Abigail Remillard
Laura Turner
“Family violence and abuse are among the most prevalent forms of interpersonal violence against women and young children- both boy s and girls.”(rape statistics). The sexual abuse of a child should never be “just a family matter,” but many children are afraid to report an incident to the police because the abusers are too often a family friend or relative. Rape is defined as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts. Rape can be of anyone and committed anywhere. As the popular billboard says “sex without consent is Rape.” Although this statement can seem simple, it is a largely overlooked fact that the majority of reported rape incidents take place in domestic settings, such as with family members or “friends.”
This concept can be seen in the movie “Precious,” where the main character is emotionally and physically abused by her own family. The obstacles Precious must overcome are controversial in that they expose the often hidden and underlying abuse seen in the area of society with a lower income and located in less auspicious areas. She is raped by her father which consequently causes the abuse of her mother from jealousy issues. She contracts AIDS and two special needs children from this horrible situation that she was subjected to.
According to the website on rape victims in the United States, www.rainn.org/statistics, 73% of the rape victims know their assailants. 1 in 6 women will be sexually assaulted in their life time and this goes for 1 in 33 men as well, proving that this is an issue that traverses gender as well as race. However, the fact must be considered that not all rape incidents are reported. The stereotypical “Strong Black Woman” may choose to keep this suffering to herself, as part of her selflessness.
The issue of rape is discussed in the current class reading “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.” On pages 17-21 of this choreopoem, the author Ntozake Shange has her “colored girls” all contribute to a poetical conversation, creating a discordant harmony of their ideas on how rape can be from a friend just as easily, if not more so, than from a stranger. The fact that all of the “colored” girls are in accordance on this topic speaks of an underlying trauma, that perhaps they speak from experience. “Colored Girls” covers various aspects of abuse aside from just rape. Victims can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually abused. In order for victims to come to terms with themselves and their past abusive treatment, they must embrace who they are and where they’ve been in order to embark on their journey for wellness and wholeness.
Natalie Hodges
ReplyDeleteThe idea of abuse in the African American community is one that has been re occurred through the course of history. The fact of the matter is that "ish happens" its life, and a lot of the times the test of an individual and the abuse they endure or the abuses the place upon others come down to pure situation. As tragic as it may be to think that people are victimized on a daily basis it is an occurrence of life that one has to face, deal with and get over. Coping however can be the strong held after effect that is often overlooked in end result that needs to be more securely examined. It is in the coping process that I believe many women lose their personal grasp on overall wellness and wholeness and in this way I do truly understand the abuse of that individual to continue internally. The fact of the matter is that in a movie such as "Precious" it was not until Precious really examined all the wrongs that had been dealt her in her life and then made a conscious decision to try and overwrite what had happened with her family so that she could progress in her future, there was no opportunity for her to regain or hell gain for that matter a strong sense of wellness and wholeness.
India Williams
ReplyDeleteI think that they cycle of rape and sexual abuse is something that is passed down from generation to generation. It started with slavery when the white slave masters would rape the African-American women and now it happens not only cross races but also within our own race. We know from what we see and from the education we receive that rape is not okay but by not speaking out about it, it has become a form of acceptance. And society shows that rape is bad but when people look at a woman who has been raped, they tend to wonder if she put her self in that situation. If she wears a short skirt or a top that shows her cleavage she is seen as wanting that attention but maybe she wants someone to look at her and not touch her nor even rape her. And instead of consoling her and helping her get through her experience, people may make her feel like she brought it upon herself. So speaking out about the issue is a problem. And with the abortion issues that are arising, it makes the issue of rape harder to deal with. Within families, it may have happened with the mom so when it comes to her daughter, she may feel like it is okay because she does not know any better and if she does she may not know how to end the cycle so it continues on. But I feel like as a community we need to speak out more about the issues that confide us so that we may grow to stop those things that are continuously holding us back so that our future generations wont have to deal with these problems.
Melissa Dutra
ReplyDeleteRape/sexual abuse is an issue that transcends color and gender. Fundamentally, I don't think sexual abuse is just an issue for African American women and is more often something that happens amongst family members and close friends. However, rape is often a conversation that is kept silent, so in correlation with "For Colored Girls", by Shange, this offense does depict the further persecution of African American Women. Rape is a common story for all the speakers in the novel and depicts the long history of abuse for women of color to the present time. Back in the days of slavery, women slaves were raped by their white slave owners and treated horribly by the wives of their abusers, but all the while, they could not tell of their abuse and condemn their owners. So Shange connects a horrible history of rape from the white man to a present (70's) state of sexual abuse from the African American man, as this issue is still supposed to be kept silent. Essentially, the novel correlates rape and the voiceless state of African American women from the past to the present (70's).
