The Post's senior editor analyses F--kRapeCulture's impact on Ohio University and Athens so far.
I’m not the biggest F--kRapeCulture fan in the world.
It can come across as overly angry and is somewhat unorganized. Because of those two factors, its message at times gets lost in its antics.
But I respect it because its members are peaceful protesters; they are advocating for a good cause and they seemingly respect anyone who shows them respect. I don’t have to march with them to agree with their core mission, and I don’t have to say mean things to them behind the veil of social media to let them know how my ideology parts ways with some things they do.
So I was displeased to see some very missing-the-point remarks on The Post’s social media this week, as we displayed our photojournalists’ images of a F--kRapeCulture rally on Facebook. In our photo album, some students were shown walking down Court Street in bras.
“That’s very sad to display that to alumni! How about don’t drink or smoke and you will have a clear mind to say NO?” wrote Laura Wellen May on The Post’s Facebook photo album covering Friday’s F--kRapeCulture rally.
The point F--kRapeCulture is trying to make is that a woman — or man — should be able to do any legal thing without fear of being raped. A society with anything less than that is one that allows victim bashing, F--kRapeCulture might argue.
By press time, Wellen May had not responded to my Facebook message seeking comment or clarification on her post.
I think her comment missed the point, and in a perfect world, F--kRapeCulture’s got the right idea. But we are in a not perfect world and we never will be. So my biggest qualm with F--kRapeCulture is their platform seems to not have a short- or medium-term solution to the rape culture problem we face. A minor critique I have is that its message comes across as very, very angry. Yes, passion is required of any advocacy group’s leaders, and yes, sexual assault is something to be upset by.
But I believe the best way to get people to see your point of view is to back up your arguments with logic, facts and measured, organized action. I think F--kRapeCulture could capitalize on these points more heavily to more effectively get this town behind them. Right now, they seem to be just as much of a polarizing force on campus as a unifying one — though they have made some impressive strides to work with local law enforcement.
Now, do I want to live in a world in which my mother, aunts, cousins and girlfriend (and my father, uncles, best friends, work colleagues, etc.) can do anything they want — including walking alone at night down a dark street, or drinking around strangers — without any fear of getting raped? Of course I do, because I have people who I love and I want them to be safe.
Do I simultaneously accept that we currently do not live in that world, and women specifically should probably be more careful when walking alone at night or when drinking around men? Yes, I do. I accept that in the interim, a time period that may never expire because rape culture may never be fully eradicated, because I want the people I love to be safe.
My point is: There are proactive measures an individual can take — walking in groups, drinking with people you trust, opting to drive to a destination at night instead of walking alone carrying pepper spray — to try to avoid being sexually assaulted. Nonetheless, with or without those measures, it’s never the victim’s fault. It is always — 100 percent of the time — the criminal who is to blame for sexual assault.
Back to Wellen May’s comment, though.
Three points:
1) Her comment seems to put the blame on victims for making themselves vulnerable to sexual assault.
2) I don’t get the it’s “very sad to display that to alumni” argument. Sexual assault is raw, it is vile, it is wrong on every level. The problem is we typically don’t see it in the light of day. That’s one thing I do really like about F--kRapeCulture: They bring the issue right to your face, and you can’t not see it.
3) I don’t think a person necessarily needs a “clear mind” to say “no” to sex. You can be stone cold sober and still be sexually assaulted, right?
I’m sure Wellen May’s quick comment on Facebook is shared by many, but most people just don’t want to say it. So the mentality — which, like rape culture at large, may never truly be defeated — is out there, and it’s exactly what F--kRapeCulture is fighting.
It’s a worthwhile fight, one worth waging.
I just wish they took into consideration the state of current-day society and promoted safe and reasonable behavior as well.
@joshjame
jj360410@ohio.edu
