Jackson Katz’s didactic tone emphasizes the gender violence issues in society through the points made “ in the domestic and sexual violence field know [as] victim-blaming” as well as how with “power and privilege, [there is] the ability to go unexamined.” How we think conspires us to keep our attention off of men; instead of pursuing the perpetrator we now follow the victim. We use the violence or pain that has happened to someone to identify/label that person. Victim blaming has become prominent in our society today. The power and privilege that some people hold has allowed them to silence the voices of many.…
In fact, three of four women in the study who responded that they had been raped or assaulted as adults said the perpetrator was a current or former husband, a cohabiting partner or a date” (433). These assaults happen all the time and no can stop them because most women are too afraid to report what is happening so they just let it continue. Women should be able to protect themselves or leave once they are feel unsafe, but most men won’t let them leave and they would usually continue the abuse leaving these women defenseless. However, even though there are men who violently abuse their girlfriends/wife, there are men who are not the attackers but he victims as well. There are people who do believe that men are the only ones who do the abusing but they don’t think that men can be abuse by women just because they are men.…
The contemporary wave of feminism has created vast social change on how sexual assaults are defined and treated by legal professionals and society. The main goals of feminism are to redefine the patriarchal dogma on the rate, causes and effects of rape (Chasteen, 2001, pp. 102-103). This is largely done by framing rape as a social problem that has historically remained unaddressed by the dominant male discourse. From their perspective, it is the most extreme expression of male power and gender inequality (Chasteen, 2001, p. 106). As such, rape is redefined as a crime against women that is a direct and almost absolute consequence of the male needs for dominance and aggression (Chasteen, 2001, p. 106).…
In “Sex Crimes I: Rape and Sexual Assault”, the author, Laurence Miller, discusses rape as a product of nurture. He argues that rape is mainly caused by societal and cultural upbringing. On the other side, Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer, authors of “Why Men Rape”, argue that nature is the main cause of rape. They believe that rape is an evolutionary adaptation. Although both “Sex Crimes I: Rape and Sexual Assault” and “Why Men Rape” have similar views discussing high rape rates, the articles differ vastly in determining the specific nature or nurture aspects of rape, for example, whether rape is an act of sex or violence.…
The tendency to blame rape victims makes it easier for people to explain why these attacks are so prominent. It is easier to find an excuse to why someone got raped than to recognize our own vulnerability or to rationalize why the assailant conducted such a vulgar act. The Just World Hypothesis explains that women get raped not because of the fault of others but because it is a way for the universe to “even” out the playing field (Rape Crisis Information Pathfinder, n.d.). “The greater harm means that harshly punishing the perpetrator isn’t sufficient to restore a ‘just world.’ To do that, we may need to cast the victim as partially responsible (Benforado, 2016, p.18).”…
Studies show that there is a correlation between the acceptance of such beliefs and high proclivity to rape (Chiroro et al., 2004). Furthermore, rape myth acceptance contributes to a culture where victims of sexual assault are demoralized and blamed for their own victimization, while perpetrators are more likely to be excused (Iconis, 2008; Breines, 2012). Various forms of mass media influence rape myth acceptance. News reports of a prominent rape are the most obvious form. The way media outlets portray both perpetrator and victim will influence how society views those involved, and perhaps more importantly, how the courts will rule.…
In this paper based on extensive research, I will look at the role of gender socialization in creating stereotypical views of male and female and how that contributes to sexual assaults in Canada. To support this, one first needs to look at the history of sexual assault and how that contributed in creating this…
Sexual Assault is one of the most feared topics on campus because of different experiences that people face in their life and it can affect all age groups, races and cultures. College campuses have a high rated number of sexual assault and rape because of the major reasons like parties, alcohol, fraternities and sororities. These crimes are under report it which makes it hard to determine them. Whether it is rape, abused or sexual assault women are less likely to report it because of their relationship with the person or they are afraid of the consequences or don’t think there would be any justice at all. This request is to initiate a student organization on campus name FASPVA which stands for Fight Against Sexual Physical or Verbal Assault.…
Through the course of this essay about sexual assault, it will start by summarizing the content of the presentation, then linking and viewing the content through the lens of theories related to the course content, and finally suggesting ways to overcomes this problem in Educational context The presentation started by defining what is sexual assault and the prevalent myths in our society. ‘’Sexual assault is any involuntary sexual act in which a person is coerced or physically forced to engage against their will, or any non-consensual sexual touching of a person. ’’ Sexual Assault." Wikipedia.…
Together race and gender play a major factor in how the media present each of the victims, and proves that the experiences of sexual assault victims are dictated by the composition of the two. The media has the power to heighten awareness and dissipate myths about rape and racial stereotypes and influence how we perceive and treat others, and yet it does not because of…
Sexual assault is a serious crime that is extremely consequential in the United States, especially within the U.S. Armed Forces. Although sexual assault is a serious crime in and out of the military, the military seems to look over the issue. According to an article by Jennifer Koons, the Pentagon has stated, approximately 3,000 service members reported being sexually assaulted in 2012. While that number is somewhat large, a confidential Department of Defense survey suggests an even bigger number closer to 26,000 (14,000 were men), 8 times more than reported by the Pentagon. Although some reports are filed, this situation identifies that instead of conducting thorough investigations, they simply did not care.…
Upon hearing of a rapist, individuals tend to visualize someone with a specific set of characteristics, but contrary to common belief many can easily fit this description. A study done by Rachel Lev-Wiesel, author of Male University Students’ Attitudes Towards Rape and Rapists, states that “10.3% of university males self-reported some likelihood that they would commit rape if they were assured they would not be caught or punished. 60% of men admitted being sexually aroused by rape scenes and 30% admitted to being capable of rape (Lev-Wiesel, 201)”. Her study indicated that in a random sample of female college students 41% reported having been forced to have sex or being raped by someone known to them. Most people would assume that a rapist…
In the United States, patterns of socialization exist that encourage men to feel they are expected to gain sexual access from reluctant women (Littleton, 2011). They are more likely to labeled as the decision maker and initiator in heterosexual relationships (Glass, 2002). Sex-role stereotypes encompass expected behaviors of both genders and through sexual scripts, by guiding expectations of how men and women should interact with each other as strangers (Check & Malamuth, 1983) . Even though stranger-rape seems to be the least condemned type of rape scenario, men are still often excused for being sexually aggressive while women are blamed for certain actions they took (BenDavid & Schneider,…
Furthermore, Katz points out that this terminology shifts the focus and sense of responsibility away from men, particularly the male perpetrators of the violence. Instead, a disproportionate amount of attention is placed on the female victim, and this frequently results in victim-blaming. Katz explains that “our cognitive structure is set up to blame victims. This is all unconscious. Our whole cognitive structure is set up to ask questions about women and women’s choices and what they’re doing, thinking, wearing” (Katz 2012).…
The cultural construction of rape, or rape culture, is a somewhat misunderstood term in mainstream society. Many people shy away from the expression because it seems at first glance to demonize all men as evil predators. In reality, however, rape culture refers to a much broader social phenomenon that addresses both men and women. In an article for the Globe and Mail, for instance, Jordan Venton-Rublee defines a rape culture as “the environment that puts the onus on the victim, not the perpetrator”. Marshall University Women’s Centre also addresses the concept on their website, establishing that while rape culture does largely refer to victim blaming, it also can be seen more broadly as “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which…