As we have said before, rape on college campuses is a huge issue that needs to be better addressed. It looks like the proposed SaVE Act may be a step in the right direction.
The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, or SaVE Act, would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and expand the 1990 Jeanne Clery Act to "improve education and prevention related to campus sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking."
Co-sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the SaVE Act (S. 835) would expand the framework of sexual assault education and victims' rights to include domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, and addresses the issue of how to define consent in sexual relationships. Schools would be required under the act to include sexual violence statistics in their annual crime reports. Colleges and universities would also be required to explain how to obtain protective orders and other victims' rights whenever a student reports being a victim of sexual violence.
Frankly, the fact that colleges are not already required to do such things as inform survivors of sexual violence about how to obtain a protective order should be disturbing and should move senators to vote for this act. However, the senate often does not do what they should. Here's hoping that the senate does the right thing this time.
Tina Fey, on the occasion of winning the Mark Twain award for comedy, took on the myth that having any women in politics is good regardless of whether they enact anti-woman policies.
Right-wing women, said Tina Fey last night, are great for all women, "unless you don't want to pay for your own rape kit...[or] you're a lesbian who wants to get married to your partner of 20 years."
I know there has been some criticism of Ms. Fey in the feminist blogosphere lately- but I think we can all agree that this comment is badass.
**Trigger warning for description of sexual assault**
As we have written before, victim-blaming in cases of sexual assault is an all too common practice. And this bullshit is even worse than usual.
High school football star Rakheem Bolton and two others were indicted for sexual assault of a child–identified only as H.S.–at a post-game party in 2008. According to H.S.–a fellow student and cheerleader at Silsbee High–Bolton, football player Christian Rountree and another juvenile male forced her into a room, locked the door, held her down and sexually assaulted her. When other party-goers tried to get into the room, two of the men fled through an open window, including Bolton, who left clothing behind. Bolton allegedly threatened to shoot the occupants of the house when the homeowner refused to return his clothes.
In September 2010, Bolton pled guilty to a lesser charge of Class A Assault and was sentenced to one year in prison, a sentence that was suspended by the judge in lieu of two years probation, a $2,500 fine, community service and an anger management course.
Silsbee school officials had two responses to the incident. First, they urged H.S. to keep a low profile, such as avoiding the school cafeteria and not taking part in homecoming activities. With the support of her family, she refused to do so, rejecting the notion that she had anything to be ashamed of. Secondly, school officials kicked her off the cheerleading squad for refusing to cheer for Bolton. No kidding.
Bolton had been allowed back on campus during a brief period when one grand jury withdrew the charges before another grand jury reinstated them. During a basketball game, H.S. cheered for the entire team but refused to cheer “Rakheem” during his free-throws, so she was off the squad.
H.S.’s parents sued the school for violating her right to free speech, but an appeals court dismissed her case earlier this month.
Please get angry about this and contact the school superintendent and principle.
Rape is a famously underreported crime. This is for many reasons, but one of them can be easily fixed: the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) definition of rape("the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will") only applies to very specific instances of rape. This means that even when someone reports their sexual assault it may not be counted in rape statistics because it does not fit into this particular category.
Luckily, some awesome people have testafied before a Senate subcommittee in an effort to make the UCR definition all-encompassing.
Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, testified today before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs at its hearing "Rape in the United States: The Chronic Failure to Report and Investigate Rape Cases" and called for national reform in the reporting and investigating of rape crimes. Moreover, Smeal advocated the adoption of new federal policies to encourage the recruitment of law enforcement personnel with specialized education and skills in dealing with sexual assault and the recruitment and retention of more women in law enforcement.
"Yesterday, the federal government once again released a report citing a decrease in the incidence of rape. But American women should not be fooled," explained Smeal. "The narrow and out-dated definition of rape ("the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will") in the Uniform Crime Report, first adopted in 1927, results in a significant undercounting of the actual number of rapes that are reported."
"The upshot of this narrow, archaic definition," continued Smeal, "is that many rapes are excluded from the Uniform Crime Report statistics - including forced anal sex and/or oral sex, vaginal or anal fisting, rape with an object (even if serious injuries result), and other injurious and degrading sexual assaults that would be considered rape by any rational adult." It also excludes statutory rape and omits rape by men against men and any rape by a woman. Moreover, this out-dated definition of rape excludes the use of drugs or alcohol to subdue a victim, a common tactic used today.
