Video collections

Throughout this semester, I've been collecting videos and articles as potential things to write about in this blog.  For my last blog, I wanted to share all of the videos and articles I didn't get to.  This shows that there has been more conversation with sexual assault and rape, but also how our society views it.  

Why the Trump tape started a national conversation about sexual assault

A Doctor Who Treats Rape Survivors Seen As Nobel Peace Prize Contender

These bar employees can help stop sexual assault before it starts

Consent for kids

“Head Stuck in a Cycle I Look Off and I Stare” A personal letter from Gaga

She joked she was going to start stealing from drunk dudes to make a powerful point

'Dead or Alive' VR is basically sexual assault, the game

Alcohol does not rape people.  People rape people.

Kellyanne Conway: If women, men had equal strength, 'rape would not exist'

 

Rape Prevention Resource #2

Our rape resource project is an integration of sexual assault/rape discussion in the already implemented sexual education in the public schools.  In our initial research, we found that the curriculum used in the school already discusses sexual assault and rape.  However, we were unable to gain access to the curriculum. 

So, I called up the high school (the age group we are focused on) and scheduled a meeting with the health teacher to speak about the FLASH curriculum.  FLASH is the Family Life and Sexual Health curriculum that is utilized at Pullman High School. 

And I had a really great conversation with the health teacher.  I found that the curriculum is pretty comprehensive as it stands and that the lessons that deal with sexual assault (coercion and consent & healthy relationships) were pretty comprehensive.  However, we did notice that there were a few aspects that could be adjusted to make the resource more direct when in discussing sexual assault. 

First, the integration of using the word rape.  (The scripted curriculum currently doesn't utilize the word 'rape)'.  Especially since a sexual assault can be different than a rape.  As it currently stands, the teacher can't use the word 'rape' unless the student brings it up.  And while the teacher told me that students naturally bring up the word, the integration of this word in the curriculum would make it explicit. 

The second thing would be integration of current cases, including the use of target testimony (whether in video or in person).  This would create a reality of this problem in our society.  Too often students, in their 'invincibility', don't realize that rape occurs and that it is a problem.  Adhering to the current use of scenarios, the cases would be framed as a scenario in which the student would contemplate how the situation ended or what the target should do.  After sharing their perspective, the students would be informed about the real nature of the event and told the outcome.

Finally, a transition from the 'no means no' campaign to a 'yes means yes' campaign.  Currently, the curriculum focuses on 'no means no', but framing consent as a 'yes means yes' would be more impactful.  This would include instruction on teaching students to voice their boundaries.  For, it is important that students know that their sexual decisions are their own and not anyone else.  While this last aspect would be controversial for many parents, it is still fundamental that students know that they need to voice their consent with a 'yes' for clear understanding.   

What about the rapist?

I recently read an article on the BBC as part of their 100 women of 2016.  They cover women that are influential and inspirational women around the world. This particular article is focused on a female psychologist, Erin Sweeny, that works with rehabilitating rapists.  In discussing her work, Sweeny shares that she believes that the commonality between all of her clients behavior is often related to neglect or abuse growing up.  She recognizes the role that media plays in the objectification of women as well as a struggle with intimacy.  Furthermore, she separates the individual from their behavior and tries to look for something redeemable about the person.  In addition, she believes that if treatment is performed with the correct principles, this can lead to change in the sex offender's life. 

This article provides a unique perspective on a rape act.  First, in comparison to our class discussions, we did not have any conversation surrounding the health care that rapists receive (possibly related to a sentence that was given).  While this care is important in preventing future rapes and/or assaults yet doesn't guarantee that it won't happen again, I think it is important to also think about the well-being of the psychologist that is treating the individual.  In the article, Sweeny discussed how it was difficult at times to separate even herself from what the rapists were telling her.  She would be infuriated with the details they told her.  And this, once again, speaks to what we discussed in class--how a single act of rape can effect more than just the target, target's family, perpetrator, etc.  The act extends beyond and to others. 

The other perspective this addresses is how rapists are viewed.  That is, Sweeny still views the rapist as a person that is separate from the act that they committed.  I must admit, I myself find that hard to do.  Especially when considering the violent nature of rape.  But perhaps that is the approach she must take in order to protect herself emotionally while trying to encourage the rapist that they are more than the act to help with rehabilitation.  It must be noted, I'm far from being a psychologist and am unaware of the approach that should be taken with rapists.  These are just speculations at best.  But it still should be evaluated for what it appears.  And I just have a hard time making that separation.

I guess what I am struggling with reconciling is the idea that if someone makes a mistake--no matter what it is--will someone be able to forgive me and see that I can overcome the mistake that I made.  I don't want to trivialize a rape as a mistake.  This isn't the point at all.  But it is still an important idea.  How can a family member forgive a murderer that took away someone?  How can a psychologist find a redeeming aspect of a rapist? 

Perhaps this is a question that can only be answered by the person extending the forgiveness.   

Rape Prevention Resource Project

I will be working with Haley on the prevention resource project.  We decided to create a supplement resource that would be integrated into public schools current sex education that they implement with their students.  The initial idea is an age-appropriate class as part of the sex education program that discusses rape and sexual assault.  Therefore, the resource would be targeted toward 5th, 8th, and 11th grade students.  The medium would be multimodal, including videos, discussion, and in-class assignments.  The resource will address societal norms, ways of reporting, target versus perpetrator dynamics, and resources for help. 

