Trigger warning for discussion of sexual assault, victim blaming and rape culture.
Well, technically this is the opposite of a “victim-blaming edition” — here’s a (growing) list of links with something sensible to say in response to Mia Freedman’s “tell your daughters not to drink” article of October 23.
There’ve been dozens of articles and probably thousands of tweets debating victim blaming, rape prevention, rape culture and survivor support in the last couple of weeks. It’s exhausting. If you’re interested in the discussion, you’ve probably experienced diatribe worthy of screencapping and sending to STFU Sexists. Hopefully you’ve had some productive discourse too. Here are some useful links you can use to support and encourage productive discussion surrounding rape prevention. Want to learn how to support survivors better? These are good for that too.
- “How to write about rape prevention without sounding like an asshole“, Erin Gloria Ryan, Jezebel, 16/10/13
- “Rape Culture 101: Why Mamamia has some explaining to do“, Sian Campbell, Scum Mag, 27/10/13
- “Alcohol is a misdirection when we talk about rape“, Jessica Alice, Hersute, 23/10/13
- “How Not to Raise a Rapist“, Van Badham, The Guardian, 29/10/13
- “What’s actually wrong with telling women not to drink” (including strategies that CAN work to prevent rape), Emily Nagoski, Ph.D., The Dirty Normal, 25/10/13
- “This Is a Blokes’ Issue“, Ken Lay, The Hoopla, 04/09/13
- “Your Vagina Is Not a Car“, Clementine Ford, Daily Life, 23/10/13
- “This Is What Rape Culture Looks Like“, Giovanni Tiso, 08/11/13
- “The link between binge drinking and sexual assault” (good summary, with further links), Claire Jansen, Lip Mag, 26/10/13
- “Love is a battlefield, consent is not“, Sarah Iuliano, Lip Mag, 21/06/13
- “When Rape Happened to Me“, Kirstin Whalen, Overland, 05/11/13
- “Fact Sheet: Rape Myths” (Science! re: who believes rape myths and what are the implications for victims?), A European Association of Psychology and Law — Student Society Publication, 01/12 + related APA study (requires payment to view)
- “The (Nonexistent) Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Consequences of Enthusiastic Consent”, Jaclyn Friedman, Yes Means Yes Blog, 03/01/11
See also: Friedman, J and Valenti, J. 2008. Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power in a World without Rape. Berkeley: Seal Press.
Got another article or link worth adding? Let me know in the comments!
This article is also good stuff: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/29/rape-australia-drink
Really shines a spotlight on the cultural setting that lets rape happen, and the chilling consequences this has in how rapists see not only women, but also how they see themselves as being perfectly normal men.