Rape
Culture in the Media
College
should be a place to go to have fun, figure out what career to pursue, and
learn about what life is like away from home. For the most part college is just
that, but what is often brushed aside is the trouble young-adults get
themselves into. It is inevitable that when a bunch of eighteen year olds leave
home, they are going to push the limits; they’ll drink, party, and experiment
because they think they’re invincible. In this, rape is going to occur. It is
important that it is properly handled. Rape is not often reported and when it
is it is poorly handled by the media; which escalates the failure-rate of
reported rapes.
University
of Virginia was on the hot seat after news of an on-campus gang rape went
viral. Jackie, a young freshman, was targeted by multiple brothers of the Phi
Kappa Psi fraternity. The young freshman was at her first frat party. Although
she wasn’t much of a drinker, she wanted to fit in and experience the Greek
scene. Her date invited her upstairs, and in the young girls naivety she went.
She was led up the stairs into a dark room where she realized they weren’t
alone. Allegedly there were nine men in the dark room, and seven of them raped
and abused her for the next three hours.
Rolling Stone
published an article about the horrific events at UVA, explaining the story and
the lack of action taken by the university. However, Rolling Stone made an error that is so commonly made in the media;
they only got one side of the story. Rolling
Stone re-published the article to their website with a disclaimer at the
beginning:
“We
published the article with the firm belief that it was accurate. Given all
of these reports, however, we have come to the conclusion that we were
mistaken in honoring Jackie's request to not contact the alleged assaulters to
get their account. In trying to be sensitive to the unfair shame and
humiliation many women feel after a sexual assault, we made a judgment – the
kind of judgment reporters and editors make every day”
This isn’t to undermine the things
Jackie endured, but it is a prime example of the media giving under-researched
information. Rape isn’t often reported, but when it is too many people get
caught up in merely a portion of the details. Whether the half that gets the
attention is from the victim or the alleged offender doesn’t matter, the news
will never be complete without both accounts. Just as an offender can lie about
not raping someone, a victim can over dramatize the situation.
Another instance that went viral was
the Columbia case in which the accuser carried her nearly fifty pound mattress
around campus to represent carrying the burden of being raped. The student,
Emma Sulkowicz, claims Paul Nungesser violently raped her and then left without
a word. The two had been friends for some time prior to this. The media jumped
on this case because of Sulkowicz’s bold gesture.
Nungesser was taken aback by this
accusation. His world was turned upside down, and he claims he didn’t
understand why. The media focused on the girl’s side of the story making
Nungesser look unquestionably guilty. Soon after Sulkowicz accused him of rape,
two more complaints came in. Nungesser was speechless. He had to do something
to stop his world from being torn apart, so he chose to tell his side of the
story.
Nungesser and Sulkowicz had been
friends for some time. It began completely platonic until one night they were hanging
out in his dorm and they had sex. After they slept together, they discussed it
and came to the conclusion that they didn’t want to ruin their friendship. This
cycle happened a few more times until eventually Sulkowicz claimed he raped
her. She claimed it started out consensual until he became too aggressive, forced
her to do things she didn’t want to, and then left without a word. He states it
was completely consensual and unaggressive, and he didn’t leave until the next
morning. Sulkowicz reported Nungesser to the school and when they didn’t
respond properly she began carrying her mattress around school. The incident
allegedly happened August 27, 2012. What Sulkowicz left out in her accusation
was the emails they had exchanged prior to and after the incident:
“Sulkowicz
(Thursday, 16 August 2012 9 days prior
to alleged rape): Dude, if I have one piece of advice it’s to just dive in
and not think about who you’re with because it’s really wonderful and you’re
obviously the best.”
“Nungesser (Wednesday,
3 October 2012 after the alleged rape):
Oh hi. Happy Born day! You better be celebrating muchos, no? also: donde estas
tu i mi viva? See I’m so desperate without you, I even try to speak Spanish. Anywho:
merry happy days!”
“Sulkowicz
(Wednesday, 3 October 12 after the
alleged rape): I love you Paul.”
The media was under the impression
that the girl’s account was accurate, but after Nungesser told his side of the
story, many came to the conclusion that it was a false accusation. This is just
another illustration of how absolutely imperative having both sides of the
story are to drawing a conclusion. The general public, media included, get so
caught up in the emotional aspect of a story that they forget to fact-check.