For elementary, topics could include: inappropriate touching, 'no means no', talking with a parent, guardian, or teacher, speaking up if you see something, and was to report.

For junior high, topics could include: 'no means no', speaking up if you see something, opening conversation , recognizing situations, reporting, and small group discussions

For high school, topics could include: 'no means no', alcohol/drug awareness, actual statistics of high school and college, reporting, rape kit process, speaking up, justice system (perhaps using the Missoula book by Jon Krakauer).

Outside of what has been discussed and researched throughout the semester, my children have gone through sex education and will be able to provide information on how the program is conducted, including any reference to rape and sexual assault.  Also, they would be a resource in vetting how effective our suggested resources would work in the school setting. 

An edited claim at this time is: In order to educate and create conversation on the destructive and sensitive subject of rape and sexual assault, an integration of these topics need to be injected into current sex education courses at the 5th, 8th, and 11th grade or corresponding level.  Possible warrants are: sex education is already occurring so it would be easy to add to the standing curriculum; rape and sexual assault can occur in any age group and therefore awareness should be made at multiple levels; and by starting at a younger age, the hope is that students will be more apt to fight against and, hopefully, prevent rape and sexual assault. 

Initial road blocks in creating this resource is time frame.  Given that we are to present this by next week, I suggested to Haley that we briefly mention the themes that tie all of the levels together (i.e. 'no means no', etc.), but delve into one grade level--most likely high school since it closely relates to the audience that we studied this semester (college age).  In this way, we would be able to adequately develop a portion of the resource well without sacrificing excellence in completing the project. 

Labels

As we've seen from the multiple readings this semester, it seems that one of the first questions (or assumptions) that others have about a woman reporting a rape is centered around a question of whether she has a boyfriend--whether she is sexually active.  (And it is beyond me why this would be a factor when reporting a rape or sexual assault.) Moreover, what are women labeled as if they are sexually active.

And this got me thinking about labels that are attached to women. Specifically, the label of 'ho' (whore).

Not only does this label have considerable implications for a woman, but if a woman is sleeping with multiple men, the term becomes even more dehumanizing.  That is, society has a negative perspective of women that have sexual relations that are typical of men.  Yet, the social ramifications are worse for women.  Consider why a police officer would ask a woman if she has a boyfriend when reporting a rape.  Would a male be asked the same question if he reported that he was sexually assaulted or raped? Or how does society view a woman that is sexually active versus a male? 

This, in turn, made me think of Mary Wollstonecraft's argument in her book, The Vindication of Women's Rights.  In chapter eight, she makes a stark observation of the way that men are viewed when they sleep with women other than their wives.  In contrast, women that sleep with other men that aren't their husband are viewed poorly.  In fact, they're not suppose to sleep with other men because they are to maintain the appearance of chastity and virtue.

Fast forward to today, and this perspective is still prevalent. 

Women aren't suppose to be sexual beings.  And when she is, she is labeled in a derogatory and dehumanizing manner; a practice that is continued today.  Even more, she is socially reprimanded and shunned when she is engaged in sexual behavior.  Think of the way that a woman is treated when reporting a rape (refer back to question in the beginning).  There seems to be an inquiry into if she is with someone and could be sexually active with her partner.  Again, I ask, what does this have to do with reporting a rape?

And perhaps one reason that feeds into why a woman wouldn't report a rape is connected with being  labeled (besides target, victim, etc) as a 'ho'.  Thus, further suppressing how women express themselves sexually. Wonder where the power resides in that...

One last book

This post is on the final book that was shared as part of our lead up to writing an academic book review on our respective books. 

Perfectly Broken by Amber Mauldin, published in 2014

• Book focuses on dealing with rape, not the rape itself
• The rape act was in the background
• Rape was a stranger rape
• She asked for directions
• Perpetrator told her he would give her a ride
• He got her into the car
• He put her in a headlock, said he had a gun
• He raped her and then left her stranded
• She described rape as thing that led up to a trial, coping, aftermath
• She falls back on faith as a recovery method
• Her writing is general, sterilized
• Seemed isolated from own experience
• An exchange student in Spain helped give her space to begin realizations
• Rapist was arrested, 101 year sentence (He raped multiple women)
• He was sentenced to 66 years just with her case (26 years for abduction, 40 years for rape)
• Strong religious focus
• Didn't want to be seen as damaged, but referred to self that way
• Focus on telling younger brother - disperses narrator
• October 8, 1998 - day of the rape
• Seeks help from house where she was stranded
• Officers make her tell her story 4 times
• Described rapist as "vicious Black man"
• Described officer as "kind Black man"
• Long process of giving evidence
• Had boyfriend at the time, they broke up
• ID's rapist from photo
• Lacked people she could talk to, until Spain

There are multiple ways that this book connects with Lucky by Alice Sebold.  This was a stronger rape that involved some sort of threat of violence with an object.  In addition, her rapist was convicted.  She also sought out speaking about her rape with a family member--much in the same way that Alice tried to discuss her rape with her parents and sister. 