Jasmin Faust
ReplyDeleteAfrican American women are not the only women that are sexually abused. Rape occurs in all different races so to just focus on one race is bothering. I personally don't agree with the statement that in order for " victims to come to terms with themselves and their past abusive treatment, they must embrace who they are and where they’ve been in order to embark on their journey for wellness and wholeness." Certain situations are not going to be that "easy" to just overcome. I don't see how one can "embrace" the fact that she has been sexually abused/raped and be able to have a "bright" future by coping with it. That doesn't really make sense to me. To me this is another topic like physical abuse that is always easier to say what you should or would do in a given situation. I'm sure we all would have a different outlook on wellness and wholeness if we were in the situation ourselves. I would agree though that in most black communities "family problems" are kept between "family" only. Since most sexual assaults happen by most family members it is a subject that is overlooked and not talked about as often as it should be.
Lauita powell
ReplyDeleteI believe that the issue of rape has no color and is such a huge problem it would be disrespectful to make it seem as though it’s more critical in one type of race because both men and women of all races are facing this issue that is so hard to deal with, I think the ideal of just “keeping it in the family” comes from people not knowing how to properly handle such a problem and may feel like it was their fault when in fact the victim is never to blame. The face that most rapes are committed by people who the victim knows plays a huge part on the victim not wanting to tell because they feel as though nobody would believe that someone you knew and have been with would do such a thing to you, they start to feel that maybe they did something to make him/her feel as though they wanted what happened when in reality no means no and sex without consent is the definition of rape. I don’t think the exact words of saying the rape victim should embrace what they’ve been through and try and get pass it is the proper words I can see what was meant by it.
Travis Baten
ReplyDeleteWe all would agree on rape being a horrible disgusting crime, punishable by a 30 year prison sentence and a stripping of the offender's rights. The rape that generally comes to a person's mind is that of woman being raped in a dark alley or a break-in resulting in rape, essentially rape by strangers.
But then we come to rape by people who we know, and often trust. Rape though incest is traumatizing for one believes that family is the first people you should be able to trust. Rape by “friends” and/or your relationship partner is interesting in many ways. It is such a touchy area in my eyes. We all agree “No” mean “No”. But what about when that no does not come? And neither does that yes? Of course we are quick to say that “sex without consent is rape” but what is the definition of consent? Yes? If so, does that mean those involved must ask the other individual would they like to have sex? And which weighs more: A verbal answer or a physical answer?
The sensitivity of the subject magnifies when one is in the situation. I really would like to know how many people asked their partner if they would like to have sex and how many people respond with a yes. The easiest way to avoid the possibility is to not put oneself in that situation. The less you are in a situation to be raped; the less chances there are that it will happen.
Hallie Bowns
ReplyDeleteAbuse in general is horrible, but no matter what, we have to face the facts. Abuse has been around as long as humans have been. Rape has also been prevelant for centuries, mainly focused on during slavery between white master's and their female slaves, but that doesn't make it right by no means. We can talk all day about reporting abuse, identifying it, recognizing the symptoms, stopping it, getting help, whatever, but it doesn;t do us any good when we are in the situation whcih can be mentally and physically traumatizing and at that point, no one is in the state of mind to "do what's right" and it cannot be expected of them. Alcohol and drug induced abuse is also an issue and in that situation, no doesn;t always mean no, it sometimes just touched that "spot" and sets that person off. What happens then? It's rough, unpredictable. What can be done? What can you do?
Hannah Bryan
ReplyDeleteWhy must people keep it a secret? Why do so many say “it’s none of your business” or “it’s a family problem”? I understand this much: rape by a family member or a so-called friend can be far worse than a rape by a stranger. When I think of rape, I think of the same thing that Travis Baten said: “the rape that generally comes to a person's mind is that of woman being raped in a dark alley or a break-in resulting in rape, essentially rape by strangers.” I agree; I believe many people tend to think of this definition. So when a rape occurs in a situation of trust and maybe even love, how can a person know how to react? It’s easy for the victim to despise a stranger. Rape by a friend, on the other hand, can cause even more severe damage. That type of betrayal can be devastating. “How can this have happened?” “Why did this happen? I trusted him/her. I thought I knew him/her.” Doubts, confusion, and denial might ensue for a rape victim then. In grey areas, the victim might not want to acknowledge that he/she was raped. For example (thinking up random stuff late at night), a person might get drunk at a friend’s house and wake up the next day with clothes gone and a bad memory—did I just have sex and not remember it, or was I raped? Another example I've heard of would be that a person is so unwilling to accept that a rape by a trusted person took place that he/she will convince him/herself that it was consensual.
