Bauer 1

Alexis Bauer

Independent English

Mr. Hanson

21 December 2015

Own the Silence

17.7 million: The number of women who have been involved in attempted or completed

rape. 293,066: The number of rapes in the U.S. a year. 284,275: The number of sexual offences

that result in no conviction or jail time. 49,013: The number of repeat offenders still on the

streets, most committing around 6 rapes. 4,000-17,000: The range of pregnancies resulting from

rape. 107: The number of seconds between rapes in the U.S. 35: the percentage of men that

would rape if they knew they could get away with it. 3: The number of rapes, out of 100, that

will result in any prison time at all (NYC Against Rape). The statistics show that a woman is

more at risk of sexual assault in the U.S. than in any other developed nation. The United States

has one of the highest rape rates in the world. The invocation of fear and the concealment of

crises are persistent and prevalent tactics used to scare people to behave in actions they normally

wouldn’t commit. The premise of a Rape Culture is brought about by the invocation of fear in

breaking gender stereotypes and the concealment of rape cases: the deterrence of a Fear Culture

is essential to an extermination of a Rape Culture.

The culture of fear in the United States is unusual and extreme. The news has been made

into a horror story, as evidenced by an article titled Rape, Voyeurism, and “Culture of Fear”:

“On December 8, 2010, a 13- year old girl was abducted by four boys, raped, and left by the

roadside. The girl somehow managed to crawl to a brick kiln for help, only to be raped again by
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the two workers there. When she was finally let go into the evening, an auto rickshaw driver

offered to give her a lift, only to rape her again and dump her on the same road. Left for dead and

crying for help, the young teen was picked up by a truck driver and his aide, who- not surprising

by now- raped her repeatedly for nine days. The police eventually found the girl at a woman’s

house after her father had filed a missing complaint” (Haryana's Bestial Chronicles). This story

never ran in the media because the girl was neither drunk nor out alone late at night. The media

spins stories so everyone blames the victims. No one stops to think that maybe instead of

teaching girls not to get raped, boys should be taught not to rape.

A Fear Culture is created by the ways in which marketers, politicians, tech designers, and

the media employ fear to regulate the public. If this story had made top news, fear would

consume women’s lives and the regulation of the public would be destroyed. Rape lies in the

pretense of the fear of doing something wrong. The sadistic desire to punish women can be

identified as one form of motivation for committing rape. Men punish women because they

believe that their promiscuity robs them of their sense of power, control, and security. Some

rapists try to deny their actions by portraying the victim as a woman of questionable sexual

reputation or as someone who has put herself in a compromising position thus “getting what she

deserves” (Brownmiller). The media didn’t run this story because it would discourage women

from adopting these patriarchal views in which women believe they can only be raped when they

are out alone at night. These views leave women unsuspecting to the real issue, that rape can

occur at any time.

A Rape Culture is a setting in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal

attitudes about gender and sexuality. This culture is designed to show the ways in which society

blames victims of sexual assault and normalizes male sexual violence. Many abusers suffered
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sexual abuse as children, acting like conditioning. This culture is seen through actions like this

response to a question in reddit.com: “My rapist doesn’t know he’s a rapist. You taught him it

wasn’t his fault. I drank too much, flirted, and my shorts were too short. I was asking for it. He

left me in a parking garage staircase. My (ex) boyfriend spit in my face. He called me a whore. I

deserved it. My friends gave me dirty looks. They called me trash, not realizing, it could have

been them. This culture, your culture, my culture, told them, told me, that it was my fault. And I

suffered. But my rapist doesn’t know he’s a rapist.” However, the media changes these stories to

“I was dressed like a whore and got really drunk at a party. I then slept with a guy in the stairwell

and soon after passed out. I felt guilty about it the next day and said I was raped. My boyfriend

knew I was lying and spit in my face and left me. I am not responsible for my own actions”

(Rape in the Media). The fact that the media ran wild only with the stories of rape in which the

women were out alone late at night or had too much to drink is not a coincidence. Men started

the myth that a woman cannot be rape against her will, and many women believe it. Women are

not only initially terrorized, but have been raised to subconsciously see themselves as victims.

