's criminal code, I would not use the term rape. I believe New Jersey Legislature made the right choice as to not using rape, by calling it “sexual assault”. Alter, reviewing both UCR old and new definition giving by the FBI, I still feel that their wordage is confusing and focusing as if the rapist is always a male and the victim is always a female. The old definition of rape states, “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will” (Fbi.gov. I tend to like this one the most, but once again pointing out this one points out that the victim is always a female. In January 1, 2013 a new definition became effect and his one says,

The definition of rape has changed since 1927, with the new nationwide definition from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR), the Office of the Attorney General states that, “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” The definition or rape has not changed since 1927. In 2012, under this new definition, it gives a larger definition as to what facilitates the nature of rape, this includes men as well as women; notwithstanding the victims age of being unable to consent, including the victim’s mental capacity, or being in an incapacitated state due to ingestion of drugs or alcohol (U.S. Department of Justice, 2014). According, to the 2015, Criminal Victimization Report, reports that the rate of

A major perpetuating factor in misinformation regarding sexual assault and rape culture is the media. Confusion about what constitutes rape leads many students to question whether or not they were a "real victim". Rape isn't always a violent crime committed by a stranger down some dark alley. It can

Rape culture is an environment in which social attitudes have the effect of normalizing sexual violence against women and excusing it in the media and other popular cultures. Rape culture attempts to rationalize a continuum of sexual violence that range from sexist remarks to unwanted sexual touching, and rape itself. Rape culture has become so desensitized by society that perpetrators may not be aware of their wrongdoings and victims may not realize they are being victimized. It is a culture in which victims are suppressed when they decide to speak up about their traumatic attack, because they are seen as being dramatic or untruthful while the perpetrator's actions are left unpunished. While the majority of victims are women, rape culture is not solemnly an issue of female oppression, it is a general disconnect between human beings. It is a culture that many of us refuse to accept exist, however there are numerous examples that normalize rape and sexual assault on a daily basis. Rape culture is not a new topic. The term was first used back in the 1970’s by a group of feminist to raise the awareness of the normalization of sexual violence in society. In recent years the topic has become a popular, controversial issue and has come to permeate virtually every aspect of our lives through media, song lyrics, and everyday jargon.