rape culture
CNN recently aired some coverage of the verdicts against the Steubenville rapists that was all, "boo hoo, these poor boys' lives are ruined." I won't link to the video, but here's a link to The Raw Story's critique of it. The critique is right on, and I am utterly amazed and disgusted at the CNN coverage. I largely avoid mainstream media, because, well, it's bad, but in this case, I might even write a letter, because this is an impressive level of badness.
BUT. There's a thing about the CNN fuckup that has made me happy, and that's this: I have heard outrage about it from a huge swath of my social media channels, not just from the people who I know identify as feminists or progressives, and not just from women or people who already are steeped in thinking and talking critically about rape culture.
I know I live in the bubble, and I know there's a long way to go before the full cultural and awareness change around this stuff is more common than its lack, but I have felt importantly allied in my community's response to this.
I'm also really glad that there seems to be more mainstream discussion of rape culture as a result of this incident and the subsequent trial. Even Forbes is talking about it.
Here's a good list of things to do to end rape culture from The Nation. Here's Tony Porter's outstanding TED talk on the fragility of masculinity and the importance of raising sensitive, vulnerable, emotional boys.
BUT. There's a thing about the CNN fuckup that has made me happy, and that's this: I have heard outrage about it from a huge swath of my social media channels, not just from the people who I know identify as feminists or progressives, and not just from women or people who already are steeped in thinking and talking critically about rape culture.
I know I live in the bubble, and I know there's a long way to go before the full cultural and awareness change around this stuff is more common than its lack, but I have felt importantly allied in my community's response to this.
I'm also really glad that there seems to be more mainstream discussion of rape culture as a result of this incident and the subsequent trial. Even Forbes is talking about it.
Here's a good list of things to do to end rape culture from The Nation. Here's Tony Porter's outstanding TED talk on the fragility of masculinity and the importance of raising sensitive, vulnerable, emotional boys.