The National Crime Victimization Survey of the Bureau of Justice Statistics also significantly underreports rape. Although the NCVS definition is somewhat broader, it excludes rapes committed against victims under the age of 12, which some experts believe to be about 25% of all rapes.
In March, Jaclyn Friedman wrote a great piece for the Washington Post about how rape is handled on college campuses. I love what she doing with this piece, and think it is awesome that she is bringing more attention to an incredibly important issue. However, there are a few things about the article (such as her use of gendered language) that I think missed the mark a little.
First off, the awesome stuff Jaclyn said.
I love that Jaclyn brought attention to the fact that Title IX can be utilized to ensure not only equal athletic opportunities for women in educational settings, but to prohibit sex discrimination in general. This prohibition against sex discrimination in Title IX “specifically obligates schools to prevent and remedy sexual harassment and assault.” Too many young women do not realize the broad protections of Title IX gives them the right to call bullshit (legally and otherwise) when their school does not handle their sexual assault or harassment case appropriately. I also appreciate that Jaclyn, while bringing attention to how awesome Title IX is, acknowledges how hard it can be, emotionally and otherwise, to press charges against your institution for not treating your sexual harassment or assault case appropriately.
Also, Jaclyn brought up a really interesting statistic that I never knew before: Of the more than 400,000 rapes that will likely be committed on a U.S. college campus this year, “more than 90 percent …will be committed by repeat offenders who will rape, on average, six times during their academic careers.” As horrible as these numbers are, they are, in a weird way, encouraging. In Jaclyn’s words:
That rate of recidivism is actually a golden opportunity, if only schools and courts would take it. It means that all we need to do is get serious about punishing the tiny percentage of men who are committing the vast majority of assaults, and many, many fewer women will have to live through the trauma of sexual violation.
The overall message of Jaclyn’s article: that colleges and universities need to stop trying to make themselves look better by underreporting sexual assault crimes on their campus, is also a much-needed message. Jaclyn couples this message with advice to colleges to “eliminate the ‘miscommunication’ excuse that many rapists use by creating an on-campus standard that requires any party to a sexual interaction to make sure their partner is actively enthusiastic about what's happening -not just not objecting.” This was an overarching theme in the book Yes Means Yes that she and Jessica Valenti edited, and it is a point I don’t hear made often enough.
Okay- on to me nitpicking.
Throughout her article, Jaclyn refers to rapists as “he” and rape victims as “she.” I understand that it is more likely for a woman to be raped than a man and that women are most often raped by men. However, the persistent use of gendered language is why men are even less likely than their female counterparts to report that they have been raped. Also, gendered language further marginalizes those who have been assaulted by a member of the same gender.
Jaclyn says the fact that “Bucknell University is considering abandoning mediation as a way of adjudicating sexual assault cases” is a “small glimmer of hope that change is coming.” Obviously, mediation can be a horribly traumatic experience for a survivor to endure and the idea of an institution forcing a survivor to sit in a room with her or his rapist is disgusting. However, the term “‘abandoning’” seems to imply that it would not be an option for any survivor, even if she or he requested it. I do not know under what circumstances a survivor would want mediation, but I don’t think a school should bar a survivor from using any method she or he thinks she or he needs to help heal. I am doubtful many survivors would choose mediation, but in the event they do they should be able to control how their case is concluded in any way they see fit.
Anyway, all in all, Jaclyn wrote a fantastic article I suggest you all take a look at. If you get a chance to read it, let me know your thoughts in comments.
