Rape Culture And The Role Of Media
Rape culture proceeds from the acquainted notion that rape is an intrinsic trend of men. Then commences with a postulation than human sensual traits. Although it's grounded on biological necessity, which is a manifest of cultural forces. Rape incident, significance, and purpose are presented in cross-cultural societies. Two prevailing theories are guiding this examination. First, the occurrence of rape fluctuates inter-culturally, secondly, increase incidents of abuse is entrenched in distinguishably diverse traditional arrangements other than a lower incident of rape. The research shows that violence is a chunk of social methods like male supremacy, interpersonal conflicts, and sexual separations. Therefore, rape is a sexual manifestation of the above forces where concord amid males and their surroundings are harshly disrupted.
Rape Culture
We, unfortunately, live an environment that has in the recent decade's prevalent rape cases, as well as sexual vehemence against females, is regularized and avoided from broadcast and prevalent beliefs. Rape-culture is propagated by using misogynistic linguistic, the goals of female bodies, as well as sexual violence glamorization, thus making a community that regards feminine rights and security.
Rape culture impacts each woman. Therefore, the rape of a single female humiliates, terrifies and restrains all females. Most girls and women restrict their characters due to rape existence - several females and girls sentient due to rape anxiety. While men do not, this depicts the functions of rape as a necessary means through which entire feminine populace is apprehended in a subservient situation to a whole male populace, although men are barely raped while several females are rape victims. This could be because we live in a largely patriarchal society where hegemonic masculinity has taken root and dominance. Hegemonic masculinity is the practice which legitimizes male supremacy stance in the community and validates the demotion of the common men populace and females, as well as other, marginalize ways of being a man. Hegemonic masculinity conceptually explains why and how men sustain dominancy social responsibilities over females and different gender personalities. The fear cycle is the rape culture legacy. As described above, patriarchy could be a major causative agent for the increased rape cases as reported by the media. Patriarchy is a school of thought which suggests that in a male dominated society, women abuse is believed to originate from the cultural patriarchy when we trace it from the Israelites and Africa. Therefore, the correlation between patriarchy and women violence or assaults suggests that not all men are suspects of feminine abuse although there is proof of women who are also suspects of rape against men and in the contemporary culture there is homosexual violence.
The result is that women are regarded as mere objects as described in the objectivity theory. Objectification theory defines female objectification as the act of handling an individual or women mere objects for sexual desires. This theory widely states that treating an individual as a commodity or object without referring to their dignity and personality. This theory is mainly studied at society levels, although the individual character is a kind of dehumanization.
Characteristic of Rape Culture
Imply the consents of the victim – this entails what the victim underwent during the rape act and the torment she experienced. Most rape victims are coerced into the act by the perpetrator. Coercion, rather sexual coercion is an unwanted sexual act which takes place under pressure, trick, threat, and forced under a non-physical manner. Constraint makes an individual believe that they owe others sex; it could be from someone superior like a landlord, teacher, and boss. Such unfair treatment results in oppression which is an unjust treatment and prolonged cruel exercise of authority or harsh treatment. Rape basically is oppression since forced sexual intercourse is an oppressive act that dehumanizes a person's personality. Conversely, the process of telling or speaking out the story a news anchor can capture her account, or a writer who interviewed her can write about it or the person raped to decided and write a book on her predicaments about rape. For instance, several articles and news are likely to indicate relationships and 'sexual' amid the accused and the victim, specifically in an educational set up where there are student, a teacher within a school they are researcher's write-ups.
Use of victim accusation language - Rape culture language is always full of blames and accusation, which are based on the statues of incidences. For instance, there are several stories which are deduced to blame the victims by focusing on the circumstance of the event, specifically those who cast a lot of doubt on the mental status of the victim. Like the victim might have been at a drinking party. This could be regarded as a form of Victim blaming, which is the practice of interrogating what a victim did differently to stop a crime from taking place, which implies the fault of misconduct lies on the victim than the suspect. The term is occasionally used in rape and sexual assault context. An individual who wonders how the victim of the crime could have acted differently to evade crime effect or pessimistic events can encourage certain victim blaming degree.
