It's been a while! So today my group presented on Rape Culture etc. I thought the discussion went really well; I was excited to see the class turn so quickly to our campus and to relating these issues personally. Researching rape and discussing it so much in the past couple weeks has been intense. It's been hard because looking at all this terrible and horrific side of our culture is overwhelming. There is so much to fix and it seems impossible. But awareness is the first step.
In the reading we assigned, Valenti talks about something she calls a "rape schedule." We discussed this in class a bit and I got to hear other young women's perspectives. I know I am a rather paranoid person, but I also know this is not that rare. Hearing both sides of the spectrum - women who are over-alert like myself and women who don't worry much about it - was very interesting. Listening to the guys asking questions and relating it to personal experience was also one of my favorite parts of the discussion. Some men, particularly minorities, have felt threatened in a similar manner. When you think about it, this fear can be applied, on some level, to any minority. Be it gender minorities or minorities in race, sexual orientation, religion, etc. It all makes perfect sense.
Also on the subject of rape/sexual assault on college campuses, this is an interesting project I came across: http://acvoice.com/2012/10/23/surviving-at-amherst-college/. If you scroll down there are photos featuring what rape victims were told by college official, friends, perpetrators, and others. One of the ones that stood out to me: “Are you sure it was rape? He seems to think it was a little more complicated.”
from an Amherst College Administrator.
I'll hopefully be continuing to update again. Looking forward to leaving the presenting to other groups and hearing what they have to say.
-Sara
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