RAPE CULTURE Says: Rape is the Victim's Fault:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
BLAMES VICTIMS for RAPE - by What the Victim Was Wearing or Victim's Behavior
Rape is the RAPIST'S Fault -- NOT the Victim's Fault.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
BLAME RAPISTS - NOT Victims
And many people DID blame her for drinking
and said she brought the attack on herself.
Defense attorneys for her rapists used
an aggressive VICTIM-BLAMING defense.
CNN BLAMED THE VICTIM
CNN's showed deep sympathy for the 2 rapists in the Steubenville case.
In covering the guilty verdicts of the rapists, CNN implied the 2 rapists' "promising futures" had been ruined by THE RAPE VICTIM. More victim-blaming by national media. |
Huffington Post BLAMED THE VICTIM
The Huffington Post referred to the Jane Doe rape victim as "a drunken 16-year-old girl."
"A judge granted three teenagers immunity from prosecution Friday before they agreed to testify about the alleged sexual assault of a drunken 16-year-old girl after a party in eastern Ohio last summer." |
Associated Press & USA Today BLAMED THE VICTIM
The Associated Press and USA Today stress that the victim was drunk. The first sentence of the AP’s story about the verdict identifies the victim as a “drunken 16-year-old girl,” and describes the defendants as “two members of the high school football team that is the pride of Steubenville.” The breaking news tweet did, too. Meanwhile, the first sentence of USA Today’s coverage also describes the victim as “drunken” and mentions that the assault took place at “an all-night party.”
|
FOX-News BLAMED THE VICTIM
FOX-News also made a point to describe the rape victim NEGATIVELY as a "drunken 16-year-old girl" in their coverage of the guilty verdicts of the two rapists, and therefore were blaming the victim for being drunk. FOX did not have to use victim-blaming language -- they could have simply referred to her as a "16 year old girl."
"Two Steubenville, Ohio, high school football players have been found guilty of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl after a party last August, a juvenile court judge ruled Sunday." |
Watch Video About Victim Blaming and Rape Myths
____________________________________________________________________________________
Rape is caused by RAPISTS. Rape is NEVER the victim’s fault – EVER. A woman's clothes are NOT an invitation or an excuse for RAPE. No one deserves to be raped or is "asking to be raped." No matter what the victim was wearing, if they were drinking or what they were doing at the time – rape is never the victim's fault. |
What is Victim-Blaming ?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Source: http://tellmewhytheworldisweird.blogspot.com/2013/03/feminism-101-blaming-victim.html
Society often says rape was the victim's fault -- people blame the victim for being raped/assaulted, because of what she was wearing, or because of her behavior (what she did or didn't do) -- that's victim-blaming.
Victim blaming is very dangerous, because it makes rape victims feel ashamed, and makes them assume being raped was their OWN fault, and they may blame themselves for the rape. This is part of RAPE CULTURE -- how society excuses the crime of rapists, and instead BLAMES VICTIMS for being assaulted, which sends victims the clear message that their rape will NOT be taken seriously, and instead they as victims will be ridiculed and put on trial.
Largely because of VICTIM BLAMING, 80% - 90% of rapes are never reported, because rape victims are afraid to come forward to report the crime, since they know they will be blamed for being raped.
Victim-blaming takes the focus OFF the crime that's been committed -- it takes the focus off of the CRIMINAL -- the rapist -- and instead focuses on what THE VICTIM did or didn’t do – it blames the victim for the crime of rape -- for not taking better precautions not to be raped – as if it’s the victim’s responsibility to stop men from raping them, instead of the RAPIST’S responsibility NOT TO RAPE WOMEN. Society tells women "DON'T GET RAPED" instead of telling MEN NOT TO RAPE WOMEN.
Examples of victim-blaming in rape cases include when people ask “What was she wearing, or if she was drinking or if she screamed and fought back in the correct ways, or why was she out so late at night, why |
did she go to a bad area of town late at night, or trusted a guy she should have been suspicious of, or maybe actually she seduced him, etc. The implication is that society is trying to find evidence that the victim made a bad choice and therefore the rape is a logical consequence – that it’s HER OWN FAULT that she got raped.
But the reality is that no matter what clothes a woman wears, or if she's been drinking, or if she is out at night -- she is not asking to be raped, and none of those things gives any man the right to rape a woman. Women are NOT responsible for RAPISTS' crimes. Many people assume rape is at least partly the victims fault --- they assume "if she hadn't done those things or gone to those places, the rape wouldn't have happened." |
The assumption behind those questions ("What were you wearing? Were you drinking?" etc) is that if a woman follows all the rules, then she won't be raped. But the reality is there is no set of rules which guarantees a woman won’t be raped. A woman can "do everything right" and STILL GET RAPED. The reason why is because rape is a crime of violence and dominance that is perpetrated by men who decide they will rape women -- and they will rape women who are wearing pants, jeans and a t-shirt, floor-length skirts or dresses, women have NOT been drinking, women who are walking to their car at `10:00 am in the morning, church-going women, non-religious women, women who are walking into their apartments at 7:00 pm at night, etc. And, nearly 75% of rapists are men that the woman knows -- not a stranger jumping out of the bushes with a knife. Most rapes occur at the rapist's or victim's home, and the rapist is someone already known to the victim.
Basically, rape can happen to any woman, at anytime, anyplace -- no woman is completely safe, no matter how careful she is, or how many precautions she takes not to be raped, because the crime of rape is committed by men who want to rape women. So, we as a society must STOP blaming rape victims for being assaulted, and instead focus on TELLING MEN NOT TO RAPE WOMEN.
Basically, rape can happen to any woman, at anytime, anyplace -- no woman is completely safe, no matter how careful she is, or how many precautions she takes not to be raped, because the crime of rape is committed by men who want to rape women. So, we as a society must STOP blaming rape victims for being assaulted, and instead focus on TELLING MEN NOT TO RAPE WOMEN.
RAPE MYTHS Tell Society That Rape is a VICTIM'S FAULT
________________________________________________________________________________________
'
RAPE CULTURE & Society Says
It's the Rape Victim's Responsibility to STOP RAPE
2012: Victim Blaming Used Against Mentally Challenged Disabled Rape Victim
__________________________________________________________________________________________
His victim, who was 26 at the time of the assault, reportedly cannot speak and has little body movement. The Connecticut Post notes the woman, known in court by her initials L.K., "is so physically restricted that she is able to make motions only with her right index finger."
She also is said to have the "intellectual functional equivalent of a 3-year-old," NBC Connecticut notes.
Fourtin, 28, was convicted of attempted sexual assault and sentenced to six years in prison.
However, in a 4-3 ruling on Tuesday, the state Supreme Court overturned the conviction, saying there isn't enough evidence to prove victim resisted Fourtin's advances.
As a result of the ruling, Fourtin has been set free and cannot be tried for the case again.
She also is said to have the "intellectual functional equivalent of a 3-year-old," NBC Connecticut notes.
Fourtin, 28, was convicted of attempted sexual assault and sentenced to six years in prison.
However, in a 4-3 ruling on Tuesday, the state Supreme Court overturned the conviction, saying there isn't enough evidence to prove victim resisted Fourtin's advances.
As a result of the ruling, Fourtin has been set free and cannot be tried for the case again.