Up until this semester, I never thought about how I enabled and normalized rape culture. I figured with training, workshops and even an official partnership with One-Eighty, I shielded myself from being within that category.
However, I realize that access to a woman’s person has always been something that I have been told I have. While I have distanced my logic of thinking from this myth, I realize that it is in indirect ways that men perpetuate rape culture. It is in the conversation with friends when one does not correct a friend when a statement is made expressing possessiveness over the person of a woman. It is easy to make the claim of not being a rapist but even the thought of feeling obligated to a person’s body perpetuates rape culture.
In addition, being non-receptive to the response “no,” not acknowledging the noticeable body language of making someone uncomfortable or even a forcible grab or yank at a party for a dance are all things that normalize this behavior. In society today, being called a rapist almost produces the equivalent reaction of being called racist.
More people, specifically heterosexual cis men are baffled with the idea of being called a rapist but will not evaluate their behavior and actions that led to the accusatory statement. There also exists a constant redundancy where the victim is often criticized or shunned for exposing their rapist/assaulter, which is also another form in which this behavior and culture is normalized and perpetuated.
If there is a change to be made on campus that is centered around rape culture, it cannot solely rely on the brave and hard efforts of k(no)w, and other sexual assault advocacy groups, it has to also involve the works of heterosexual cis men as a sign to their peers that this behavior isn’t tolerable or acceptable in any environment.
At the beginning of the semester, The Men of Harambee (MOH) hosted a justice dialogue focusing on how men perpetuate rape culture, and excluding the members of MOH, there were only three identifying men in attendance. While a variety of factors may have affected the turnout of the presence of men during the dialogue, I think it speaks more-so to how we as men neglectfully prioritize the severity of all types of sexual assault.
As students part of a community that prides itself on working towards inclusivity, we owe it to our peers to prioritize this issue if we ever expect the administration to prioritize it.
Derrius Jones, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at DJones18@wooster.edu.