"It sounds to me as though you have a somewhat misinformed understanding about what feminists mean when they use the term "rape culture". Obviously, I can't speak for what everyone means when they use it, but let me at least try to broaden the scope of the term a little bit.
First off, of course society explicitly expresses contempt for rapists. This isn't what the term means. "Rape culture" does not refer to explicit views. Instead, it refers to the mixed messages that get expressed with regard to sexual assault, harassment, and consent. Here are a few examples: * Despite a strong intolerance for rape, the notion of active consent is rarely an active discussion topic; in books about how to teach your children about sex, teaching them about the importance of consent is often not a strong priority.
--Despite strong explicit views about rape, when high-profile cases of rape occur, sometimes individuals are quick to excuse the rapists for other reasons (e.g., celebrity status; sporting achievements; academic tenure; notions of the victim "deserving it" because of clothing choices, intoxication, or past sexual promiscuity).
--Strong cultural norms regarding relationships and sex teach women to play "hard to get" (i.e., say "no" when they mean "yes"), and teach men to ignore initial negative responses to persuade women to say "yes". As a source, watch virtually any romance movie ever.
--Despite the fact that most sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows, rape is often portrayed in a "stranger-in-the-bushes" kind of way. This allows individuals who violate consent to consider themselves "not rapists", because they are not specifically targeting strangers.
As I hope I've made clear with these few examples, the idea of "rape culture" is not about a culture that explicitly endorses rape. It's about a culture that says it abhors it, while failing to change social norms and institutions that actually help to cultivate sexual assault. Note that this doesn't mean there are people out there that actually are trying to ensure that people are sexually assaulted; it just means that, out of ignorance or support of the status quo, we as a society end up reinforcing these norms and institutions, to our own detriment."
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Opinions on "Rape culture 101, from a guy, to the skeptical dudes"?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Feminism/comments/uxlzx/rape_culture_101_from_a_guy_to_the_skeptical_dudes/
also your opinions on this stance:
"It sounds to me as though you have a somewhat misinformed understanding about what feminists mean when they use the term "rape culture". Obviously, I can't speak for what everyone means when they use it, but let me at least try to broaden the scope of the term a little bit.
First off, of course society explicitly expresses contempt for rapists. This isn't what the term means. "Rape culture" does not refer to explicit views. Instead, it refers to the mixed messages that get expressed with regard to sexual assault, harassment, and consent. Here are a few examples: * Despite a strong intolerance for rape, the notion of active consent is rarely an active discussion topic; in books about how to teach your children about sex, teaching them about the importance of consent is often not a strong priority.
--Despite strong explicit views about rape, when high-profile cases of rape occur, sometimes individuals are quick to excuse the rapists for other reasons (e.g., celebrity status; sporting achievements; academic tenure; notions of the victim "deserving it" because of clothing choices, intoxication, or past sexual promiscuity).
--Strong cultural norms regarding relationships and sex teach women to play "hard to get" (i.e., say "no" when they mean "yes"), and teach men to ignore initial negative responses to persuade women to say "yes". As a source, watch virtually any romance movie ever.
--Despite the fact that most sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows, rape is often portrayed in a "stranger-in-the-bushes" kind of way. This allows individuals who violate consent to consider themselves "not rapists", because they are not specifically targeting strangers.
As I hope I've made clear with these few examples, the idea of "rape culture" is not about a culture that explicitly endorses rape. It's about a culture that says it abhors it, while failing to change social norms and institutions that actually help to cultivate sexual assault. Note that this doesn't mean there are people out there that actually are trying to ensure that people are sexually assaulted; it just means that, out of ignorance or support of the status quo, we as a society end up reinforcing these norms and institutions, to our own detriment."
https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/2j196u/cmv_that_rape_culture_does_not_exist_in_a/
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