FEMINIST CURRENT: “The Steubenville rape case: This is masculinity” (and rape culture and porn culture)

Check out this powerful post by Feminist Current (@FeministCurrent) on the recent high-profile Steubenville rape case. Meghan Murphy describes how the brutally cruel rape of an unconscious young woman, and all of the horrific acts surrounding it by others, are not random unique events, but sadly the EXPECTED NORM in the RAPE CULTURE of toxic masculinity that we currently live in, that is fueled by the PORN CULTURE that we currently live in, that is fueled by PORNOGRAPHY, which is created, sold and distributed by the multi billion dollar PORN INDUSTRY.

[Feminist Current] – Two high school football players from Steubenville, Ohio were found guilty of raping a 16 year old girl on Sunday. They were both convicted of digitally penetrating the victim, and one was found guilty of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material.

The allegations against the young men, Trent Mays, 17, and Ma’lik Richmond, 16, came after a series of photos, videos, texts, and social media posts were brought to light last August. One photo showed the victim “lying naked on the floor at a party, with semen from one of the defendants on her chest.” Another, widely circulated, showed the two young men carrying the passed-out girl by her arms and legs. Mays and Richmond have been sentenced to at least one year in juvenile jail, but can be held until they are 21.

These young men have been both pitied and vilified (but mostly pitied). Anyone who followed the reaction online after the verdict was announced on Sunday will have likely witnessed some of the horrific victim blaming that went on (and continues). Matt Binder documented some of the many Tweets arguing that the victim should be charged for underage drinking, that if “you don’t want to get raped, don’t get blackout drunk,” or that “of course the girl is going to cry rape once her parents find out after videos go viral.” It got much worse than that. Two girls were arrested today after sending death threats to the victim.

I don’t pity these boys. For once, men are being held accountable for their behaviour. It’s abnormal, for sure. No wonder people are shocked. After all, we’re used to dicks reigning with impunity. We’re used to hearing stories, whether in the media or in our own lives, about rapes going unpunished. What’s shocking is not that this happened in the first place, but that these young men were found delinquent (the juvenile court equivalent of being found guilty).

But I’m also not interested in vilifying these individuals. What I think we need to understand is that, yes, this behaviour was absolutely disgusting and horrific and that absolutely this must be treated as a crime, these young men are not monsters. They are just regular guys. Regular guys who play football, go to high school, and go to parties with their friends and who have learned, growing up male in a rape and porn culture, that women aren’t real, full, human beings. They’ve learned, as many boys and men learn, that women exist for the entertainment of men; whether on stage at a strip club, on screen in porn, or blackout drunk at a party.

READ THE REST OF THIS POWERFUL POST AT THE LINK BELOW: (And please don’t forget to like, comment and share this post to spread the word and support the cause, as well as LIKE Feminist Current here at Facebook and FOLLOW @FeministCurrent at Twitter . Thanks! )

WARNING: Very graphic and disturbing content!

http://feministcurrent.com/7339/the-steubenville-rape-case-this-is-masculinity/

http://www.facebook.com/FeministCurrent

https://twitter.com/FeministCurrent

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