Women have been conditioned to be gentle and passive--and then suddenly it’s too late. Rape is

a crime of power and violence, not of lust. The threat, use, and cultural acceptance of sexual

force are pervasive processes of intimidation that affect all women (Brownmiller). The

intimidation begins with the idea that women are caged inside the stereotypes they are assigned,

Women are supposed to look pretty and be looked at. Men are told to stop being

“feminine” because it strips them of their masculinity. Women are to be bare-foot and pregnant

in the kitchen. Men are to be in the garage fixing cars and drinking beer. Gender roles cause

people to feel caged inside themselves. Men are to be seen as the aggressors in a relationship,

while the women are supposed to be submissive. Men are to regain their masculinity by forcibly
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asserting their “right” to having sex, and women should be willing, but also be able to defend

themselves. “It is a common assumption that any woman threatened with being raped would do

everything in her power to physically resist… but that is not what we find. In fact, most women

who are sexually assaulted do not resist. The fear is overwhelming. They often feel helpless.

Sometimes they make a conscious choice not to resist because they are afraid if they resist, they

will be hurt even worse… One of the things that is difficult for most of us, frankly, to understand

about a rape, is that there doesn’t have to be a gun to the head, there doesn’t have to be a knife

present, there doesn’t have to be a verbalized threat for the act itself to be enormously terrifying

and threatening” (Krakauer 253-254). The act of having free will ripped away, personal choices

being disregarded, places fear in the mind. Women are raised to compete for men who will

shower them with favors and attention. Men are raised to expect sexual rewards for these favors

and attention. Rape is an issue because society favors these behaviors and then turns a blind eye

when behaviors escalate.

Kids learn from an early age that there are certain standards they must follow to fit into

society. They are taught that if they deviate from these standards in the slightest they will be

ridiculed. Parents and toy companies are instilling fear into children at such a young age that

gender stereotypes become so prevalent that no one wants to be the one to break them. They

don’t want to be wrong. It makes them see their identity as an insult if they differ from these

stereotypes. Gender stereotypes put people in boxes they don’t belong in and strip away what it

means to be human. There is a huge gap between how people perceive themselves and how

society perceives them. The reason gender stereotypes are so prevalent is because people are too

ignorant to change their mindset. They don’t want to be proven wrong, face shame, or have their

egos deflated. Until recently, there has been no move to change people’s mindsets.
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In 1990, President George W. Bush signed into law the Clery Act. This Act requires that

higher education institutions submit yearly data to the DoE regarding designated crimes on

campuses. A recent study found that universities reported approximately 44% more rapes during

their audit period. After their audit period, these numbers dropped to an almost indistinguishable

number. The sexual assault reports at Penn State between the 2010 and 2012 audit increased

1389% (Yung 4). The DoE is looking for ways in which to increase the number of reported rapes

in between campus audits. First, currently being considered in a bipartisan bill before Congress,

the DoE should be authorized to issue much larger fines for Clery Act violations. Second, the

DoE should increase the frequency and number of audits. Third, schools with serious violations

of Clery Act crime data reporting should be placed on a probation system that warrants greater

punishments for future violations.

The reason concealing rape cases is so easy is because it is so hard to get rape cases to

court and to get convictions. Many prosecutors won’t take cases because it’s not likely that they

will win. Most women don’t report cases because trials are a grueling invasion of privacy; for

example, a 12 year old girl once had a psychotic breakdown during the preliminary court

process. Victim’s entire sexual experience is relived and personal facts about their lives are

brought into light. Most cases end in an innocent verdict because “it is very tempting to take the

side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the

universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to

share the burden of pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering” (Krakauer

189). Society puts all of its pride in the perpetrators because they are usually admired people,

great athletes, brilliant scholars. People try to convince ourselves that these people could never
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do anything wrong and “it serves as a provocative reminder that even individuals we admire can

have skeletons in their closets” (Krakauer 276).

American society is a Rape Culture because it fosters and encourages the idea of rape by

teaching males and females that it’s normal for men to be aggressive in sexual relations.

