The Issues Posed by Blaming Victims of Rape Essay

In contemporary North America, if one were to ask almost any member of society what were the most heinous crimes a human being could commit, almost assuredly rape would be listed amongst every top five. Maybe it would even be competing for the number one spot. It is highly unlikely, absurd even, to think that any reasonable being would not find rape (or the broader term of sexual assault used in Canada) to be an abhorrent act becoming of no real human being. However, knowing this: that is, that the vast majority of citizens in North American society are in agreement on the nature of such a crime, it is all the more puzzling that many continue to harbour a mindset that gives them the tendency to blame the victim to an extent†¦show more content†¦The woman, who had no memory of the events, only learned about the rapes on social media the day after. Ideally, a case such as this would be rather cut and dry: these two men exploited an intoxicated woman and had sex with her withou t her consent, which constitutes rape, which is a crime. However, when the case went to trial the next year, the defense attempted to of course spin it in a totally different direction: that she had led the men on and regretted it later, leading to her crying rape – and her being drunk did not excuse this behaviour (Steinhauer II, 2013). In fact, the attorneys were given the freedom to ask intrusive and uncomfortable questions because of the trial being a military court martial rather than a civilian court case. Many of the questions themselves were outright condemning of the victim (Steinhauer I, 2013) In situations such as that, it’s easy to simply look at the defense attorneys as bad people who are trying to blame the victim in an attempt to exonerate their clients. The latter half of that is, in fact, true: they are attempting to displace the responsibility onto the victim so that they can beat the charges against the defendants. However, it is important to remembe r that while they are using this as a defensive tactic, they are not necessary bad people who subscribe o victim blaming, they are just doing their job. The usage of victim blaming as a defensive tactic is not the problem, as theShow MoreRelatedRape Culture And Its Validity1769 Words   |  8 PagesSouthern Connecticut State University defines rape culture on there collegiate website as, â€Å"an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture ... perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.† Many women know the fear of leaving their homes hoping that their outfitRead MoreThe Social World1413 Words   |  6 PagesSexualisation of the social world has become a very prominent social issue since the early 90’s. It has aff ected many influential individuals in devastating ways such as that of eating disorders, body image issues and mental illnesses. 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