If you participate in Christmas, you should be glad to know that our rape culture even extends to Christmas songs:
I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry well Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour
The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there Say, what's in this drink - No cabs to be had out there I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight now To break this spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell I ought to say no, no, no, sir - Mind if I move a little closer At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out Ahh, but it's cold outside
C'mon baby
I simply must go - Baby, it's cold outside The answer is no - Ooh baby, it's cold outside This welcome has been - I'm lucky that you dropped in So nice and warm -- Look out the window at that storm My sister will be suspicious - Man, your lips look so delicious My brother will be there at the door - Waves upon a tropical shore My maiden aunt's mind is vicious - Gosh your lips look delicious Well maybe just a half a drink more - Never such a blizzard before
I've got to go home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there Say, lend me your comb - It's up to your knees out there You've really been grand - Your eyes are like starlight now But don't you see - How can you do this thing to me There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Making my life long sorrow At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died I really can't stay - Get over that old out Ahh, but it's cold outside
Baby it's cold outside
Brr its cold…. It's cold out there Cant you stay awhile longer baby Well…..I really shouldn't...alright
Make it worth your while baby Ahh, do that again….
Ah, nothing gets me in the Christmas mood like coercion, intentionally getting someone drunk for the purpose of sex, the idea that not wanting to have sex hurts a man's pride, female purity that needs to be protect by family members, slut-shaming by the community and date rape all immortalized in holiday song and cheer.
From Until Someone Wakes Up, a play written by Hamline University professor Carolyn Levy and a group of Macalester College students:
Waiter: Would you like some coffee? Woman: Yes, please. Waiter: Just say when. (Starts to pour.) Woman: There. (He keeps pouring.) That's fine. (He pours.) Stop! (She grabs the pot; there is coffee everywhere.) Waiter: Yes, ma'am. Woman: Well, why didn't you stop pouring? Waiter: Oh, I wasn't sure you meant it. Woman: Look, of course I meant it! I have coffee all over my lap! You nearly burned me! Waiter: Forgive me, ma'am, but you certainly looked thirsty. I thought you wanted more. Woman: But - Waiter: And you must admit, you did let me start to pour.
From the lovely comment moderation box on "Apologize." for your consideration:
Feminism: Advocates of censorship and thought control.
Rape means more than "Sex with a woman that didn't want it".
Shame that feminists refuse to acknowledge this, and instead try to make every single thing on earth solely about them.
Why... one might as well call it "What about teh wimmenz???"
Not. Everything. Is. About. You.
Rape has multiple meanings, look it up, please. Celebrating this moron makes you look foolish and ignorant.
Also, there's no such thing as rape culture. Pushing idiotic buzzwords just makes you look idiotic.
Thank you, Anonymous for your lovely, though-provoking comment.
I'll have to admit, you're right about one thing. Rape does mean more than "sex with a woman that didn't want" - I'll broaden the definition to "sex with a person that didn't want it". Because that's EXACTLY what rape is.
Unless, of course, you're refering to the less commonly used definition of rape as "an Old World herb (Brassica napus) of the mustard family grown as a forage crop and for its seeds which yield rapeseed oil and are a bird food" (M-W). I'm going to use my deductive reasoning skills here and guess that's not what you mean, or what the person who used rape originally intended. "I'm going to herb of the mustard family you in this video game"? Nope.
So when we refer to rape, it's talking about "sex with a person that didn't want it", FYI.
Impersonators, any other important things I'm forgetting about in our definition of rape?
A story I heard last night from a friend about one of the frats on my undergrad campus:
They had an open house, inviting interested students to come by and find out more about the frat. They all sat around the living room, talking about things and generally getting to know one another. The current members were excited to see how many guys had turned out for just an information session.
One of the current members said something along the lines of "I'm going to rape you so hard in [video game]."
A freshman, his first time meeting these people, said to the current member, "Apologize."
At first, the current member wouldn't. But the freshman wouldn't let it go. And then the entire room of guys wouldn't let it go. They wouldn't let him blow off his comment. The member eventually apologized to the room full of frat members and potential members.
This freshman, one person, held others accountable for their language and atmosphere in a setting that most people wouldn't feel comfortable doing so. My friend was very impressed, since he had prejudged the guy based on his appearance. This one incident probably changed the tone of the house for awhile... I doubt people are going to make rape jokes and comments quite as casually as they did before.
I just wanted to share this story about one person making a small, but maybe one day large, dent in our rape culture.
