Rape Culture In America

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There are 195 countries in the world and America ranks 14th when it comes to the reported rape incidence rate. Why? Easy. Two words: rape culture. America has promoted rape culture by creating an environment in which rape is normalized and excused. We see it in our social media, pop culture, and political figures. Although it more commonly affects female victims, this does not exclude male victims. We perpetuate rape culture in our society through misogyny, victim blaming, and the lack of action taken. Misogyny has been one of the most prevalent issues that has been in our society which has restricted every woman into a small box of character. We can see how this has been instilled into our society through the various forms of entertainment. …show more content…

In fact, 97% of rapists never go to jail. The problem is, it is extremely difficult to prove rape has occurred.. Many laws have been created that end up protecting the rapist. In more than half of the 50 states, they require that the person have used force in order for it to be considered rape, which is called the Model Penal Code. That means, if you didn’t physically resist the attempt, it isn’t rape. On top of that, there are many flaws with the people who work in the justice system as well. During the trials the prosecutor is subject to several instances of victim blaming by the rapist’s lawyer. In one such case, victim Yee Xiong said, “I felt like he didn’t have any respect for me at all. He did anything and said anything he could to make me feel angry on the stand make, to make me feel frustrated on the stand.” Even those who are supposed to only judge based on what’s laid out in front of them use bias in such cases. One of the California Superior Court judges Derek Johnson stated, “If someone doesn't want to have sexual intercourse, the body shuts down. That tells me that the victim in this case, although she wasn't necessarily willing, didn't put up a fight.” When there is so much negativity targeted towards the victim in the courthouse, it’s easy to see why so many of them don’t press charges or give up during trial. Since so many rapists get away with what they do so much, others see them and follow suit because they know they won’t get

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