Editorial: At its roots: Sexual violence stems from cultural norms

An unfortunate reality in our culture has attracted the spotlight of many media outlets as of late, including The Pitt News.

The hacking and releasing of the private photos of female celebrities, the video of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee out cold, the persistent publication of studies and reports illustrating the prominence of sexual violence on college campuses — all outline a disturbing, yet pervasive trend. The trend is just as horrifying as it is passively accepted by an attitude that surrenders behind the phrase, “That’s just the way it is.”

Sexual and violent crimes have become a harsh injustice against women of all ages in this country. As a result, the media and the market urges women to use a plethora of products and strategies to protect themselves from the inevitable. Carry mace, wear conservative clothing, don’t take provocative photos of yourself and now, wear your roofie-detecting nail polish when going to the bar.

As a response to the statistics, measures like drug-detecting nail polish seem to make sense. One out of every six American women has been the victim of a rape or attempted rape, and 35 out of every 1,000 college women report an incident of rape.

But, what about the 97 percent of rapists who never spend a day in jail? Or, that nine out of 10 rape victims knew their attacker?

The problem is not that women aren’t protecting themselves from inevitable sex crimes. Instead, the problem is that we as a society have begun to treat these crimes as inevitable.

One trigger that fuels the commonality and justification of acts of sexual violence against women is male entitlement.

The leak of celebrity nudes, Ray Rice’s attack on his then-fiancee and rape in general, are all instances in which a man has felt entitled to treat and view a woman’s body in a way that suits him.

Of course, this entitlement is fundamentally false — treating a woman as a sexual object against her will is never warranted, whether it be on 4chan or in a bar. But, as the numbers and recent events illustrate, basic human rights don’t stop men from feeling entitled to do so.

So what are the root causes — the ones that prompt the mace and nail polish?

There are two factors behind the problem of male entitlement — one, psychology and two, a tradition of masculinity and patriarchy that perpetuates this idea across many different forms of media and culture.

According to the report, “Rape: Psychology, Prevention and Impact,” by Yale’s Marcia Cohen and Sherrie H. McKenna, most rapists are between the ages of 15 and 19, and “seem to come from a subculture of violence whose values may be different from those of the dominant culture.” In that, rapists often have a violent past — perhaps involving domestic abuse or other aggressive situations.

So, improper mental health treatments may lead individuals to violent behavior later in life. And when growing up in a culture that emphasizes male sexual conquest as a virtue, “these adolescents and young men may be demonstrating their toughness and masculinity in a more violent and antisocial manner,” than that of many mentally healthy men.

This dangerous concoction of violence and sexually charged media may propel men’s potentially warped view of women — one that justifies sexual violence.

Before that arises, teachers, parents and other guardians or mentors should tackle the warped conceptions early in development. Proper and equal access for children to mental health options is essential to prevent them from having a violent and antisocial mindset later in life. This can be done through school mental health screenings and effective counseling programs.

The other — perhaps less realistic, yet no less pertinent — strategy would be to change the media to which young boys are exposed. Movies, television and music that portray “lady-killer’s” as pop-culture heroes already gives young boys the wrong idea about women, and when paired with poor mental health, the outcome can be devastating.

Thus, the lesson here should not be how women should do all they can to protect themselves from sexual violence. Rather, it should be that all women deserve to be viewed with respect. 

When that lesson becomes an unquestioned truth, we will see these trends finally dissipate.