This all happened last week, but I'm just catching up to it now:
Apparently Playboy put an article by Guy Cimbalo on its website titled "So Right It's Wrong: Ten Conservative Women I’d Like to Hate-F*ck," which was removed 24 hours later. I wasn't able to read it, but Jezebel caught the list and addressed the utter horrific nature of the piece. Feministe also responded based on the Jezebel piece. The list included Michelle Malkin, Megyn Kelly, Mary Katherine Ham, Amanda Carpenter, Elisabeth Hasselback, Dana Perino, Laura Ingraham, Pamela Geller, Michele Bachman, and Peggy Noonan.
While I've made it clear I'm no fan of Michele Bachman, it's always been that I've disagreed with her politics.
If we defend liberal women from sexist attacks, we sure as hell better defend conservative women from sexist attacks. Like Sarah Palin, like Ann Coulter, we can't let any woman be attacked.
Elizabeth Hassleback responded on The View:
In the clip, Hasselback details her actions and thoughts regarding the piece, and Sherri Shepard equates hate f*cking with rape - a point that some people have a problem with. Amelia McDonell-Parry argues that hate f*cking is consensual sex with someone you can't stand, maybe want to call names, but want to have sex with them regardless. I've enjoyed McDonell-Parry's articles and posts regularly, but I'm going to push back on this and suggest that none of the women on this list want to have sex - hate f*cking or not - with Cimbalo. And what do we call nonconsensual sex? RAPE. I think her suggestion that calling it rape is wrong contributes to our rape culture. She admits that the piece was offensive and misogynistic but that it's a different viewpoint for Cimbalo and the women on the list. In my opinion, it just perpetuates that if you don't call it rape, then it isn't rape. And that's just wrong.
So to Michelle Malkin, Megyn Kelly, Mary Katherine Ham, Amanda Carpenter, Elisabeth Hassleback, Dana Perino, Laura Ingraham, Pamela Geller, Peggy Noonan and yes, even Michele Bachman - we will not stand for this. You deserve better. As a liberal to a conservative, I'm sorry we let this happen.
On Wednesday I wrote about women in Afghanistan protesting a new law that would severely limit their rights by legalizing marital rape, and making it illegal for women to work or go to school outside of their homes without the permission of their husbands.
Apparently, President Hamid Karzai has decided to change that law.
Around 300 women in Kabul, Afghanistan took to the streets today to protest a law that severely limits women's rights. The women wanted to protest several parts of the law especially. These include a provision that makes it illegal for women to resist the sexual advances of their husbands, effectively legalizing marital rape, and another that makes it illegal for women to work or go to school outside of the home without the permission of their husband. The law was approved by both houses of Parliament and was signed by President Hamid Karzai, and it applies only to the Shiite minority.
The women who protested Wednesday began their demonstration with what appeared to be a deliberately provocative act. They gathered in front of the School of the Last Prophet, a madrasa run by Ayatollah Asif Mohsini, the country’s most powerful Shiite cleric. He and the scholars around him played an important role in the drafting of the new law.
As the women walked the streets of the capital, they endured shouts of "Whore!" and other insults from a large, angry group consisting mostly of men, who came to counterprotest.
“We are here to campaign for our rights,” one woman said into a loudspeaker. Then the women held their banners aloft and began to chant.
The reaction was immediate. Hundreds of students from the madrasa, most but not all of them men, poured into the streets to confront the demonstrators.
“Death to the enemies of Islam!” the counterdemonstrators cried, encircling the women. “We want Islamic law!”
The women stared ahead and kept walking.
Thanks to Ashley for the link. See Shakesville for pictures from the protest.
I am extremely pleased to announce the launch of a new project, called And It Was Wrong, that seeks to give voice to women's experiences of sexual assault.
And It Was Wrong is a grassroots compilation of women's experiences of sexual assault. It is a project made up of women giving voice to a problem society silences: that of sexual assault as it occurs in our everyday lives.
The project is a collection of stories, in the words of the women who lived them, that deal with sexual assault. Stories can be submitted anonymously on the website and all must end with the line "...and it was wrong."
Rachael, the woman behind And It Was Wrong, is a dedicated feminist activist who attends Knox College with Kate and I. She has been a role model for me since I began to identify as a feminist, and I hope all of our readers can support her project.
Congratulations, Rachael, on this new development in this project that you have dedicated so many hours to.