There’s no way of knowing exactly what occurred that night between Sulkowics
and Nungesser, but it’s safe to say neither of their sides of the story are
one-hundred percent accurate and the conclusion should stem from a
middle-ground.
A way of finding a middle ground in
heavy situations such as rape is using stasis theory. Stasis theory is consisted
of four questions: 1) conjecture, 2) definition, 3) quality, and 4) policy. First,
within the Columbia case is there an act to be considered? Absolutely, when a
woman says she has been raped it should never be brushed under the rug. It
should be taken seriously each time. Second, how can the act be defined? Within
this case, both sides of the story need to be considered in order to define the
situation. Too often a case is defined by just the accuser’s perspective.
Third, how serious is the act? Within any rape case, the prominence of the
situation should be considered of great importance, but too often it is looked
down upon and not taken seriously. Lastly, should the act be taken to a formal
procedure? Yes, and in a formal procedure both parties should be involved. Stasis
theory is about finding a middle ground, and in many rape cases this does not
happen.
Twenty-fifteen is in the age of
media. News spreads within minutes, and the top stories surround us daily. The
media can be both beneficial and hurtful in cases as controversial as rape. Nowadays
it is a publish-then-edit culture, meaning news is published before it is truly
fact-checked. This being said, it is absolutely important not to trust
everything in the news and on the internet. Rape has been under-recognized for
a long period of time, and with the social media era it is now getting more
attention. However, this means the victims and offenders are being blasted with
accusations, often false, causing more pain for each of them.
The news-media is not the only form
of media having a negative impact on rape-culture. Popular media has played a
huge part in desensitizing the world to rape. Rape happens in movies, songs,
and TV shows all of the time, and no one does anything about it. For example,
in the popular show created for teenage girls, Gossip Girl, there are two incidents of rape in the pilot episode;
both are instigated by the same male character. The show goes on and they all
remain friends. Popular media is actively dismissing acts of rape.
A recent movie, Gone Girl, was a huge hit after Gillian Flynn wrote the best-selling
novel the film was based from. Amy plays the victim in this movie, when in
reality she is the instigator. She rapes a man, kills him, and then states she
killed him out of self-defense due to him raping her. This movie shows a “girl
who cries rape” and still gets what she wants. It is very clear in this movie
that Amy has extreme mental issues, but she still gets away with rape, murder,
and ends up back with her husband through manipulation.
Music is a huge contributor to desensitizing
society to rape. “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke is a disturbing song that hit
number one on the top one-hundred lists. The lyrics are about the blurred line
between consensual sex, and rape. His song goes, “I hate these blurred lines, I
know you want it, but you’re a good girl.” This song was played at many events,
and was constantly on the radio, leaving people all over the country
subliminally hearing about rape regularly.
A song that explicitly states the
issue of rape is “Date Rape” by Sublime. The lyrics say, “Shut your mouth, we’re
gonna do it my way. Come on baby don’t be afraid, if it wasn’t for date-rape I’d
never get laid.” This one is especially concerning, because it is saying it’s
okay to date-rape somebody if it’s the only option to get sex for a while.
It’s not just songs sung by men that
are being explicit about rape either. Sarah McLaughlin’s song “Possession” is
equally as bad with lyrics saying, “I would be the one to hold you down, kiss
you so hard. I’ll take your breath away and after I’d wipe away the tears. Just
close your eyes dear.” This song is trying to pass off as romantic, but it is
just the opposite and no one thought twice about it.
The media, news and popular alike,
are handling the issue of rape horrendously. In theory, the media should play a
huge part in helping the situation, but in the end it’s making it much worse.
If the news-media focused on accurately portraying the stories, and keeping the
names anonymous maybe things would begin to turn around. Popular-media needs to
stop desensitizing the viewers to rape, and instead give it the seriousness it
deserves. Movies and television shows could make scenes about rehabilitating
the victims as well as the offenders. It shouldn’t be about forgetting and
moving forward, it should be about getting the necessary help to overcome the
tragedy that occurs. Rape-culture is escalating, and the media needs to use its
influence to help the situation, rather than hurt it.
Bibliography
Erdely, Sabrina. "A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault
and Struggle for Justice at UVA." Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 19
Nov. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
Young, Cathy. "Columbia Student: I Didn't Rape
Her." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 03 Feb. 2015. Web. 09
Feb. 2015.
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