Reflecting on the books that we've discussed in class, there are noticeable gaps between the events and the publication of the books.  This could be related to inability to focus solely on writing a book, but this could also be because the targets needed this time in order to process what had happened to them.  We had a discussion on what other experiences that take a similar time line to process.  Some of those experiences brought up were death of a loved one, war, and any type of abuse. 

We also spoke about the difference between an acquaintance vs. stranger rape.  With an acquaintance rape, the target put more guilt on themselves.  Perhaps because they feel responsibility that since they knew their rapist they should have seen the rape occurring to them.  In contrast, with a stranger rape, the target labels themselves as broken or damaged goods.  There is also a sense of general social betrayal.  There was trust with Alice walking through the park at night (what could happen to her?).  There was trust with Amber (a stranger wouldn't hurt her by giving her a ride to a destination). 

This led to questions such as "How do we characterize targets of rape?" "How can they be re-characterized?" Do we change the assumptions about the target such as, "what did she do to elicit the rape?"  What are our social stigmas, including our social stigmas with sex?  Like Jackson said, if we can't talk about sex, we can't talk about sexual assault.  These questions may not be answerable, but require that we consider this perspectives.

More books with possible connections

On Tuesday, more shared their books that they will be writing on for the upcoming book review paper.  The following is what was shared.

One hour in Paris by Karyn Freedman, published in 2014

• An American girl in Paris and on vacation
• Raped occurred in 1990
• The perpetrator was the target's boyfriend's mentor's lover
• He plied her with alcohol
• Raped her at knifepoint, multiple times
• Role of the police: immediate response, reporting, police search, rape kit
• police search/hold boyfriend and mentor overnight
• The rapist was arrested 3-4 months later
• Convicted, sentence of 8 years
• The book focuses on her account and rape statistics
• Focus on PTSD, patriarchy
• Some of her feeling include how culture makes women feel unsafe
• She got a grant to write the book

Invisible Taget by Andrea Clemons, published 2015

• Relationship began in 1981 (target was in 9th grade)
• Relationship became sexual in 1983 (target was in 11th grade)
• Relationship was cut-off by target in 2005
• Long term abuse
• During her adolescent life, she reflects that she sought attention from older men
• Her father was absent in her own life
• Recognized a grooming process
• The teacher/rapist was an award-winner
• The targets were kids who feel invisible (self-worth)
• People thought the relationship was weird, but didn't act
• mom and friends didn't say anything
• When engaged in sexual 'relationship'. she was in a role of pleaser
• Relationship continues into college
• Two other girls come forward, their testimony was helped by her own
• Long recovery period
• Her case was past the statute of limitations
• Feels the school counselor was also to blame
• She voiced concerns in his behavior and was told 'teachers have affairs'
• She never felt safe with him sexually
• He kept her intimidated
• He used alcohol to enable sex
• She felt alone, even in her family
• She gave stats: 4.5 million (1in 10) will experience sexual misconduct by school employee (K-12)

Thinking of ways in which these books connect with the book that I am writing about, Lucky by Alice Sebold, the first book, the target was threatened with her life and was convicted.  The second book is harder to find connections.  That is, the experiences are vastly different.  However, her reflection on her experience (mostly discussed in class) was where I can see similarities.  The target, like the other stories that we've discussed, had great difficulty with recovery.  Perhaps even more so, given that this was long term abuse that started when she was a young girl. 

Working towards how I'm writing my paper, though, I beginning to notice aspects that are intertwining throughout these stories.  The difficulty for loved ones understanding or being involved, the difficulty in recovery, the long period of time that passes before the writing/publishing of the book, the myriad experiences from acquaintance to stranger, and more.  These books have been challenging the tropes that we as a society have come to accept--and I find this to be the most powerful aspect. 

Possible connections - Book Review Project

It's a week of sharing the books that we have read in preparation of writing our academic book reviews.  In wanting to start this project, I am looking at how the two books discussed today connect with the book I presented last Thursday--Lucky by Alice Sebold.

The first book that was shared was Surviving the Silence: Black women's stories of rape by Charlotte Pierce-Baker.  The ways that this book connects with Lucky begin with the random act of violence.  That is, both books address rape from a non-acquaintance perspective.  Both of the targets did not the perpetrator(s) prior to when the rape occurred.  In addition, the year in which both of these rapes occurred were in 1981.  There may some historical significance to this similarity (lack of discussion during this time period on rape, the number of charges vs. prosecution vs. convictions, etc).  Also, both cases went to trial and had convictions. 

Differences included the age and race of the targets.  In Lucky, the target was a white, single college student, while the target in Surviving the Silence was a Black, married professor.  In this way, their families responses differed.  In Surviving the Silence, the targets family was more supportive and didn't blame her.  Her husband even tried to help his wife process and move forward from the experience.  In contrast, the family in Lucky had difficulty acknowledging what had happened to the target. 

The second book that was presented was Denial by Jessica Stern.  Again, the similarity lies within the perpetrator--it was a non-acquaintance.  Also, in the same way that the target in Lucky had difficulty dealing with what had happened to her, the target in Denial was unwilling to acknowledge what had happened to her.  Of course, the target's difficulty in dealing with her rape could be seeded in the fact that she was 9 years old when her rape occurred (and her sister was raped at the same time as well). 

