Considering this past weekend I was neck deep in research for my analytical report on Rape Culture perpetuated by video games, it is no surprise that I am burnt out. My brain is already littered with memories of my past and the invalidation of those around me, it didn't help to read about the society we live in and how it conforms to this culture.
It makes my heart ache for those victims who have felt the need to keep their mouth shut because they buy into the mythology behind rape culture. Either that or their story was ignored because they had been drinking or knew their attacker personally. A lot of the times when college women are forced to report their story to campus police it is treated as an inconvenience.
I know of so many girls, some of them who have come to me personally, and questioned their experience because they had been drinking, passed out, and woken up with a man inside them without prior consent. When they realize what is happening, fight back and say, "no," it is already too late. Or they are too drunk or drugged to do anything. They start blaming themselves saying, "I shouldn't have been drinking, or have gone to that party in the first place."
What kind of society are we living in if guys are allowed to get drunk and do what they want without consequence, yet women have to mind their "p's and q's?" That is why so many movements against acquaintance rape, especially on college campuses, say "Teach 'don't rape,' not 'don't get raped." I can already hear the noise from people arguing that there is a gray area, and they are entitled to their opinion, but they are wrong.
Look, I don't hate men, or believe that men keep women in line with the power of their penis, but people need to stop looking at rape as a women's issue. Women aren't raped, or men for that matter, because there is something wrong with them. It really is a men's issue, and before anyone wants to argue that, just know that 99.8% of rapists are men.
I'm sick of rape myths and rape jokes. I'm also sick of children being exposed to sexual content and violence through TV, movies, and video games. It personally makes me sick to my stomach when I have to sell Grand Theft Auto V to a parent who is letting their 8 year old play it. This happens even AFTER I explain the detailed scenarios in the game. One evening this happened about 10 times, and I had to remove myself from the sales floor in frustration.
People can say what they want to me, but I will never stop fighting against the people who roll their eyes when college women report rape, or do anything that perpetuates victim blaming, because as soon as I stop fighting, I am denying victims their right of transforming into survivors.
No comments:
Post a Comment