Tag: rape

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Opinions

Abortion: The Elephant in the Room

Abortion. The unspoken elephant in the room. We need to talk about this. We need to be proactive about addressing this issue.  Abortion is not going away. No amount of guilt-driven Facebook posts or verbal assaults of condemnation will ever end this injustice.

WebQuoteMost Christians can agree that abortion is immoral. But the way many Christians handle this issue is embarrassing.  A typical response is close-minded and shallow. If clarification is needed: I am a Christian. The reader needs to know that I have had experience with this issue. Unlike many, who voice their opinions, I know firsthand what it feels like to consider abortion. I was raped when I was eighteen. Put in context, I became a Christian two years later. But after the assault, I had a choice to make. I didn’t want to face the shame and consequences that accompany sexual assault.

After I became a Christian, one night at a worship service I felt a deep regret for the actions I chose in the aftermath of being raped. The message had nothing to do with abortion, but I left with a need to address the consequences of my actions. I decided to join a post-abortion Bible study at Carenet, a local crisis pregnancy center near my hometown.

The reason I bring this topic up is because I haven’t been able to avoid it in my private life. One night this summer, I was spending time with a good friend. The end of the night approached and I was driving her back home. She didn’t know about my past. Two minutes before we reached her house, she blurted out, “Abortion is murder! If I were raped tomorrow I still would never choose abortion!” I applaud her for her passion, but I couldn’t help but call her bluff. There is no way she could know what her response to being raped would be.

It seems to me that for abortion not to be a viable option for many women, there must be structural change in education and welfare. This could be approached in two phases. There needs to be greater efforts in prevention that would include improvements in education, self-defense, and building a more positive self-image in Christ. To clarify, I feel there is a lack of proper education about what abortion is and what other options there are to choose from in the event of an unexpected pregnancy. There is also a lack of instructing women that their worth does not come from men, but from God. I also feel strongly that there needs to be self-defense classes taught to girls in high school, so that in a time of need she is prepared to defend herself.

The second phase would be improvements in assistance to those women who have chosen to carry their child until full-term. If the woman was raped, she needs counseling. I commend the efforts that have been made to aid women. At Carenet if the woman, or a couple (men do come too!) goes through an education program they will end up with a special gift at the end, such as a stroller, car seat, or crib. Ministries like this are a great start to addressing this issue!
My last concern addresses a subtle trend that accompanies the issue of abortion as well as the issue of premarital sex. I am disgusted with the immediate “labels” people, including Christians, assign to women who choose abortion, as well as the label given to women who choose to carry to full-term but don’t have the father present. In these situations, women are either considered murderers or whores. It is a lose-lose situation. Is this anyway to talk about a person? I don’t think so. We need to think carefully about how quick we are to judge a person’s actions before we know the entire context.  We, as representatives of God, need to stand firm in our convictions; but at the same time, acknowledge that action is what brings about change. Our beliefs should drive our actions. Let’s bring glory to God and truly make an effort to end the global epidemic of abortion.

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Stories In Focus

Little Surprise: Downton Abbey Season Four Disappoints

PBS’ Downton Abbey was only ever an elegant soap opera dressed in period costume, but, following the recent closure of the fourth season, it appears as if the show has finally abandoned its pretensions and fully embraced itself within the genre.

downton2It comes as a little bit of a disappointment. The first season, set between 1912 and 1914, appeared to be aspiring to something greater. Viewers were introduced a set of intriguing characters (upstairs and downstairs) and plot themes centered around class division, the general uneasiness surrounding the time period just preceding WWI, and cultural changes taking place at the turn of the century. The efforts of the first season were well-rewarded with a strong viewership and countless awards for both its writing and acting. Viewers hoped that the following seasons would be a little like the AMC show Mad Men in maintaining its historical accuracy along with strong storylines and character arcs.

But whatever its initial aspirations, subsequent seasons of Downton just could not reach the high bar set by the first season, with unbelievable plotlines and characters becoming more and more commonplace. Regardless, fans still clung to the show. Whatever the series’ shortcomings, the world of Downton is irresistibly charming. (Maybe it’s the clothes.)

The just-ended fourth season, though, takes the cake for implausible plot threads and shallow characterization.

To be fair, this season was going to be rocky from the beginning. For the past three seasons, the backbone of the story has been centered on the relationship between Lady Mary Crawley (daughter of the Earl of Grantham who is current owner of Downton) and Matthew Crawley, her very distant cousin and heir to Downton. However, at the very end of season three Matthew was killed in a car accident (an actor’s contract is as good as a Grim Reaper), leaving Mary, not to mention the show, in a bit of a lurch.

Writer and creator Julian Fellowes attempted to make up for Matthew’s noticeable absence by introducing three drab and hardly distinguishable suitors, with little success. (Even Mary herself seemed bored with them.) Outside of this tedious storyline, there were multiple instances during the season where Fellowes appeared to be taking plots from a basic soap opera’s playbook: an unexpected pregnancy, a mysterious disappearance, a juvenile love triangle downstairs, and a case involving blackmail.