Differences between the two books include the ways in which the targets tried to process their experiences.  In Lucky, the target dove into drugs, including heroine and alcohol.  While the target in Denial put herself in other risky situations in an attempt to gain control over a situation that they are unable to control (she was a reporter that interviewed terrorists in Afghanistan during tumultuous times).

Knowing that these books connect with Lucky in some manner, I think, will be beneficial in beginning to write my book review.  I'm looking forward to how the remaining books connect with Lucky.

Halloween...It's complicated

With the Halloween season upon us, I feel it important to discuss costumes.  That's right, costumes.  And not the costumes that are insensitive to other races and ethnicities.  That is a topic for another day (and class).  But rather, the sexy costumes.  The costumes that are worn during this time of year when (almost) anything goes. 

To contextualize, I'm a nontraditional (older) student with a husband and kids.  In this way, I am not in the same circles as my peers and definitely don't go to parties.  So, what I'm about to say is, in a way, far removed from the actual culture of college life.  But attending a university and having co-workers that are younger and attend these parties, you tend to hear what goes on with college students.  Just today a co-worker showed me a picture of her friend 'dressed' in a extremely revealing costume (She was wearing a skimpy top and a thong--no joke).  And just last night, I saw several young women dressed as Tom Cruise from Risky Business.  You know the famous scene.  Tom Cruise in nothing but a collared white business shirt, underwear, socks, and sunglasses.  So, yeah---that was what these young women were wearing.

And then my co-worker shared that many other girls that she'd seen at some of the parties were wearing even less (try, lingerie with wings--Victoria's Secret model-inspired).  I've even heard stories of individual's just walking around in the nude.

How does this relate to the scope of this class, you ask?

Well, this made me think of some of our discussions on whether a woman could dress how she wanted without eliciting sexual assault and/or rape.  And I still don't know how to feel on this one.  On one hand, a woman should be able to wear whatever she wants without retribution.  Yet, our society recognizes that Halloween is the one night of the year that women 'dress as hoes'.  I've heard countless talk show hosts, comedians, etc. make this point.  There seems to be a sexual excitement when women dress in this way.  Even walking into the Halloween store and you can see the vast amount of sexualized costumes for women.

And there still remains the context of when alcohol is involved.  That is, when I think of the college costume parties that are occurring where women are dressed provocatively, I can't help but think that this is a recipe for sexual assault and/or rape.  Of course, I recognize that the male gaze is strong during Halloween.  This is why we do see all of the sexualized costumes.  But, in this same regard, for a woman to be unaware how these costumes elicit sexual behavior that may be unwanted would be naïve. 

While the issue is much more complicated than what I've covered here, I have become sensitive to how women are treated.  And I feel that by wearing sexualized costumes to parties in which alcohol is involved could have a tragic outcome.  I just don't know how to approach this.  Like I said, a woman should be able to wear what she wants.  And a man should be accountable for his own actions.  I just think it's complicated.

Sexual Assault and Privacy

I just finished reading an article on CNN about how the University of Kentucky is handling a sexual assault case.  While I don't know the details of the assault, this university associate professor is accused of sexual assault by two individuals.  He was allowed to voluntarily resign, maintain his tenure, and collected salary until the end of August.  And while we can discuss the various ways in which this professor received no punishment to the actual assault, this case does enter an interesting conversation.

The University of Kentucky is attempting to keep the documents about this case private.  That is, UK is suing their independently run student newspaper (who is attempting to access the open documents) so that they don't have to release the documents.

On one hand, keeping the documents private (as the university argues), protects the targets from humiliation, including citing that future targets (unrelated to this case) would be discouraged from coming forward if they felt their identity would be revealed.  In addition, the university looks to the FERPA and HIPAA laws as their argument for keeping the documents private. 

On the other hand, those that argue for the release of the documents say that all names and identifying markers can be removed from the documents.  They are only trying to inform the public about how the case was handled, including its outcome.  In addition, they say that the FERPA and HIPAA laws that the university are citing are only related to education-related information. 

But let's discuss this idea of privacy around sexual assault cases.  The standard that I have seen when reading about sexual assault/rape cases is that the targets names are not released (unless the target chooses to publicly release their name).  In this way, the target is protected from retribution from those that may support the perpetrator (among many other important reasons).  (One need only look to recent high profile cases that have been in the news to see how dividing sexual assault/rape cases can be). 

But is there harm in releasing the details of a case?  I can see that, if the target(s) approve of the release of information--even with names and identifying markers removed--that releasing the information of the case would be beneficial.  The public would be informed to what is occurring in their community.  I've been trying to think of a reason why releasing the information would be a poor idea and I keep coming back to the reasoning that UK is just trying to protect itself.  Did they handle something improperly?  Just what are the details of the case?  And why the secrecy?

And the university maintains that if the information is released, it will discourage other targets from coming forward.  Really??  While it may discourage some targets, I see it as empowering others to come forward. The word 'precedence' comes to mind.  If a target that is hesitant to come forward sees someone else come forward, I have observed, that the one that is hesitant will come forward.  Of course, I must contextualize that this observation comes from what I have read and seen in the media (and yes, I recognize that even the media has an agenda in the way that they present the story).

But the UK case has brought up an interesting aspect when considering the ramifications of sexual assault--that the protection of the target is vital, but the community also has a right to know what is going on.

