Rape Culture and Consent Images in the Media

Rape Culture and Consent: Overview of Presentation 1) Definition 2) Reading 3) Law 4) Images 5) Discussions

Rape Culture: Definition “…a complex of beliefs that encourages male sexual aggression and supports violence against women … a society where violence is seen as sexy and sexuality as violent.’” “… the image of heterosexual sex is based on a model of aggressive male and passive female.” 18/tocnode?id=g _yr2012_chunk_g _ss /tocnode?id=g _yr2012_chunk_g _ss1-19

Rape Culture: From Reading Myths from text pg. 471: – “(1) only certain women (i.e., those with ‘bad’ reputations) are raped; – (2) only certain men (i.e., psychopaths) rape; – (3) women invite or deserve rape by their appearance and behavior; and – (4) women fantasize or fabricate rape, motivated by desire, revenge, blackmail, jealousy, guilt, or embarrassment”

Rape Culture: Legal Concepts of Consent, E.g. 21 OS § 1111, A- 3. Where force or violence is used or threatened, accompanied by apparent power of execution to the victim or to another person; 4. Where the victim is intoxicated by a narcotic or anesthetic agent, administered by or with the privity of the accused as a means of forcing the victim to submit; 5. Where the victim is at the time unconscious of the nature of the act and this fact is known to the accused

Rape Culture: More recent consent law Text page pg. 476 Note, Rule by Myth: The Social and Legal Dynamics Governing Alcohol- Related Acquaintance Rapes: – “Ow, stop,” she “protested more than once” – Insufficient evidence for forcible rape, prosecuted statutory rape – Barrier to prosecuting acquaintance rape: mismatch b/w media images and most common type of rape (pg. 479 bottom)

Rape Culture: Images Consent Female passivity Male aggression Alcohol Violence Objectification Victim blaming

Rape Culture: Images

Rape Culture: Reflection on Images What were the themes presented? How do they relate to our readings? Are any of the images surprising? How do they match with your general perception of our culture/media/advertising? Other reflections?

Rape Culture: Twilight?

Rape Culture: Twilight Clip e-notes-on-rape-culture/ e-notes-on-rape-culture/

Rape Culture: Twilight Reactions Thoughts? Reactions?

Rape Culture: Victim blaming, case law Epley – victim blaming: – The court rejects defendant’s attacks against the victim’s character, nevertheless: – “… the prosecutrix should have insisted on getting out … she was easy to get acquainted with and had apparently not been adverse to a mild form of flirtation” (722) “She was not wholly blameless.” (722)

Rape Culture: Images, Victim Blaming

Rape Culture: Victim Blaming “ It’s easier to deal with victims than with aggressors. It’s easier to tell women what to wear and how to at and how to avoid rape, than to root out sexual violence in our society and culture. … Maybe instead of worrying about we talk to our daughters about what they wear and how they act and how that will get them raped, we need to be talking to our sons about how they treat women, or objectify women, or use women.”

Rape Culture: Suggested Shift “1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior. 2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone! 3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them! 4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited. 5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM! 6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room. 7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public. 8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them. 9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake! 10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone ‘on accident’ you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do. 11. And, ALWAYS REMEMBER: if you didn’t ask permission and then respect the answer the first time, you are committing a crime- no matter how ‘into it’ others appear to be.”