Displaying sympathy for the suspected - the rape coverages normally empathies the accused by using lightly words which do not portray the accused as the primary suspects. For example, the news or write up coverages can be seen as representing sympathy to the suspected culprit by using terms linked to games or sports such as team, football, and player. Such stories will not denote the accused as a suspect. Victim's credibility is questioned as a result, the victim is put through shameful ordeals in what could be termed as internalized shame. Internalized shame is the undesirable self-conscious feeling naturally linked to a negative assessment of personal withdrawal inspirations and emotions of anxiety, mistrust, worthlessness, exposure, and powerlessness after engaging in sexual harassments acts. Rape culture ensures that the reliability of the victim is questioned and known this helps in emphasizing on the victim's events justifications basically during court proceedings accounting to the evidence,
Role of Mass Media in Propagating Rape Culture
Since the initiation of social sites, reporters and news broadcaster are never the only person publishing or showing rape information. Today each person requested or called to talk about rape is free to contribute to creating public awareness about the phenomenon. Sharing of content on social media sites and the uncontrolled media freedom could see abusive obscene scenes get aired. Perpetrators could take advantage of such as they watch the abuse. Scopophilia has been described sexual pleasure derived from watching pornographic movies or other people naked while engaging in a sexual act. This triggers sexual assaults both in men and women since they are sexually aroused and have the feeling of satisfying their urge. As a result, rape can be the only way to fill the quench. Therefore, such acts should be avoided.
Media takes on various forms such as magazines, online journals, television and radio. In the wake of fashion advertisements and the entertainment industry, the media has been a vital too that companies and organizations have used to push for their ideas. As such, media find itself propagating ills such as the male gaze that arguably presents females as sexual objects. Male gaze is the act of viewing females and the globe which portrays women as objects of pleasure to men. Therefore, women should be used in any manner just for men's satisfaction. As a result, they justify rape or sexual assault hence developing the rape culture. Today, the media plays an integral role in teaching teenagers and even children. While such teachings cannot be fully verified and guaranteed, the media has to a large extent shaped gender role socialization process. Gender role socialization is the process that teaches children what society expects of them, their responsibilities and most importantly, gender role separation between boys and girls; ultimately perpetrating patriarchist. Later the same social media users learn how to express themselves through the same media platforms. Gender expression is the manner through which an individual expresses his or her gender personality, basically with their dressing style, behavior, and appearance. Therefore, in a rape culture, women aren't allowed to speak out simply because of their personality or outward look.
News media are called upon to report on a rape case in their regular reportages, the media coverages of rape crimes entail sexual assaults which possess a more significant effect on the attitude, beliefs, characters, and knowledge of the people regarding rape culture phenomenon. Also apparent that attitude and opinions in support of sexual assaults hold a critical role in the being of the rape culture and the community in reaction to the phenomenon. For this reason, the media possess a crucial role in deterring rape.
Role of Media in Stopping Rape
Researchers assert that preventing sexual violence and assaults like rape actions regarding social customs are essential, and the press possesses a vital role in reshaping these norms or tradition through enlightening the communities and vulnerable population. Secondly, the data being published of broadcasted should institute a single primary channel of impact on the social customs regarding the rape cases. World health organization states that initiatives engrossed on changing social customs which support sexual violence or assaults are essential constituents of methods targeted at stopping rape cases.
Media Should Report Facts
The press can only stop rape culture by stating facts and not exempting rape coverages. Since the media are the primary source of information regarding sexual assaults and crime for the public majority through covering a variety of events linked to rape, the media will assist in creating a better understanding of the meaning of sexual assault and why it is insupportable. The method promotes public attitude not to tolerate this sexual violence.
Criticizing the Societal Myths
With the vast data circulating concerning sexual violence, it can be complex differing amongst reality and myths. Therefore considering the responsibility played by media in establishing an understanding of the issues, it's essential that media displays facts which are unbiased and goal oriented.
Understanding a Complicated Problem
Rape culture or rape is a complicated and critical issue, and broadcasting it can cause problems. For instance, it can be hard to distinguish amid various sexual crimes and create a sense of the statistics available. The media helps by providing featured articles on the primary causes and the people as well as social problems of sexual offenses; media then assists the public in gaining a more magnificent glimpse of the rape culture. Hence, the public will likely identify sexual assault as a societal issue than a virtuously private concern.
Broadcasting Resources
Through the discussion of assistance the defense of victims and available resources, the broadcast apt victims assault, individuals who have, or fear to possess, sexually destructive characters as well as their friends and families to turn and benefit resources.
When the media speaks about the resources, the media will break down the myths that rape is a personal issue which should be solely managed by concerned persons, explicitly, the victims, their friends and family, and the culprits. Hence media can contribute to decreasing victims and suspect's perception of being solitary and incapable of finding assistance.
