Let Me Tell You A Story
II’m not going to lie, but growing up I didn’t know anything about rape or feminism, because my parents kept me fairly sheltered. Basically, this post will be split into two parts. The first is going to be regarding rape and rape culture, and this will lead me more into the second part of why I’m a feminist. Enjoy my very lengthy and slightly overdone post.
Feminism? Rape?What Are These Filthy Words?
At first, I was a little hesitant to discuss this topic, because I didn’t know if it was appropriate or not, and it is also highly controversial. I realized I was going to talk about it because there is no reason it shouldn’t be talked about if it is affecting my life, and I have an issue with it. First, I want to clarify that some things in this article can and do happen to men, but for the purpose of this blog post, I’m going to focus on females. Women are constantly disrespected. Everyday, somewhere in the world, a woman is sexually inappropriate names, like a “whore” or a “slut.” These words should not be used as a joke, and they are only demeaning to women. I’m not saying that someone has to hold the door open for a girl everywhere she goes, or that a guy always has to pay for the meal, but the least a guy or any person as a matter of fact could do to a woman is respect her.
Saying No
I think I heard this story back when I was in 8th grade. To summarize the story, this girl had this guy in two of her classes who would always ask her out. The girl did not like him at all, so she always said, “No,” in response to him. One day, after she rejected his advances, he said something like, “If you don’t say yes this time I ask you out, I’m going to shoot you. I have a gun in my locker.” Sure enough, she went to the principal, and they found a gun in this guy’s locker. People at the school kept saying stuff like, “You should have just said yes and gave him a try,” or “You put us all in danger when you could have just gone on one date!” While I heard this part of the story, I think I choked on my water. Why were people blaming the girl? The guy was the one who obsessed over her, the guy was the one who kept going after her when she rejected his advances, and the guy was the one who brought the gun. Why is there such a double standard, not only in America, but also across the globe?
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I’m Scared.
I don’t like walking alone, especially at night. I don’t like being alone. I don’t like driving alone. Why? I don’t like any of these because they make me scared. Fear is a natural instinct. In your body, it serves as nothing more than something that allows us to avoid potential danger. I don’t understand why I should fear going out at night alone. The potential for a woman to be sexually assaulted or even killed is extremely high in this day and age. I want to be able to live my life without hiding in my house in order to be safe. I don’t want to be attacked if I say no.
Colleges Aren’t Safe.
Speaking of saying no, college campuses all across America especially are plagued with rape cases. When I typed “college campus” into the Google search engine, the first option that came up was not “college campus beautiful photos.” It was “college campus rape,” and the second was “college campus sexual assault.” According to NPR , only 20 percent of women 18 to 24 in college report to the police. One thing that struck me was that 12 percent of the victims didn’t report because they felt the rape “was not important enough to report.” Sexual assault on women is underreported because people don’t like to talk about it. The problem is that if people don’t talk about it, nothing will change. I’m concerned that when I’m in college, I could potentially be put into a dangerous situation. I’m going to college so I can further my education and to gain tools necessary for a job. I’m also going to meet new people and become an independent adult. I do not want to be going to college to be dehumanized and become a victim.
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Victim Blaming.
This is one of the things that push my buttons the most. In the news all the time, there are stories about women being raped. A large majority of the time, I’ll hear about how it’s the woman’s fault for being raped. For example, a woman will be blamed for being raped if she is wearing provocative clothing, under the influence of alcohol, under the influence of drugs, etc. I understand that it’s not extremely responsible to get blackout drunk at a party. I also understand that people can look at a woman demandingly if they are hardly wearing any clothes. However, under no circumstances, should it ever be the women’s fault for a rape. If a guy forces a woman to strip her clothes and them takes advantage of her, the male is responsible. I don’t understand how a female is responsible if she is forced against her will to have sex. This makes absolutely no sense.
Empowerment.
I really think it’s important for woman to stand together and defend one another. I think that feminism is all about empowerment for women. Throughout history, women were constantly degraded and lower than males. They were constantly taken advantage of. Contrary to popular belief, feminists aren’t male-hating monsters. Feminists argue for equality, and they fight for women. Guys can be feminists too, okay? It’s really cool to see women stand up and work to be treated fairly in this cruel world. I think everyone (including guys) should be a feminist; not only does it make a person 100000% more attractive, but it shows that a person has morals and understand humanity.