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Rape: Whose Fault Is It?


            According to Carol Bohmer and Andrea Parrot, two factors that are most common in determining when acquaintance rape will occur are the number of men a woman dates and the intoxication level of the man.  The more men a woman dates, the higher the probability that she will encounter men with these tendencies.  When men are drunk, they are less likely to understand that the woman may not want to have sex or may just be emboldened to ignore her wishes.  Another factor that increases the chance of acquaintance rape is the intoxication of the female.  I was shocked to read about a Stanford professor’s belief that “if a woman does not know that what happened to her is rape, then it is not rape” (Bohmer and Parrot 357).  Sexual assault by someone you know is very confusing and extremely hard to define and work through.  This sounds just like another example of victim blaming.  The victim is being held responsible to the attack should she be unable to define it to some preconceived standard definition.  I was also shocked to hear the details of higher prevalence of sexual assaults committed by fraternity and college athletes.  I feel like those in charge, particularly of these groups, in colleges and universities should take a more proactive stance to changing the attitudes and culture of their students (Bohmer and Parrot).
            “Sexual Assault Prevention Tips,” which gives examples of how people should not put themselves in a position to rape another person.  As it is now, sexual assault victims are held responsible for putting themselves in precarious situations or wearing provocative clothing.  Many victims are judged for their prior sexual activity.  Many who are assaulted fear reporting the crime because they feel that they will be judged for their role in bringing on the assault (Feminally).
The video “It’s Your Fault” gives a sarcastic and alarming view of victim blaming rape victims.  I don’t think I have ever seen something so bold talking about this subject matter.  I thought it really got the point across using humor to talk about such a difficult topic.  The absurdity of the claims makes it hard to forget (AIB).

Works Cited
"AIB : Rape - It's Your Fault." Youtube, 19 Sept. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hC0Ng_ajpY. Accessed 2 Nov. 2018.
Bohmer, Carol, and Andrea Parrot. "Scope of the Problem." Women In Culture An Intersectional Anthology for Gender and Women's Studies, Second ed., Wiley Blackwell, 2017, pp. 355-67.
Feminally. "Sexual Assault Prevention Tips." Women In Culture An Intersectional Anthology for Gender and Women's Studies, Second ed., Wiley Blackwell, 2017, p. 367.

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