The Theory of Rape Culture
The culture of rape can continue when we embrace masculine ideas that view violence and domination as “strong” and “masculine.” When women and girls are more respected in rape culture, victims do not believe or are accused of their own victimization. In addition, authors are rarely held accountable or viewed as excusable or understandable for their behavior.
Is the culture of rape is so ingrained in our society?
According to some liberal circles, the culture of rape is so ingrained in our society that it permeates all aspects of our lives: television shows that make fun of the victims, music, advertisements, legal jargon, laws, words, and images that make violence against women and sexual coercion so normal that people consider rape inevitable. The culture of rape does not even say that many women have been sexually abused repeatedly in their lives.
Several scholars have described India as a country where rape culture is rooted in traditional culture and a legal system that blames rape victims and stands with criminals. In addition, women who have been raped as “damaged assets” suffer further in the social sphere if the perpetrator intends to force the victim to revert to sexual and gender stereotypes.
Infographic Military Sexual Trauma – MST Symptoms VA Disability Ratings
Rape jokes
In most cases, these are situations in which sexual abuse, rape, and general violence are ignored, downplayed, normalized, or turned into jokes. Rape jokes delegitimize sexual violence and make it harder for victims to speak up if their consent is violated. Phrases such as “boys will be boys” not only reinforce gender stereotypes but also normalize and justify violent behavior.
The prevalence of masculine language in society creates the “dissolute woman” concept. It forces women to begin controlling their behavior, fearing how they will be perceived within the culture of rape. In industrial cultures, raped women step out of their domestic roles and become visible in the workplace and other traditionally male-dominated areas, increasing male insecurity, which leads them to rape to suppress women.
Culture of rape
Hence, the sexism that does not directly address rape can still contribute to a culture of rape, especially if sexism implies that women are valued primarily or solely because of their attractiveness to heterosexual men or that sexual relations follow a predator/prey pattern. Thus rape acts as a powerful means by which the entire female population is subordinated to the entire male population, even if many men do not rape and many women never become victims.
And it often gets media coverage only when high-ranking officials, such as football coaches or priests, are involved. The rape stories that are becoming widespread involve white heterosexual victims almost always. However, according to RAINN, 34% of all American and Alaskan Indian women will survive rape or attempted rape in their own lives.
Infographic on Military Sexual Trauma MST-VA Disability for Military Sexual Assault PTSD
Underestimated rape
These statistics are of particular concern given how underestimated rape is: even the Savannah Police Department’s Roving Department has admitted that sexual harassment is generally underreported because it is so difficult for victims of crime to assert themselves.
This environment fosters a culture of victim-blaming in which people are judged and held accountable for what happened to them and others may see the victim as different from themselves.