Trump and Rape Culture

Given the recent news on Trump's highly offensive comments made last Friday, I thought it poignant to make this post about the reaction surrounding this subject while relating it back to what we've been discussing about rape and rape culture this semester.

First, it must be established that what he said definitively perpetrates rape culture.  And it was encouraging to see that the majority of major media embraced this aspect.  There is always a concern on how the media will present a story, but there was no denying that Trump's comments were in reference to sexually assaulting women.  And the media was right to call Trump's comments what they were.  But not only did they recognize it as rape culture, there even seemed to be vitriol and disgust in the commentators voices (at least the various ones that I heard) when they spoke about the video.  This, also, was encouraging to see for we should be outraged when someone speaks about women in this way--let alone actually treat a women in this manner!

But this situation also brought on something that was unexpected.  Enter Kelly Oxford. Just a simple tweet about her first sexual assault and then a call-to-action for others to share.  Expecting only a few hundred at most, but igniting 27 million (!!) women to respond.  And this number says a lot.

In class, we were given the statistic that about 6% of men will commit a sexual assault or rape.  I brought up in class, and I believe it's important to reiterate here, that I question that number.  Rather, I challenge that number.  Knowing that a majority of women do not speak up about any experiences from inappropriate touching to rape, that number is already higher than what we estimate.  But in context of 27 million women responding to and sharing their first sexual assault, I feel that the number of men that commit sexual assault of some sort is even higher that we would like to admit to.

And this gives cause for concern--and to question, once again, what are the circumstances that make sexual assault/rape an acceptable choice? Why is it that some people accept his "excuse" that it's just "locker room talk"?  Why does framing it in that way allow for some people to accept his comments as normal behavior?

And let's look at that fact that he contextualized his comments as "locker room talk."  I find myself once again seeing this relating to hyper-masculinity in sports.  (Especially given that many of the cases that we have discussed have involved sports athletes**.)  There was a sense of entitlement in the way that he spoke; a "matter-of-fact, this is what I do and nobody complains" attitude. 

This is simply not acceptable.

**I must note, though, that this also negatively effects sports athletes that do not (and will not) engage in sexual assaulting or raping a woman.  Just look at the response from athletes that are pushing back at the rhetoric that Trump is spewing about his comments about women.




  

This past weekend...

I've been reflecting on an incident that happened this past weekend and I can't help but post about it since it's (somewhat) related to this class.  This past Saturday night, my ride home after work was delayed.  So, I began to walk home.  (As some context, our football team had a home game occurring at the same time). While beginning to walk through campus, I noticed that a couple was fighting loudly at the bottom of a hill by a building.  (I assume that they had been drinking, but I don't know)  Seeing the girl walking after the guy and him kind-of pushing her away, I decided to hang out to make sure that everything was fine.  They moved under a bridge and I was unable to see them (but I could still hear them).  I walked to the other side of the bridge and saw them come out.  She was still chasing after him and he was still tossing her hand off or pushing her away.  At this point, I became concerned.  After everything that we have been discussing in class, I was worried for this young woman.  Then, they walked into the dark shadows of the building.  At this point, I was worried that this fight could escalate (dark shadows hide dark secrets).  So, I hurried down to where I knew some security guards would be to let them know about the couple.  When we arrived back, the young man had his hands around the girl (on the tree) with her pinned to a tree.  She pushed against him and he used his chest to push her back.  The guy, probably noticing the cops observing them, let her off the tree and then they spoke a few minutes and left with his girlfriend putting her arm through his.  The cops said they didn't see anything so they let them go.

Some thoughts: The cops did have a point, in a away.  The guy wasn't physically assaulting her.  That is, I don't think that a guy throwing a girl's hand off of him would be considered assault (or would it?).  Perhaps my fears did misinterpret what was going on.  BUT I can't help but feel like I did the right thing.  Perhaps by them seeing the cops, the fight de-escalated from something that would have been more physical.  And that is what makes it worth it.  Of course, I ask myself why didn't I act sooner, did I over re-act, was there a bigger issue than I thought there was...

Yet, I am most disheartened by something else.  No one else that was walking by (there were MANY people) cared about what was going on.  It seemed there was no awareness of their surroundings.  The couple could be heard fighting over the noise of everyone walking by, yet no one stopped or glanced towards the couple fighting.  Would they stop if there was an assault happening?  Would they help someone out?


Would those that were walking past the couple I saw fighting do the same? Would I have engaged the couple if necessary?

This had me thinking about the two Swede men that helped out the target in the Brock Turner case.  They engaged, helped, saved, a young woman.  And, in this, they are to be admired.

I think the problem that people struggle with (me included) is whether to get involved.  It's hard to know if something needs to be done.  But this may be why there are problems with assault--people don't engage or ask if someone is alright or just walk on by...

I just hope that the young woman is alright.   

Brock Paper

Thursday I presented the facts of the Brock Turner case as well as discussed possible approaches for my paper.  For those that are unfamiliar with the facts, Brock Turner is a swimmer from Stanford that was convicted of rape of an unconscious woman.  He was charged on three felony counts, but Judge Persky dropped two of those.  He served three months (out of six) and will have to register as a sex offender for life. 