Suffice it to say, the only storyline that seemed to matter this season was the fallout resulting from the rape of Mary’s maid Anna by a visiting valet. Regular viewers of the show were shocked at the initial event, which was no doubt Fellowes’ intent as Anna has remained a fan favorite since season one. (Equally appalling was Tom Branson’s rape that occurred in the same episode, but this [regretfully] did not receive due attention from Downton’s viewership.)

However, the handling of this storyline was mismanaged from the get-go. Rather than taking the opportunity to explore Anna’s perspective and personal development following what happened to her character, the plot instead centered on the potential actions of her husband who, we are lead to believe, would be so infuriated over what happened to his wife that he would inevitably murder the rapist (and thence be sent to prison, etc.) So Anna spends most of the season silent about what happened to her, while viewers are meant to be more concerned about her husband and whether he will attempt to seek his own closure.

Besides implausible storylines, even some of the strongest characters of Downton were horribly reduced. For instance, Thomas, the evil butler, had been outed last season (increasing viewer’s sympathies for this otherwise dastardly character) but this storyline was completely dropped, maybe even forgotten. Meanwhile, Tom Branson – the former fiery Irish rebel – was forced to re-tread old “adjustment to aristocracy” plotlines.

And then other characters were treated merely as backdrops. Cora, for instance, did nothing of significance this season except, as quipped by the Washington Post, tilt her head and give “a legal-in-Colorado smile” during any conversation. Even the Dowager Countess (played by the excellent Maggie Smith) was reduced to one-liners at the dinner table and not played to her full force. (Given Smith’s acting chops, this was a real pity.)

Still, there were glimpses of the old Downton in season four that sparkled through the (very) muddy plot. Part of what made Downton so rewarding in earlier seasons was its constant celebrations of loyalty, love, forgiveness, and hard work. Those themes still persisted in season four. One of the most poignant scenes of the season took place in the nursery where Lady Mary, Isobel Crawley, and Tom Branson (all grieving for the loss of a spouse or a son) reflected on their losses and experiences of love, commenting, “Aren’t we the lucky ones?” Additionally, the developing mother-daughter relationship between Mrs. Patmore and Daisy was also well done.

Overall, yes, season four was unremarkable. Yes, it appears that the series is near the end of its run. And yes, it is disappointing that, given the brilliance of its first season, Downton could have been great. But, given that it has clearly asserted itself as one, there’s no reason not to sit back in your armchair and enjoy the show exactly for what it is: a good ol’ fashioned soap opera with beautiful clothes.

 

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News

Take Back the Night Event at Houghton: A Stand Against Sexual Violence

The term “date rape,” as it is used today, is familiar to many adults and adolescents living in the twenty-first century. Studies have shown that more women have been raped on dates by their boyfriends than by strangers.

In 2001, to address this issue, one date rape victim committed to speak out against rape culture. Katie Koestner lead the initiative and, along with other victims, established Take Back the Night (TBTN), the first nationally recognized charitable 501(c) 3 foundation.

Courtesy of cnn.com
Courtesy of time.com

On Thursday, April 18, Houghton will host its own TBTN event. Students have the opportunity to march around the campus and “speak out” against sexual violence. Survivors or friends and family of survivors will be invited to share their stories with the campus. As one of the organizers, Lydia Strand, senior, said, “I think having Take Back the Night here at Houghton is so important because we are often afraid of honestly talking about sexual abuse in our own communities and in our own families.”

The TBTN events will begin with a kick-off party on Monday April 15 at 6 p.m. in the campus center. Printed Matter Press will be printing the TBTN logo on shirts or other items that students bring. At 7 p.m. that evening, there will be a panel discussion of rape culture in America in the third floor library room 323.

On Wednesday April 17, religion professor Kristina LaCelle-Peterson will be leading chapel. She will also be available for lunch afterwards. The final event of the week is a march around the quad starting at 8 p.m. on Thursday April 18 at the chapel steps. There will be a station during the march focusing on statistics and headlines about rape, followed by a station incorporating a poetry reading, and finishing with a station involving a communal art project. The march will be followed by a speakout in the chapel and a prayer service in the chapel basement.

Naomi Woosley, an alumna of Houghton, is also one of the TBTN organizers. Woolsey said, “We seek to empower and promote healing for survivors of sexualized violence who are in our campus community.  One goal for this year’s TBTN is to open our eyes to rape culture and beginning to realize the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways in which our culture–sometimes even our church culture–contributes to it.”

The TBTN foundation’s mission is to eliminate all forms of sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and sexual abuse. Woosley emphasized that, “A person’s gender–a person’s physical existence–should not be cause for that person to fear for her or his safety.”

Sharing stories and experiences reminds individuals that sexualized violence is not okay, despite what rape culture suggests. Speaking out can help break the cycle of violence. For more information on the Take Back the Night Foundation, visit their website at http://takebackthenight.org/ or contact Sydnie Cunningham to learn more about Houghton’s Take Back The Night events.