Many readers have probably already heard about the 9-year-old Brazilian girl who was raped and eventually impregnated by her stepfather. The girl, who weighs only 80 pounds, was carrying twins, and it was deemed that the pregnancy posed a serious health risk. So she underwent an abortion in her 15th week of the pregnancy after being granted access for the procedure by a judge. This caused an uproar in Brazil, a predominantly Catholic country where abortion is illegal except for cases of rape or when the mother's life is in jeopardy.
Soon after this procedure took place, there was talk of everyone involved in the case, such as the girl's mother and the doctors who performed the abortion, were to beexcommunicated. The stepfather, unbelievably, escaped such action. Luckily, there seems to be some disagreement among Catholics about the excommunication argument.
Then, today I came across this article that discusses the growing problem of sexual assault of young girls in Brazil. Apparently, the case mentioned above has shed light upon numerous other such cases of rape of young girls, often by family members, especially in poor regions of the country.
The number of legal abortions of girls ages 10 to 14 more than doubled last year to 49, up from 22 in 2007, the Ministry of Health reported. That was out of 3,050 legal abortions performed last year in a country of more than 190 million. But the vast majority of Brazil’s abortions are not legal. The Ministry of Health estimates about one million unsafe or clandestine abortions every year.
Although there are now 55 clinics that may perform abortion, opposed to only one twenty years ago, most of the clinics that are financed by the state are located in capitals far away from many of the people who need their services, and they are concentrated in the southeast of the country, a much wealthier region.
The politics of abortion are still being fought over in Brazil, where anti-abortion Congress members who want to push for more restrictive abortion laws are the majority.
I was reading a book and came across stats on hate crimes in the United States, and began thinking about the various signifiers we consider protected under hate crime legislation. It led me to this thought:
Why isn't violence against women on the basis of their gender considered a hate crime?*
I don't necessarily have an answer to this and I'm not sure where I stand on the issue. However, gender (along with race, sexual orientation, disability, etc) is protected under the equal protection clause, so it's notable that it's not included. Protecting gender under hate crimes laws would change how street harassment, sexual violence and rape cases are viewed, in my opinion.
I can certainly think of many acts of violence done specifically against women and girls because they are women and girls.
*Edit - added "on the basis of their gender" added 2/26 at 11:30 EST for clarification reasons.
Apparently rape isn't that bad as long as your a Texas Sheriff. Bill Keating, a 62 year old man, is accused of raping a woman repeatedly, telling her,
"...she would be required to “assist” him. Keating admitted that the assistance he referred to included oral sex with him on multiple occasions and an agreement to act as an informant for the Montague County Sheriff’s Office. Keating told L.M. that if she complied with his request, that he would help her get a job, a place to live and that she wouldn’t be criminally charged with possessing any drugs or drug-making equipment that was found in the home. Keating also told her that if she didn’t comply, she would go straight to jail."
Now, Mr. Keating has been released until his sentencing in May. Why? Because he is in "stable marriage" and "this crime and other alleged misdeeds happened when he was acting as the sheriff (he's since been replaced)."
This is outrageous. Period. Mr. Keating may not been a flight risk, but he is a threat to all women. A "stable" marriage and a (former) job title do not bring exemption from the law.
If you participate in Christmas, you should be glad to know that our rape culture even extends to Christmas songs:
I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry well Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour
The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there Say, what's in this drink - No cabs to be had out there I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight now To break this spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell I ought to say no, no, no, sir - Mind if I move a little closer At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out Ahh, but it's cold outside
C'mon baby
I simply must go - Baby, it's cold outside The answer is no - Ooh baby, it's cold outside This welcome has been - I'm lucky that you dropped in So nice and warm -- Look out the window at that storm My sister will be suspicious - Man, your lips look so delicious My brother will be there at the door - Waves upon a tropical shore My maiden aunt's mind is vicious - Gosh your lips look delicious Well maybe just a half a drink more - Never such a blizzard before
I've got to go home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there Say, lend me your comb - It's up to your knees out there You've really been grand - Your eyes are like starlight now But don't you see - How can you do this thing to me There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Making my life long sorrow At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died I really can't stay - Get over that old out Ahh, but it's cold outside
Baby it's cold outside
Brr its cold…. It's cold out there Cant you stay awhile longer baby Well…..I really shouldn't...alright
Make it worth your while baby Ahh, do that again….