Everything in modern society glorifies and justifies this type of behavior. Everyone is afraid of

the wrong ideas. They are more afraid of a stranger hurting their child when, in reality, the

people close to them are more likely to commit the offense. People believe the words being said

over the actions being committed because “logic wouldn’t stand in the way of a great speech”

(“Culture of Fear”). Society needs to get rid of the ideology of “machismo” - the idea that men

must always be sexually aggressive. As long as sex is seen as a dirty and violent act involving

the domination of a man over a woman, rape will continue to be a prevalent occurrence. Rape

doesn’t have to occur. Its presence is an indication of how widely held, and strongly enforced,

society’s traditional views are. Women are expected to adopt patriarchal views of society instead

of a domination of both sexes. They are taught to live in fear rather than fight for change. If this

mindset continues, a Rape Culture will never deteriorate in prevalence.

Victims of sexual assault are not to blame, and no one should ever be raped. However,

people are still forced into these invading acts and are left to suffer with the repercussions. If

someone is sexually assaulted there are some things they can do to seek help. First, there are

national networks that victims can call for support and advice like the National Sexual Assault

Hotline, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, and the National Center for Victims of

Crime. All hotlines are free and anonymous and are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Victims also have the right to a sexual assault counselor/advocate to accompany them to any and
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all medical, law enforcement, and legal proceedings.The victims should never be put to blame

(CSACS).

Rape is seen as a way of getting even. It is a process of intimidation in which men can

keep women in a stage of fear. The victims are told that if they are raped it is because they didn’t

resist enough, but if she resists and is further assaulted she is blamed for bringing about her own

injuries. The deterrence of a Fear Culture is essential because fear is used to get attention. People

want the information that scares them because they believe it will protect them. Deterrence is

freedom, “deterrence is the beginning of an exorcism where the victim can feel whole again”

(Haryana's Bestial Chronicles).

The deterrence of a Fear Culture is the only chance the U.S. has at regaining a calm and

courageous normalcy. However, deterring this culture is much easier said than done. Nothing

like this has ever been done, and that startling fact is caused by the media refusing to tell the

world the truth. They would rather scare people into believing whatever they tell them instead of

giving them the truth they need to change it. When the only news stories one can find are things

like “The Children Left Behind After Mass Shootings” and “Paris Terror Attacks” people have

every right to be afraid (New York Times). The media only gives the terrifying information to

scare people into being afraid to make a change. Until the media makes the change to allow

people to be unafraid, today’s culture will never be able to move forward.

Rape is a way of getting even with the victim. Invoking fear is a way of getting even with

the perpetrator. To effectively deter a Fear Culture, and ultimately exterminate a Rape Culture,

harsher punishment must be put in place. Harsher punishments are perceived to be more

effective because they invoke an increased sense of fear associated with the act of wanting to
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see/know. The fear, invoked by the media, is the first step. By eliminating this fear, and inability

to come forward and confess, this nation can take its first steps towards progress.

For years, the media has portrayed men and women through strict stereotypes that can be

seen anywhere in modern culture. Books, movies, magazines, all show traits of sexual

aggressiveness among men and compliance among females. The reinforcement of gender

stereotypes among the media lets society believe that a Rape Culture is acceptable. Portraying

women as objects for sex is a recurring theme in pop culture. Women are taught to possess

qualities, like beauty and passiveness, which contribute to their victimization. Every

advertisement featuring women, even for things like makeup and shoes, possess women in a

sexual or provocative way. The traits men are taught to have, dominance and aggressiveness, are

linked to the abuse of women (History of a Rape Culture). Teaching future generations to obtain

these traits, we are setting up and unending downward spiral. Because of the media’s power,

stories of rape are instantly being spread. A 16 year old girl in Steubenville Ohio got drunk at a

party and was raped by two football players who recorded the event and posted it on social

media. The news immediately began to blame the victim and when the verdict of their case was

released, sending both men to prison, people were outraged because the two boys’ lives were

falling apart (University of La Verne). These were the only stories the media showed. Not one

story interviewed someone who sided with the victim. However, this is not the first time the

media has failed victims of sexual assault. In a 2014 interview, Don Lemon, when asked about

sexual assault did not ask “What happened?” to the victim but rather “What could you have done

differently?” There is nothing that a victim should do differently. Being raped is not a choice. In

another interview it was said that victims are looking to obtain the “victim status”. (Garcia-

Vargas, Andrea). Until the media can stop looking at a Rape Culture as a theory in which it is
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created in the minds of those who think they were raped, the United States will forever be settled

in fear of being raped.

Works Cited

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