Rape Culture – Part 1/3: What exactly is Rape Culture?

Rape Culture is an integral part of the patriarchal falsehood.

The Wikipedia definition is as follows:

Rape Culture is a term for social environments or societies in which sexual violence and rape are common and even tolerated to a large extent.” Rape Culture transfers the responsibility for taking precautions against and prevention of rape to the victims (victim blaming): Women are advised to be careful about their choice of clothes, where they go, and the kind of undertakings and contacts they engage in. That is accompanied by a belittling of rape and the reduction of potential victims to sex objects.

In its manifestation, Rape Culture means that individuals in the social role “woman” are seen and addressed as sex objects without a will of their own by individuals in the social role “man”. Self-determination over one’s own body, a human right, is questioned or blatantly ignored. As this is about social roles again, a man can harass a woman (the most frequent case), just as a lesbian woman in the social role “man” might stalk a biromantic transgender man in the social role “woman”, etc. The behaviours which express Rape Culture range from an insulting initiation of contact up to the creation of threatening situations such as being pursued on the street, or the victim being groped against their will, or being grappled. The worst form of Rape Culture is forced sexual contact in whatever form, in other words rape itself. All genders who live the patriarchal falsehood are equally involved in the emergence of Rape Culture: Those, which take on the social role “woman” as well as those which take on the social role “man”.

When the “Prince Charming” mask becomes too wearisome for an asshole in the social role “man”, he simply drops it. A deeply misogynistic person who is openly living their women-despising personality parts remains. These people are offensive and disrespectful individuals, who will not accept a “no” or “stop” from women, regard sexual compulsion as normal social behaviour and who will, in the worst case, even resort to rape. Such misogynist and disrespectful behaviours of men (“give it up already, you slut!”) teaches women to suspect any attempt at seduction by a man as a hostile action: “Fuck off, you rapist!” In a situation like this, the following thoughts will emerge in the potential victim:

  • How do I know that he stops, if I say stop?
  • How far do I have to escalate the situation until he listens (and stops)?
  • Where is the nearest escape route?
  • Do friends of mine know where I am?
  • In case of emergency, what could I use as weapon?
  • Can I defend myself?

Should the person in the social role “man” who asked for sex be an offensive, disrespectful asshole who continues unwanted activities after a “no” or “stop” it is a good idea to have these options ready, pre-emptively! Should, however, the man who asked for sex be a consent-respecting, respectful and friendly person, who would immediately accept a “no”, he will still receive an overly aggressive “No!!” as answer to his polite request, perhaps in combination with emotional violence (slut shaming) or even a physical attack (giving him a push or a slap) – in lieu of all offending men who have treated the addressed woman disrespectfully in the past. With the latter reaction the addressed woman has contributed her portion to the emergence of Rape Culture – a friendly and respectful interessent has been turned away with unearned aggression, who has experienced another disappointment of the sort which can contribute to him becoming an asshole with or without a mask over time.