Female College Students Say They Live in Constant Fear of Being Raped

[Deleted]

Female College Students Say They Live in Constant Fear of Being Raped

https://heatst.com/culture-wars/fema...-rape-anxiety/

As higher education promotes the idea of a “rape culture” where society excuses and even encourages sexual violence, female students are paying the psychological price.

In an op-ed for The Stanford Daily, a student describes how she and her friends are suffering from “rape anxiety.”

“It’s the anxiety, the mundane, common anxiety—when you’re walking, when you’re going somewhere new, whatever—that there is a danger you could get raped,” writes Rhea Karuturi.

She describes how she and her friends live in a state of perpetual fear—a thought “as common as what assignments I have due”—on their campus, in their dorm, in their homes, walking after dusk.

“It’s not fair,” Karuturi writes. “It’s not fair that we need to be afraid, that we have to always be so anxious. That this is just another thing that is a part of being a woman or someone who can see themselves as the target of sexual assault.”

That last statement should chill feminists—that young women are being encouraged to see themselves always as potential victims, adjusting their behavior accordingly.

Laura Kipnis takes on this problem in her new book Unwanted Advances. She points out that this same “rape anxiety” mindset leads to more policies aimed at protecting women. That could be counterproductive for women’s progress.

“What I’m saying,” Kipnis writes, “is that policies and codes that bolster traditional femininity—which has always favored stories about female endangerment over stories about female agency—are the last thing in the world that’s going to reduce sexual assault.”

Karturi’s description of fear is even sadder, considering the misleading statistics so many universities commonly use to talk about sexual assault. A much-hyped 2015 study by the Association of American Universities claimed that roughly one in four female college undergraduates had suffered sexual assault or misconduct.

But the survey’s definitions are broad. For example, an unwanted butt slap is factored into that one-in-four number just like rape, even though there’s a world of difference between the two.

As the Daily Beast noted at the time, the U.S. Department of Justice reached totally different conclusions about sexual assault on campus. A 2014 report suggested that actually, about one in 53 women on campus experience rape or sexual assault.

Critics of the Justice Department statistics say sex crimes are underreported, and to some extent that’s true. And of course, any act of sexual violence that occurs on campus is one too many.

Even so, it’s tragic that slanted evidence is inducing “rape anxiety” among female college students. We’d agree with Karuturi: That’s not fair.

[Independent voter]

All women think about it and it's an ongoing concern for them. That lack of upper body strength leaves them vulnerable.

If you're a woman don't over consume alcohol and make sure when you go out it's with a loyal group of girlfriends who won't abandon you. Alcohol is involved in the vast majority of these sexual assaults and rapes.

[oxymoronic]

these bitches are dumb. its like people being afraid of flying while driving is perfectly ok. the facts are most women are raped by somebody they know inside their own home.

[Beace]

I got two questions.

"As higher education promotes the idea of a “rape culture” where society excuses and even encourages sexual violence, female students are paying the psychological price.

In what way does society encourage sexual violence?

Is this whole issue in some way new? Do females have reasons to fear rape today, more so than say the 80s or 90s?

[Deleted]

You would have thought that if women live in a constant fear that we men live in a constant need to rape people.
I have never in my life had the feeling that I needed to do that and I know that none of my friends have as they are all in happy relationships between 2 and 14 years now.

[Mormolyce]

You really should watch the documentary called The Hunting Ground. Rapes on campuses are constantly being covered up and ignored. It's pretty bad.

But it doesn't conform to his ideological agenda.

[oxymoronic]

Where will you be, when the psychosis hits?

as somebody that knows people suffering from it, that is not too funny. maybe if i had more context.

[Torto]

Don't go to university. Problem solved.

[Mic_128]

If you're a woman don't over consume alcohol and make sure when you go out it's with a loyal group of girlfriends who won't abandon you. Alcohol is involved in the vast majority of these sexual assaults and rapes.

Yes, and that's usually the drunk male.

[Deleted]

The line about society encouraging rape made me giggle. Tumbler at its best. I wonder where all the men who enjoy and crave rape are though? It's always this cousin of a friend of the neighbor's stepdaughter who has these uncontrollable urges.

I think the problem here is that getting shitfaced drunk and making out with some equally shitfaced drunk stranger ends in drunken sex, and then morning regrets. Of course the simple solution would not get to puking level drunk in the first place, but -that- is socially permissible.

[Deleted]

I got two questions.

"As higher education promotes the idea of a “rape culture” where society excuses and even encourages sexual violence, female students are paying the psychological price.

In what way does society encourage sexual violence?

Is this whole issue in some way new? Do females have reasons to fear rape today, more so than say the 80s or 90s?

You misread that slightly. The point being made isn't that rape culture exists but rather that universities promote the idea of it being a thing, in turn causing this rape anxiety thing.

[starlord]

well lets see.
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence

Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics

Women Ages 18-24 Are at an Elevated Risk of Sexual Violence
Sexual violence on campus is pervasive.

11.2% of all students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation (among all graduate and undergraduate students).2
Among graduate and professional students, 8.8% of females and 2.2% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.2
Among undergraduate students, 23.1% of females and 5.4% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.2
4.2% of students have experienced stalking since entering college.2

the mystery of why college age women fear sexual vioence has been solved.

[Deleted]

Also, The Hunting Ground that was linked above (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4185572/reviews?ref_=tt_urv) is also amusing in its own way. Keep in mind I'm not even american or have been to these colleges. I'm just guiding myself the very links provided. Reading the comments on the movie is certainly elucidating, though I am sure the logic and facts can and are disputed even though some of it falls straight into the very common morning-after-regret. I particularly liked the one where the lawyer says 'It had to be rape, because she would never sleep with a black man'.

Where some people espouse the 'rape culture' and how men are uncontrollable pigs that will rape anything that moves, the movie does itself no favors when it manipulates information to make itself look good, which undoubtedly does help in increasing that rape anxiety mentioned. Namely having persons from its crew editing Wikipedia: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/th...rticle/2576792

[Deleted]

I am a 24 year old male and I couldn't even consider the possibility of raping someone. What on earth is wrong with all the men at these universities? Don't they have an upbringing or what? Or is this yet another case of alcohol?

[Grimbold21]

As higher education promotes the idea of a “rape culture” where society excuses and even encourages sexual violence, female students are paying the psychological price

Christ....

[Deleted]

Separate schools and campuses for men and women were there for a reason after all?

[s_bushido]

Funny that this post comes a week after the "conservative college students live in constant fear of being disagreed with" thread.

So much hysteria, so little time.

[Deleted]

I can only hope he watches it. I mean, the rapes and coverups were so severe on campuses, that the Obama Administration eventually took notice, and the "It’s On Us" campaign launched, followed by numerous investigations from the Department of Education.

That was an episode of Mass Hysteria.

[oxymoronic]

well lets see.
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence

the mystery of why college age women fear sexual vioence has been solved.

bogus reports? yeah i thought so too

[starlord]

bogus reports? yeah i thought so too

why is it bogus?