Hookup Culture and its Influence on Rape
Hookups can be defined as brief sexual encounters between individuals who are not romantic partners or dating each other. The idea of a hookup is not new, in fact it can be traced back to the 1920’s when relationships gained more freedom with the introduction of the automobile. It became even more prominent in the ’60’s, when birth control became widely available and feminism began to take flight. However, hookups have reached their peak within the past 10-15 years. In a recent study done on North American college students, 60 to 80 percent of participants had engaged in some sort of hookup experience (Garcia). While it would be impossible to pinpoint one reason why this influx occurred, it is essential …show more content…
Take, for example, the trial of two college football players, Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey. The two were accused of attempted aggravated rape, aggravated rape, and aggravated sexual battery. Videos and photos were taken as they sexual assaulted their victim. When it came time for arguments Mr. Worrick Robinson, Batey’s lawyer, took to the floor to say that rape didn’t occur. He instead, blamed the hookup culture for how it “glorif[ies] drinking, glorif[ies] sex, glorif[ies] promiscuous sex, glorif[ies] acting out, glorif[ies] multiple partners. Smashing. Hooking up.” Rightfully so, the two were found guilty of the charges (Katz). Their lawyer argued hookup culture as an excuse for the rape. The scariest part of all might be the fact that the victim was no stranger to her rapists. As a matter of fact, she was a 21 year old who had been dating Brandon Vandenburg at the time of the assault. Her final memories of that horrific night? Her boyfriend pumping her full of alcohol (Press). Even so, according to Robinson’s definition of the hookup culture, the event that changed this woman’s life forever would without a doubt not even be considered rape. This culture is destroying the lives of countless individuals, as they watch their rapists argue that they hadn’t done anything wrong at …show more content…
Rape culture can be defined when assault is rampant and normalized due to social attitudes about sexuality and gender. Similarly, a hookup culture encourages casual sexual encounters instead of long-term commitment (Katz). Both terms have begun to take away from the harsh realities of rape and instead draw all attention to the idea of a “culture”. The way hookup culture promotes rape culture can be easily seen if one begins to look. Hookup culture is centered around one night stands, most of which involve alcohol and/or drug use. In fact, many college women say that hookups could not exist without alcohol, because the idea of having sex with a stranger is uncomfortable without it (Herman). These events are widely accepted and commonplace on college campuses. When things start to become common, they are not treated as seriously as if they rarely occurred. When we begin to generalize the idea of drunken students hooking up, it becomes an excuse. Many will use this excuse to justify their actions, an explanation for why they didn’t come home the night before. Unfortunately, the excuse is also used to try and pardon acts of rape. This is where the promotion of rape culture
Hookups can be defined as brief sexual encounters between individuals who are not romantic partners or dating each other. The idea of a hookup is not new, in fact it can be traced back to the 1920’s when relationships gained more freedom with the introduction of the automobile. It became even more prominent in the ’60’s, when birth control became widely available and feminism began to take flight. However, hookups have reached their peak within the past 10-15 years. In a recent study done on North American college students, 60 to 80 percent of participants had engaged in some sort of hookup experience (Garcia). While it would be impossible to pinpoint one reason why this influx occurred, it is essential …show more content…
Take, for example, the trial of two college football players, Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey. The two were accused of attempted aggravated rape, aggravated rape, and aggravated sexual battery. Videos and photos were taken as they sexual assaulted their victim. When it came time for arguments Mr. Worrick Robinson, Batey’s lawyer, took to the floor to say that rape didn’t occur. He instead, blamed the hookup culture for how it “glorif[ies] drinking, glorif[ies] sex, glorif[ies] promiscuous sex, glorif[ies] acting out, glorif[ies] multiple partners. Smashing. Hooking up.” Rightfully so, the two were found guilty of the charges (Katz). Their lawyer argued hookup culture as an excuse for the rape. The scariest part of all might be the fact that the victim was no stranger to her rapists. As a matter of fact, she was a 21 year old who had been dating Brandon Vandenburg at the time of the assault. Her final memories of that horrific night? Her boyfriend pumping her full of alcohol (Press). Even so, according to Robinson’s definition of the hookup culture, the event that changed this woman’s life forever would without a doubt not even be considered rape. This culture is destroying the lives of countless individuals, as they watch their rapists argue that they hadn’t done anything wrong at …show more content…
Rape culture can be defined when assault is rampant and normalized due to social attitudes about sexuality and gender. Similarly, a hookup culture encourages casual sexual encounters instead of long-term commitment (Katz). Both terms have begun to take away from the harsh realities of rape and instead draw all attention to the idea of a “culture”. The way hookup culture promotes rape culture can be easily seen if one begins to look. Hookup culture is centered around one night stands, most of which involve alcohol and/or drug use. In fact, many college women say that hookups could not exist without alcohol, because the idea of having sex with a stranger is uncomfortable without it (Herman). These events are widely accepted and commonplace on college campuses. When things start to become common, they are not treated as seriously as if they rarely occurred. When we begin to generalize the idea of drunken students hooking up, it becomes an excuse. Many will use this excuse to justify their actions, an explanation for why they didn’t come home the night before. Unfortunately, the excuse is also used to try and pardon acts of rape. This is where the promotion of rape culture