Rape culture is prominently displayed even though people may not realize it. Although many people think the term “rape culture” is only used by feminist to make men look bad, it is more used in order to portray incidents that promote or become involved in sexual assault or rape against females and males. Rape culture includes the use of sexually explicit language or actions and the use of words or actions that disrespect or cross the sexual boundaries of genders. The way people contribute to the rape culture unknowingly is when jokes are made about violence, sexual assault, or rape. The more jokes that are made, the more it tells people that it is okay to laugh at them. The more people begin to laugh, the more blind or numb people begin to feel to the fact that it actually happens and it is not a joke. At this point, those terms and actions are normalized and begin to happen more because the lines are blurred between what constitutes as rape and sexual assault.
The idea that the majority of society has come to normalize certain aspects of sexual assault through jokes and media plays into the double standard, which is the ideologies that exist within genders that promote certain actions for one gender, but disapprove of the actions for another gender. By relating this to the double standard, it sets the stage for the idea that women are more prone to being ignored or looked down upon in the situation of rape or sexual assault. For example, the picture below was found on a widely used social media cite. It fits this idea because when a guy is sexually assaulted, it may be funny to some because he got taken advantage of by a woman, but in the end, the guy does not receive crappy comments that ruin his self-worth, and he will be more likely to gain justice in the end.
Do you feel that this is one way in which men are valued over women, or do you think men and women are treated equally when it comes to sexual assault and rape?
Do you think it is possible to prevent sexual harassment or is it one of those things that depends on the person?
Do you think women are prone to be looked down upon or ignored in the case of sexual assault because it happens so often?
Sex and Society 