Ah, nothing gets me in the Christmas mood like coercion, intentionally getting someone drunk for the purpose of sex, the idea that not wanting to have sex hurts a man's pride, female purity that needs to be protect by family members, slut-shaming by the community and date rape all immortalized in holiday song and cheer.
Probably the worst thing about being a very musically-inclined person is that most music sucks. Not only that, the people who are into music, maybe even the same music as you, are probably assholes.
There is some law of the universe that the intellectualism or popularity of an activity increases the assholes attracted to doing that activity. Music is both something that is very popular and something that requires a bit of technical knowledge and practice to perform (or interpret, if you're a dancer). Thus, the amount of assholes interested in music, performing music, and dancing to music is truly astronomical. I reference radio DJs and the Body Police dancers for all the evidence I need.
Regardless, I just used to skip from station to station when the commercials were over and the DJs started talking to avoid hearing the stupid racist, classist, homophobic, sexist shit they'd inevitably spew.
Now I have to switch stations because of the actual music lyrics, and I don't even listen to rap or hip-hop. These are the song that I encountered just in my commute this week:
Girls are gold-diggers:
The girls with the bodies like boys with Ferrari's Girls don't like boys, Girls like cars and money -Good Charlotte, "Boys & Girls"
Women with their deviant sexuality are dangerous:
'High-maintenance' means You're a gluttonous queen: narcissistic and mean. Kill me romantically, fill my soul with vomit Then ask me for a piece of gum. Bitter and dumb, you're my sugarplum. You're awful, I love you! -Ludo's "Love Me Dead"
Women are exchangeable blobs of flesh with a mouth to stick your penis in, which you like, which is their fault, because you like it enough to be "addicted":
I'm so addicted to all the things you do when you're going down on me, in between the sheets. All the sounds you make, with every breath you take. It's unlike anything, when you're loving me. Oooh, girl, let's take it slow. So as for you - well, you know where to go. I want to take my love and hate you 'til the end. -Saving Abel's "Addicted"
In the pursuit of happiness, women are commodities too:
Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives. I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and fuck with the stars. -MGMT's "Time to Pretend"
Shut up while I sexually assault you in the club:
I'm so bored, oh please, don't talk anymore, Shut your mouth and get down on the floor, So cynical, poor baby, I can dish it, cos I know how to take it. -Cobra Starship's "Guilty Pleasure"
I'm a good woman, and you're a whore:
Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change. Once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry, that'll never change. And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged. I'm sorry honey, but I'm passing up, now look this way. Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you. Looking as innocent as possible to get to who -Paramore's "Misery Business"
Thanks for making my dick feel good. P.S - I don't give a shit about you as a person:
I wake up with blood-shot eyes Struggled to memorize, the way it felt between your thighs Pleasure that made you cry: feels so good to be bad Not worth the aftermath, after that Try to get you back I still don't have the reason and you don't have the time And it really makes me wonder, if I ever gave a fuck about you -Maroon 5's "Makes Me Wonder"
Oh, and vintage hip 80s sexualizing violence:
You let me violate you You let me desecrate you You let me penetrate you... It's your sex I can smell Help me, you make me perfect Help me think of somebody else I want to fuck you like an animal I want to feel you from the inside -NIN's "Closer"
And don't forget, we also get a boner from dominating and killing you:
I want to hold you close, skin pressed against me tight Lie still, and close your eyes girl. So lovely, it feels so right I want to hold you close; soft breath, beating heart As I whisper in your ear, I want to fucking tear you apart -She Wants Revenge's "Tear You Apart"
These are our idols. These are the people that are paid millions of dollars so that us common people can have the priviledge of watching them perform.
Yuck.
I didn't even bother to include the two thousand or so songs that portrayed women as sex objects. When it just comes down to singing about love or the opposite sex, it seems that rock stars fail astronomically. These are the people we are trusting to form our cultural identity.
Well, that explains a lot.
I wonder why I even bother to hope, anymore, that anything good comes out of popular culture. Hell, I wonder why I even listen to music at all, considering that I can't even tune into a female singer without a "whore" quip (see Paramore).
Sounds like the above all took music lessons from this guy:
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