In my initial research on this case, nothing new stood out that wasn't conveyed through television media accounts (in what I saw).  However, I did come across a striking article that peaked my interest.  In the article, the author shares that, according to the legal classification of a rapist in CA, Brock Turner is not considered a rapist.  He's a sex offender, but not a rapist.  I was taken aback by this.  How could he not be considered a rapist? This brings to question the dichotomy between crime and punishment--does the punishment fit the crime and vice versa.  This would be in consideration of questions, such as: Are there model rape statutes? Are there competing models? How does California's laws stack up to these?  This becomes important questions when reviewing the way in which this case progressed (and the ultimate outcome).  Especially given that CA has amended the way in which they handle rape of an unconscious person (no eligibility of parole, if convicted) after the national and worldwide attention this case had. 

The other aspect of this case that I found interesting was in the target's letter.  That the county probation department recommended a year or less for Brock.  This would mean that Judge Persky was following their recommendation.  But is he not the judge?  Does he not have the ability to change the sentence length?  And, even if he wanted to follow the recommendation, why not do the maximum amount?  What does this say about the probation department?  Honestly, while some aspects of this case have been interesting, I have had more questions and frustrations with the outcome.

When thinking about the direction I want to take with my paper, at this time, I'm leaning towards the rhetoric of how society has reacted to not only the case, but rape/sexual assault as well.  I can see this both as a point of contention and expression.  But I would also like to explore the idea of why this case made national attention and not other cases.  I realize that this may be due to the graphic and disturbing details of the assault, but this case is by no means the only one.  Is there a case that is similar to this one, but does not have an athlete as the perpetrator?  There's also the approach of how men's accounts are preferred over women's.  Brock had one story and then a year later, his story changed.  I can see an evaluation on this aspect.  And like, Jackson said on this subject, women have been viewed as 'crazy' and 'emotional' while men have been viewed as 'logical' and 'controlled'.  An exploration on these differences could prove to be worthwhile as well.

As you can see, I'm not sure which way to go.

Hyper-masculinity and rape

First, I want to give more clarity to one of the documentaries that I mentioned in class today.  Miss Representation is about the lack women in politics, but they also discuss how women are sexualized in media.  For example, how women  who are running for office are discussed in regards to what they are wearing or how they look rather than the policies that they stand for.  If you're interested in seeing what it's entirely about, check out the trailer here. This trailer is an extended version, so it's a bit longer than usual.

Also, I really recommend watching The Mask You Live In documentary on men (a companion to Miss Representation).  This really addresses what we were discussing in class today with hyper-masculinity.  The idea that men are nurtured into taking control and being aggressive.  For if they don't, they are labeled as not 'manning-up' or being 'masculine'.  I can also see this documentary being a good supplement to our research projects. 

And herein is where I'd like to place my blog today.  This idea of hyper-masculinity (thanks for bringing this up again, Jackson!).  Like I mentioned in class, when I was searching rape cases to research, I was shocked by the amount of prominent and high-profile rape cases that were involving athletes.  And while I've recognized how hyper-masculinity plays into why rape occurs, I didn't realize it's impact until today.  Seeing the list of cases on the white board that involved athletes was overwhelming.  And when considering the culture that surrounds athletics, there was a strong argument for why many rape cases do involve athletes.  Of course, this doesn't mean that every athlete will be a rapist.  On the contrary.  The stat given in class was that approximately 94% of men will not commit a rape.  (I do wonder the accuracy of this stat, since most sexual assaults are not reported).  Yet, there is something to be addressed with the frequency in which rape occurs among athletes.  While I can't quantify this association, as an observer, it is something that is hard to dismiss. 

Is there a sense of entitlement?  After all, athletes--especially college football players--are placed on a pedestal.  They are revered and protected by the university in many cases.  You need only look to FSU or University of Montana in which the poor handling of rape cases in pursuit of protecting the players had detrimental ramifications.

Are sports feeding into the rape culture?  Considering male athletes--and more specifically football players--they are conditioned to be aggressive, to be an initiator.  Does this trait, therefore, flow into other areas of their life?  On the surface, it would be easy to say yes.  But I wonder if there is more to this.

Finally, I want to stress that in no way do I think that rape is confined to football teams.  It is merely illustrative of the ways that hyper-masculinity can manifest itself.  In addition, I know that this discussion dives deeper than what I am brought up here.  I just found that our discussion in class was interesting and stimulating. 

To consider "How do men get to the point that rape is an acceptable choice?"

Kairos

In class today we discussed how kairos was used in the ending chapters of Missoula by Jon Krakauer.  So, I think I'd like to try to discuss some instances of kairos that stood out to me.

First, as mentioned in class, I saw the timing of Jordan's trial to be an element of kairos.  First, his trial began shortly after Beau (the perpetrator from a previous case) was sentenced to prison.  This made for an opportune time for both the prosecutor and the defense.  For the prosecutor, it was a moment to take a sexual assault case to court.  With Beau's case ending in a plea bargain and the other cases that were mentioned in the book not taking steps towards prosecution, the prosecution had an opportunity to bring justice.  For the defense, however, it was a moment to vindicate a 'wrong' charge.  And it would be these narratives that would determine the outcome. 

