Rape culture has been receiving a great deal of attention in the Blogosphere lately, and this is a good thing. As a culture, we have a long way to go before we think of women as fully autonomous beings who must give full and enthusiastic consent before sexual intrusion. Check out this graphic for a quick primer on what I mean by Rape Culture.
Things to think about
As an author, I believe I have a responsibility to not propagate rape culture. This means I must be careful to read over what I’ve written with a critical eye, sensitive to those parts of the culture I have unconsciously adopted. Even were I to write a ‘ripped from the headlines’ novel set in a modern day Frat House where the Social Chair sends an email to members and pledges with a subject line: LURING YOUR RAPEBAIT, I would negotiate it carefully. I feel it is my responsibility to shine light on these corners of our culture, but not blindly perpetuate those attitudes.
This is easier said then done. It is nearly impossible to completely erase the judgments that are inculcated in us from birth. Ladies must be virtuous. Boys will be boys. She asked for it. The virgin/whore dichotomy. We have a lot of mixed up messages floating in our heads, and it is all too easy to pass those on in our writing. But to end rape culture we need to change the messages we repeat to ourselves. This means as writers we must make a conscious decision to not just blindly repeat the meme.
A victim never asks for rape. Drunkenness is not consent. Taking advantage of someone sexually is not a score, it is an invasion. Girls do not prevent rape by dressing/acting different, boys prevent rape by NOT raping. And as for the ‘he didn’t mean it as rape’ response that I hear from so many date rapists and their apologists, I ask you this: if that same young man was driving a car, lost control and drove through the front of your house, would you let him off the hook because he didn’t mean to? The fact is sexual congress should be treated like driving a car – you should have to learn all the safety rules before you get your license, and then you are expected to keep your genitals firmly in your control at all times. If you do lose control, you will be held responsible and should expect the full consequences of the law!
We can fix this, as a society, if we just pay attention to the messages we send and how we educate our children. As an author, I vow to do my part.