 

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Opinions

Victim Blaming: A Cultural Dismissal of Rape

On Saturday I posted a Facebook status containing a mini-essay I’d found online comparing the victim-blaming attitude toward rape with getting your Rolex stolen and having the police ask, “Is it possible you wanted to be mugged?”  Moments after, a friend of mine shared the status.  A friend of hers posted a comment.  His first line? “I get tired of women and this rape issue.”

To the gentleman who posted that comment, I will make a valiant effort to ignore the inappropriate and offensive nature of your statement, and operate under the assumption that you are simply confused and ignorant.  I address the following to you, in an effort to help you and others like you understand the injustices that fuel those women who make you “tired.”

In Canada in 2011, a policeman suggested that to prevent rape, women should “avoid dressing like sluts.”  What resulted was the first ever SlutWalk.  Women (and men) congregated in the streets of Toronto in various states of undress to protest rape and victim-blaming.

In the Christian community, modesty is an issue of respect and accountability.  Purity is an important aspect of our faith.  We don’t want to make it difficult for one another.  However, if a man or woman is not dressing modestly, must they then expect to be raped?  Personal preference should not dictate how one human being treats another, and, in fact, it doesn’t.  Rape is more often a crime inspired by power than lust.  Any kind of person can be and has been raped: senior citizens, prostitutes, handicapped, men, children, women wearing old, baggy sweaters.  There are no exceptions and therefore no excuses for committing the act.  Blaming a woman for her choice of wardrobe is both discriminatory and irrelevant.

This attitude of blaming the victim is present in more ways than one when it comes to rape.  A few weeks ago, two high school footballers in Ohio were charged with the rape of a 16 year old girl.  The evidence included a full video of the event that had been posted to YouTube, and photographs circulated on Instagram of the two boys carrying the nude and unconscious girl.  Despite this, the defense lawyer insisted that the girl be referred to as the “accuser” rather than the victim.  This label calls to attention issues of communication, and in this area as well, victims of rape are often discredited.

My step-mother was asleep in her own home when she was attacked.  A knife was held to her neck and she was told that if she woke her children, they would be harmed.  And yet these were the questions she dealt with from the police: Why did you leave the door unlocked? Did you tell him you didn’t want him?  To me, these questions reveal a dangerous attitude toward the concepts of resistance and consent.  This man broke into her home and threatened the lives of her children.  How necessary was it, really, for her to inform him that, no, she would not like to have sex with him?

Rape outdoors is extremely rare; in fact, most rapes take place in the home of the victim or perpetrator.  In 75% of all rapes, the perpetrator is known to the victim.  So in almost every rape, the victim is in a safe place, with a person they feel comfortable around, or both.  They are not expecting an assault, and when it happens they are shocked, confused, and scared.  Admittedly it is important for the perpetrator to know whether his or her advances are welcome, but in extreme cases, the emphasis placed on resistance in order to obtain a conviction is unacceptable.

Courtesy of http://www.globalpost.com/
Courtesy of http://www.globalpost.com/

On top of these injustices, there is a general cultural dismissiveness toward rape.  Prevention responsibility is put entirely on potential victims.  Don’t wear this, don’t do that.  Where is the advice, Do not rape?  How is any victim supposed to muster the courage to report rape if they feel responsible?  Three of my close friends have been raped, and not one of them has reported it.  Two of them were under similar circumstances; they were unconscious, in their own rooms and of their own accord from either medicine or alcohol.  They woke after the act had been completed by an acquaintance that had snuck in.  United States Federal law defines rape as engaging in a sexual act by using force, causing harm, threatening, rendering unconscious or drugging.  Which of these categories do these girls fit into?  What skepticism would they encounter if they dared bring their stories to the police?

The gentleman on Facebook also expressed frustration with female-centered rape protest, pointing out that men also experience rape, and complaining that women seem to view all men as potential rapists.  On the first count he is entirely right.  According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), 2.78 million American men have experienced rape, and their situations are also an example of the need for improvement in the way we handle rape.  Rape of men is classified as “sexual assault” rather than rape.  This, perhaps even more than discriminating legislation against women, reveals the chauvinistic nature of the judicial system.  Men are told, “You’re a man. You weren’t raped, you were assaulted.” This refusal to acknowledge what happened belittles the event and stunts healing.  Men should not feel marginalized or frustrated by the female campaign against rape.  They should join in wholeheartedly.

About 207,754 rapes occur annually.  RAINN states that 59% of rapes are never reported.  This means that the men and women in SlutWalk and in courtrooms are but a tiny percentage of those affected by rape.  It means that whether or not you have experienced rape, one or more people you know likely have.  Victims live their lives 6 times more prone to PTSD and 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.  And out of every 100 rapes that occur, only 3 perpetrators will spend even a day in prison.

This is not an issue to grow tired of.  This is an ongoing abomination, a disgrace, and a call to arms.