When one considers the community climate at that time, it was easy to see how the small town would be so passionately divided.  Fans and non-fans of the UM football team alike.  This, obviously, had an influence on how both the victim and perpetrator was perceived--ultimately leading to the moment that had developed (the trial).  Lawyers on both sides would have to craft their side of the story in order to have the outcome that they each desired.  And the ways in which each side crafted their story was interesting.

When reading the account, the prosecution seemed demure.  Not that they weren't doing all they that could to win the case.  Of course, this may be because, in contrast, the defense was so passionate, over-the-top, even bullying those that were on the stand.  Even this aspect, the way that each side handled the trial, has an element of kairos that affected the outcome of the trial.  And, perhaps, this is why the trial ended the way that it did.

Another instance that stood out to me was Kirsten Pabst election as county attorney.  When looking at how she left the prosecutors office, started her own business, joined Jordan's case, and shared office space with Paoli--one could see how these 'choices' had lead to her appointment.  It begs to question her intention with the way in which she went about things (namely, sharing office space with Paoli who contributed to her campaign).  But it is astounding that she had positioned herself in Missoula, MT to be a viable candidate for county attorney.  Being on the 'winning' team had made for a valid argument for being elected to office.  I realize that my biases are based on what I read in Krakauer's book, but she almost seems deceptive and willing to do whatever it takes to benefit herself.  Far from what some of the other individuals were striving for.

Beyond Brock

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been setting aside any articles, videos, or posts that are related to rape.  And with the release of Brock Turner a couple weeks ago, I thought I would post some of the things that I came across associated with his story...

The first is a video reaction to his release after only 3 months in jail. 

This video clearly states a common reaction to Brock Turner's release.  The woman interview, a raper survivor herself, brings up several valid points with Brock's early release (let alone, the short sentence that he did receive). 

The second is an article about steps California has taken since the fallout from the sentencing of Brock Turner. 

This is a good start: mandatory sentences for "whenever the victim is intoxicated or unconscious and the perpetrator does not have to use force".  However, this law should be expanded.  What makes the rape of a woman who isn't intoxicated or is conscious (rather, a forceful act) unworthy of a mandatory sentence?  I think that this falls into our discussion of hierarchy and how we view certain acts.  Perhaps, in the minds of those that created the law (in conjunction with the national attention that the Brock Turner case brought), prompted the lawmakers to only consider "without force" to be deserving of a mandatory sentencing.  But I would argue that any instance of rape should come with a mandatory sentencing.  Rape in and of itself is a violent act and should be treated as such, no matter if it was forceful or not. 

The third is an article about a policy that Stanford is enacting in lieu of Brock's case.

I find this article to be really interesting.  The university is attempting to dissuade sexual assault on their campus by banning hard alcohol and limiting bottle sizes (for those over twenty-one).  This ban, however, does not apply to graduate students.  Therefore, it begs to question why Standford thinks that graduate students wouldn't be prone to committing sexual violence.  I think that this is a misstep for the university.  To make allowances for a specific group, perhaps based on age, does not remove the possibility of sexual assault occurring.  The truly revolutionary approach would have been to ban hard liquor on campus for all students.  Why would the university want to the maintain a possibility of sexual assault on their campus (which they are inherently doing by allowing graduates access to hard liquor)?  And like the professors in the article pointed out - Standford is still not dealing with the issue of consent. . 

Finally, a photographer takes a visual approach (Note: graphic images) to make a statement about Brock's release and the problem of sexual assault.

These photographs have an almost disturbing effect to them.  The "victims" dead stares are haunting--making these images so powerful.  Even considering the violent positions that the "victims" are placed in show the realities of sexual assault.  Perhaps the most revealing aspect about these photos is the diversity of race and gender.  As stated by the photographer "I don’t want to demonstrate that only a black man can rape a white man. You don’t know the strength of a person. You don’t know their capabilities"

More references for Chapter 9

Due to time constraints in class yesterday, I was unable to share the resources that I came across in chapter 9.  With that, the following is my annotated bibliography:



The Criminal Justice Sytem: Statistics. (2016). Retrieved from RAINN: https://rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system

This page from the website RAINN.org—the largest anti-sexual violence organization (per their website)—gives statistics of perpetrators in relation to other crimes committed.  This includes number reported to police, number of reports that lead to arrest, number of cases referred to a prosecutor, number of cases that lead to a felony conviction, and number of incarcerations.

- While this reference centers on the justice system, this resource can be beneficial as it provides access to other current statistics specifically related to rape, abuse, and incest.  I also found that their resources on safety and prevention to be valuable information.  There's sections for parents students, including warning signs that someone has been assaulted or abused.  

Whitney, E. (2015, April 22). Missoula County Prosecutor Kirsten Pabst's Statement on Jon Krakauer's Book. Montana Public Radio. Retrieved from http://mtpr.org/post/missoula-county-prosecutor-kirsten-pabsts-statement-jon-krakauers-book

This is a statement by Kirsten Pabst, the Missoula County prosecutor, from Jon Krakauer’s book Missoula that was released shortly after the release of the book.  Her statement argues the role of a prosecutor, acknowledges her department had problems in communication, and shares the action taken to improve the department and how it handles rape and sexual assault cases.

