Reflection

Posted on by juju3473

The views around rape and rape culture are generally at extremes. When composing my project 3 I found it was difficult to find articles, stories, videos, and images that weren’t at far ends of each spectrum. I feel that this is because people feel so strongly about rape and rape culture. It is obvious why women/survivors and certain individuals are completely against rape and all forms of rape culture, but I struggled to understand why ANYONE would insist that rape culture does not exist, or that women are just being irrational and radical “feminists” when they speak against rape and rape culture. Disasters are about values and the sacrifice of one thing for the overarching value. But what is the overarching value of perpetuating rape and rape culture? Obviously everyone is not a rapist, so what is there to gain from insisting that rape culture does not exist? What is the value in blaming the victim?

I think that the issue of rape and rape culture exposes a deep and fundamental problem with American society. The issue is sex, and the idea that men have right to women’s bodies. Culturally, we are raised to believe that “boys will be boys” and as girls it is our job to resist them, because if we don’t, we fail. Through my research and assemblage, I have learned that this is one of the main reasons that rape and rape culture persists today. Men (people) have been raised to believe they cannot control their sexual desires, and that women(people) are objects to fulfill their sexual desires. Failure to resist sexual advances, is completely the woman’s (victim’s) fault.

However, this insight, and this overarching value did not expose itself in the countless rape stories that I looked through. Instead, this insight was exposed through the reactions of the public. I was able to see and understand the public’s values, through their interaction with the dromosphere (social media, internet, interface) . These comments/reactions are unfiltered. They have little to no consequences, and therefore people speak what they really believe to be true.

Through the project I learned that although stories, images, etc. may give you some information, the true insight is supplementary. When reading articles or being exposed to different types of media, it is important to consider what the public is saying. This unique aspect of participatory culture can further demonstrate the values and “sacrifices” of the public.

Although the project gave me more insight in to the supplementary information that goes along with news stories, I am struggling to find a solution to clicktivism. Because our generation is so accustomed to apathy and “liking” and “commenting” I feel that civic participation has been significantly less successful. For now, the only solution is to get individuals to care about and change their views/values. Therefore punctum and reasoneon are essential to civic participation. If people are going to make a difference, they have to make the public feel. 

However, because these goals are not tangible, and often difficult to measure, working on civic participation through the dromosphere can be extremely limited. In the future, I hope to be able to gauge levels of success for my civic engagement, but I feel now it is very limited.

Because of this project and this course, I will think twice before I decide to like and or share something. I hope to be more constructive in my civic participation and actually make a difference.

Poetics

Posted on by juju3473

For my testimonial, I tried to assemble posts that fulfilled reasneon. The posts about rape were educational/informational because they gave accounts of rape and instances of rape. The posts were shocking and demonstrated punctum because they elicited emotion and shock from the readers. For many of my posts, the sources of punctum were the comments/reactions from the public regarding rape and rape culture. Personally, when I read the different accounts of rape, or rape stories, I was especially impacted and shocked by public commentary. Rape culture persists and continues to thrive because of individuals and because of the beliefs of individuals. What better way to exemplify that then to post their anti-rape culture comments on rape stories. I also found it shocking that so many people referred to the issue of rape culture, as a “feminist movement.” That “feminists” were being extreme and too emotional. The accounts and comments are the most effective in demonstrating rape culture.

When thinking about rape culture, and why rape culture exists it is important to look at individuals as well as what the collective culture is saying about rape. In order to end rape culture, I feel that conversation is essential. Often times, rape, ACTUAL rape-not rape joke (which is another problem) is taboo. People feel uncomfortable talking about rape. Therefore it is important to establish some form of communication so that conversations around rape can happen. Currently this is happening through social media. Every time there is a rape story in the media, social media blows up. https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=uva+rape&s=typd&x=0&y=0 However, these conversations are not constructive because they never result in an individual changing their views. They are effective in perpetuating whichever view they feel strongly about. However, I feel that a more open and direct form of communication would serve as a better platform to talk about rape and rape culture.

Second, it is important to educate the public about rape and rape culture. People need to witness the disaster of rape and rape culture by understanding the sacrifice of women and women’s bodies that are constantly being sacrificed in rape culture. What is the overarching value within rape culture? why does it continue to persist? These questions can only be addressed through educating people about rape culture.

Finally, it is imperative to avoid clicktivism. Just because one views or likes a page, video, or image advocating against rape culture, doesn’t mean rape culture is ending. The MEmorial, or campaign or event, or education must effectively change the views and ideas of the individual. The individual must be sincerely effected emotionally to truly be against rape culture. This can be accomplished through reasaneon.

Periphreal

Posted on by juju3473

Rape and rape culture permeate throughout our culture and our lives. As a college student, I feel as though I am exposed to rap and rape culture on an everyday basis. My peers joke about rape. I hear stories about rape, I hear reactions to rape. I see advertisements eluding to rape, and I am educated about rape and rape culture. To me, the most heart breaking thing about rape culture, is that some people refuse to acknowledge that we live in a rape culture. Even though I attend a University, and my peers are in higher education, countless times I have hears people say

“what did she think was going to happen?”

or “What was she wearing?” 

“It’s more complicated than that.” 

But what is so complicated? Rape is rape.

We live in a culture, where people are more likely to question the victims actions that the rapists. People are more likely to interrogate the victim than the rapists.

Women are told that THEY are responsible for avoiding rape, and if they are raped it is THEIR fault.

We live in a culture, where administrators will side with their athletes, before victims of rape.
http://mic.com/articles/57507/7-terrifying-college-administration-responses-to-allegations-of-sexual-assault

Living on a college campus, I feel that it is especially troubling that administration has responded to rape in these ways. A couple years ago, CU Boulder was under fire for their poor reactions to reports of rape. http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/07/19/2327351/cu-boulder-federal-investigation-rape/%C2%A0/

Therefore, to raise awareness, I envision a display on the CU Boulder campus. I feel it would be effective to put the display in front of the administration office (Regent). I envision a large screen that would flash victim blaming quotes. The quotes would be visible every 4th person that walked by, because 1/4 women will be raped or sexually assaulted in her lifetime.

I feel that the display will be especially effective because it is interactive. It doesn’t just flash quotes, but it is meaningful because it reacts to the people passing by.

Victim blaming quotes are shocking. I feel that putting them physically on display on a college campus, especially at CU Boulder would be effective and meaningful.