Clearly there have been a lot of problems with the discourse surrounding the Steubenville rape case. Here is a great article with nine concise tips for the media (and anyone else) on how to frame an accurate and productive discussion of rape or sexual assault: http://www.xojane.com/issues/9-free-tips-for-improving-your-rape-coverage-today-mass-media
Recently, Zerlina Maxwell (a political commentator and activist) went on Fox News to discuss the gun debate in the context of rape. I have posted the video clip below, but basically she said that telling women that they should carry guns to protect themselves for rape blames the victim rather than rapist. She proposed that instead, we should teach young men not to rape.
I was inspired by her ability to speak so eloquently on an issue that (as a rape victim herself) probably struck a raw nerve and the way in which she remained poised and adamant throughout the interview. She was strong and smart and I loved that she said “Tell men not to rape” over Sean Hannity as he tried to close the segment with his own viewpoint.
I was also shocked by the knee-jerk response of Hannity and Gayle Trotter when Maxwell said, “We can prevent rape by telling men not to commit it.” Immediately, Trotter jumped in laughing the idea off and saying repeatedly “No” while Hannity started ranting “Criminals will not listen.” I was even more shocked when Maxwell started getting harrassed on the internet for her comments. Below are a few responses she has received:
Honestly, I’m not completely sure where the hostility is coming from. Is it because she said that men should be to blame when they rape instead of their victims? Is it because she doesn’t want to use the fact that women are raped by (this of course is the stereotype and oftentimes not the reality) physically strong strangers in dark alleys to keep gun laws loose? Is it because she wants there to be an ongoing discussion about consent in schools and homes? Is it because she is challenging the dominant narrative about why and how rape happens? Or is it just the fact that a Black woman had something intelligent to say and she came off as Hannity’s equal on his show? It’s probably some combination of these.
What’s truly striking is the racism in the attacks Maxwell is receiving and the sexualization of the violence that these men would like to inflict on her. If anything, the response proves Maxwell’s point that rape is not something that happens on an individual basis and is perpetrated only by people already labeled as criminals. It’s clearly a culture.
The comments made towards Maxwell come out of an intense rage (born out of one reason or another) and these men know that the most hurtful way that they can communicate this anger with her is to threaten sexual violence. The threat of rape here is a way to control Maxwell and police her discourse. The hope is that the fear of being “raped and your throat slit” will keep her silent.
These men (like those who believe that women should prevent rape by not going to bars or dressing provocatively) are saying that rape is the punishment for women who think they should be equal to men. If a woman wants to dress provocatively or get drunk at a bar or even say that she should not be blamed for the violence against her body she needs to be put in check. She should be at home, remaining silent and controlled by the patriarch in her family. If she steps out of line she should be “gang raped” into “common sense.” That’s what rape culture tells us.
Then there’s the other layer here of racism. These are only three of the threats she received but two of them contain racist language. One establishes Black men as rapists by saying, “I hope u get raped. And killed. By an out of control black man.” Not only is this clearly a racist stereotype (the sexually deviant, physically powerful, aggressive, criminal, “out of control” Black man), but it also perpetuates the rape culture’s notion that “normal” men are not rapists. The Twitter post says that it is the “white women” who “have to be armed.” Once again, this racializes rape and plays upon the trope from over a century ago that Black slaves raped White women.
All of these responses–from those of Hannity and Trotter to those of the internet harrassers–are disturbing. They also all point to the fact that our society cannot acknowledge that rape is not just something that scary Black men do to fragile White women who stay out too late at night. The online comments also show that we still live in an era where rape and rape threats are a way to control and silence women who demand more than what they have been given. Certainly the graphic and violent nature of the threats that Maxwell has been getting are aggressive and disturbing, but they are also imbued with a deep fear that we might finally start addressing rape on a social level rather than just an individual one.
I’m glad to see that throughout this Maxwell has been both diplomatic and fearless in standing by what she said on Fox. To continue the conversation, she published “5 Ways We Can Teach Men Not to Rape” with Ebony. My only big addition to it would be that we need to make very clear the role that the media and entertainment industry constructs rape culture. You can read her article here: http://www.ebony.com/news-views/5-ways-we-can-teach-men-not-to-rape-456#axzz2NFdP8FjR
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