Pop Culture And Rape Culture
American society has a huge problem when it comes to rape and rape culture. Rape culture is a term that was coined by feminists in the 1970’s. It was used to describe the way in which rape and sexual violence against men and women have been normalized by the media and the general public. One in five women will be raped in their lifetime (Rabin). Most women and girls live in constant fear of being raped and therefore alter their everyday lives in order to prevent it, but yet rape is not taken seriously by authorities and the general public. This is because media and pop culture has sufficiently aided the development of rape culture and has made it what is it today. A main factor when it comes to the development of rape culture is the way in
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Turner, under California law faced up to fourteen years in prison. Prosecutors asked for six. Instead, the judge gave him six months in jail (which he only completed THREE of before being released). He said it was because he was afraid of the impact that jail would have on Brock’s life, completely disregarding the impact his RAPE had on his victim. (Miller) Brock altered this woman’s life forever, but his emotions are being taken into consideration during sentencing. This is unbelievable and one of the major reasons why sexual assault is not reported. People are discouraged by the lack of proper sentencing and would rather not go through the hardships and abuse that comes with the reporting of a sex crime. “Victims aren’t wrong in their perception. According to research funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, only 18% of reported rapes result in a conviction.” (Gray) Also, “the police have considerable discretion in determining whether a crime has been committed. According to a study by the FBI, 19 percent of all forcible rapes reported to the police were unfounded. Unfolding simply means that the police decide there is o basis for prosecution” (Herman, page 50) During a rape trial everything a woman does is taken into consideration “what were you wearing” , “why were you going to this party”, “who were you texting”, “when did you urinate”, “do you have a history of cheating” are all questions that the victim was asked by police officers and prosecutors during the Brock Turner
Turner, under California law faced up to fourteen years in prison. Prosecutors asked for six. Instead, the judge gave him six months in jail (which he only completed THREE of before being released). He said it was because he was afraid of the impact that jail would have on Brock’s life, completely disregarding the impact his RAPE had on his victim. (Miller) Brock altered this woman’s life forever, but his emotions are being taken into consideration during sentencing. This is unbelievable and one of the major reasons why sexual assault is not reported. People are discouraged by the lack of proper sentencing and would rather not go through the hardships and abuse that comes with the reporting of a sex crime. “Victims aren’t wrong in their perception. According to research funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, only 18% of reported rapes result in a conviction.” (Gray) Also, “the police have considerable discretion in determining whether a crime has been committed. According to a study by the FBI, 19 percent of all forcible rapes reported to the police were unfounded. Unfolding simply means that the police decide there is o basis for prosecution” (Herman, page 50) During a rape trial everything a woman does is taken into consideration “what were you wearing” , “why were you going to this party”, “who were you texting”, “when did you urinate”, “do you have a history of cheating” are all questions that the victim was asked by police officers and prosecutors during the Brock Turner