- At the end of chapter nine, Kirsten Pabst had made an online statement attacking Gwen Florio and the targets that are the focus of Krakauer's book.  This particular statement, given shortly after the release of the book, interested me because of how she responds to Missoula.  I found the list of changes to her department to be really interesting and wonder how effective these changes have been within the department.

Florio, G. (2015, April 20). Gwen Florio: Krakauer's Book Accurate . Montana Public Radio. (E. Whitney, Interviewer) Retrieved from http://mtpr.org/post/gwen-florio-krakauers-book-accurate

 This online interview is with Gwen Florio, shortly before the release of Krakauer's book.  She discusses the accuracy of the book (she attended parts of the trail), how he used transcripts that were on the record, and use of the college disciplinary hearing.  In addition, she discusses the controversy surrounding certain parts of the book.

- This interview proved to be interesting--a first person account of someone that was involved with the cases in the book.  Although it was a short interview, it certainly gave a different perspective to what is written in the book.

"She shouldn't have been drinking in the first place"

In class Thursday, part of our discussion centered on the rhetoric of what our attitudes of men versus women getting drunk are.  Especially given that all of the stories that Krakauer shares involve intoxication. This struck a chord with me.  For, honestly, I have associated a woman getting drunk as more inappropriate than a man getting drunk.  That is, I associate a drinking behavior more with men than I do with women. Perhaps part of this perspective lies within the public display--men are more visibly seen as drinking and getting drunk than women are.  (Or maybe I just choose to notice men who are drunk more often than women?).  For example, male drunkenness is commonly seen at sporting events, parties, bars, etc.  And with the constant public display comes a normalization and expectation that men drink/get drunk and women don't.  And these stereotypes feed into the current campus rape culture. 

This, of course, does not mean women do not drink--as a woman myself, I drink alcohol.  But I think it becomes easy for our society to place blame on a woman if she is drinking and then raped.  After all, "she wasn't supposed to be drinking in the first place".  And I think this plays into the ethos of how the target is perceived.  

For example: If women aren't supposed to drink--but they do--then they are making a bad decision. Therefore, the ramifications of that bad decision, no matter what they are, is her fault.  She then becomes the harlot, the promiscuous woman, the slut, the tease...

While in comparison the rapist just made a bad decision (rape) and was unable to control himself because he was drinking.  Which brings us back to the perspective mentioned before--"men are supposed to be drinking/drunk", therefore, they're just doing "what is normal/expected of men".

But I like how Sydney summarized the intention and argument of book--especially given that the stories in Missoula involve intoxication by both men and women: alcohol isn't supposed to be the excuse that makes rape okay.

However, herein lies the problem: our society still considers alcohol an acceptable "excuse" to explain someone's actions (among a myriad of other factors).  This leads to a lack in prosecution or lenient sentences; such as those seen in Missoula or, in most recent news, the Brock Turner case.   

This is why the challenge to consider how I view men versus women drinking struck me.  I had to evaluate my thinking, perspective, feelings on that statement.  To question why I consider men drinking alcohol different than women.  To ask myself what feeds into my own stereotypes of men/women drinking.  To be aware of how this perpetuates rape culture and violence against women.  

Check out this timely article that reminds us of just a few women that were affected by an "alcohol excuse"

Actions shape views

Towards the end of class today, Bill shared the statement: "The way we view rape has been shaped by how we speak about it." This statement has given me pause to reflect on how I view rape. And I have come to realize that I find it difficult to believe that this type of behavior occurs.  I think this is because I find rape to be an issue of humanity--how could a person treat another person so violently? I'm astonished that this happens! I'm angry, frustrated, sad...ever questioning the reason why this happens.  This leads me to recognize when I read that the rapist is initially sorry, I want to believe them. Now, I want to be clear--rape is wrong and a perpetrator should be punished for their actions.  Yet, I'm still astonished that this happens in the first place!  And I think this view--my inability to accept that rape occurs--contributes to the way in which I view rape.  For, if I don't accept that it happens, I don't accept that it is a problem.  BUT IT IS...and reconciling with this has been a struggle.  And I think that this has to do with the fact that I have never experienced what these women have experienced; I am not a survivor of rape or sexual assault.

But when I reflect further, I realize that I am not far removed from it. I do know of an individual that has been assaulted--a close individual of my own family.  Yet, we never speak about it. We never address what happened.  It just happened and what can we do about it now? (It's important to note that the individual that assaulted my family member passed away some time ago).  We downplay the actions of the accused, taking a "it was only touching".  But even this feeds into the way in which we view rape and sexual assault--that "it's not that bad". And silences to an issue say something as well.

This is why I like the video What if bears killed one in five people? .  While the authors of the video are using a ridiculous scenario, it brings to light that rape and sexual assault cannot be ignored. We wouldn't ignore statistics if one in five people were killed by bears--so why would we put up with one in five women being sexually assaulted?  Therefore I can no longer ignore that rape occurs.  Which, to bring it back to what I said in the first paragraph--the realization that it happens makes me angry, frustrated, sad...

I know that this class is meant to help us critically evaluate texts for their rhetorical meaning through the use of Krakauer's Missoula book, but I'm finding that my views on rape are being challenged.  I only hope that through this class I can remove the taboo nature of speaking about these issues so that I can speak about (and speak up) about the ramifications of rape and sexual assault.