It’s probably so much harder for someone to handle a rape by a once-reliable person.
I am deeply disgusted when I think of rape, and even more so when I realize that people are taking advantage of their trusted relationships with others. I also believe that rape can at times be a hate crime against women. I despise the fact that some rapists have gotten off on only 5 years prison time. To be perfectly honest, there is a part of me that can’t help but to get extremely frustrated when the victims keep silent. Don’t you know you’re giving power to your abuser?! Take back control and find justice for yourself! The other part of me understands that it’s incredibly tough and that the victims are traumatized, but still—perhaps I’m just furious that such lowly people as rapists can walk free.
Overcoming rape is obviously an extreme challenge. I do not have all the answers, and unfortunately I don't know what I would say to a rape victim in this particular situation: "lean on your friends and family for support even though your rapist was one of them"? What the hell... but I know that if one of my friends was raped, I would do all in my power to lend him/her my support, even if it pained me to know that it was by a trusted person.
Vanessa White
ReplyDeleteThe issue of rape in the African American community is a huge and silenced one. Before I saw the movie “For Colored Girls” I didn’t realize that the rapist could be a friend who you though you knew. I knew that in certain families this act may take place, but the fact of it being a friend totally surprised me. When it comes to family members being molested or raped at a young age that issue is very often silenced/ignored in the African American community. Sometimes family members as seen in Precious won’t even back you up on such a touchy subject I believe that the African American community needs to have some way of being able to more easily express “rape or molestation” For people to not bottle it up and get help. When one doesn’t get help it will just internalize in that person and eat away at them. Rape for males needs to be discussed more often also. When I first thought of males getting raped, first thing that comes to my mind is “would they like that” but of course that doesn’t mean their always getting raped by a female. I agree with the last sentence that for a woman to become whole they have to accept what happened in the past for them to move forward.
Cameron Leonard
ReplyDeleteRape is a horrible thing that no one should ever face. This issue of rape is has a higher figure of victims then recorded simply because most victims don't report the incident. I don’t believe that someone who has been raped can just up and forget that they were raped and come to peace with it. I’m sure they think about it every day and hold them back from moving forward. Rape victims may move forward in life but they never forget. And many who accept what happened to them never really are the same person that they once were. Family is a comfort zone for people and when someone in the family or someone who is really trusted goes off and rapes an individual, then their minds are confused. Just as much rape has to do with physical, it’s the mental aspect that has just as much importance if an rape victim will overcome it or not.
Stephen Yanes
ReplyDeleteThere's a fine line between what is actually rape v.s. a girl being uncertain or not feeling good about the sexual activity that they actively took part in. To me, rape is when a girl makes it clear beforehand that she doesn't want to have sexual intercourse with you. However, if the deed is already done and then they're having their second thoughts after consent then that isn't necessarily rape.
Rape is one of those topics no one ever wants to deal with until something happens to them or someone they know. Sadly many instances of rape take place by people the victim knows like a priest, a family friend, or even a relative.
Often times victims of rape keep quiet due to the shame and psychological damage cause by the incident. When it comes to sharing such a traumatizing experience such as rape with another person or family member it takes someone with tremendous courage, especially when the person was raped by a friend or family member. Sadly a lot of rape victims keep quite about their situation because of fear of being called a liar, or confusion if they assailant was a family member. When a woman or a man stands up for themselves and lets it be known what has happened to them I feel it's only the first step to becoming well and whole again, though they may never be the same person they were before they were raped, some will come out of it a better and stronger person. Some however, may be scarred for life and never be able to live a healthy lifestyle.
Rape is a traumatic ordeal that no one should have to live or go through. However, that is not the case. Women are often times raped by a family member, spouse, or an acquaintance. The startling part about the ordeal is the number of victims that do not report being raped. I was actually shocked at the number of white woman that are raped in comparison to black or minority victims. I think many factors play into this. At an early age black women are taught to not snitch or run to the police about situations because the police will not do anything. Too often times as Kristine mentioned in class, black woman are told to shake it off and that “they will be okay”. In comparison, white women are told to trust the police and believe in our legal system and to speak out. Another factor has to do with the fact that white women seem more vulnerable and weaker. They always put themselves in positions that make them the most susceptible. A third factor that I feel is the main reason why rapes go undocumented within minority communities is the fact that the people that rape them is a family member or a friend. They may threaten to kill them and they physiologically scar them. Many times rape victims confuse the crime that was committed on their body as a sign of love and affection. I think that rape is the worst crime next to murder and the fact that rapist get less than five years and a slap on the wrist disgust me. A rapist steals trust from their victims, murders a victim’s spirit, and destroys the mind of their victims.
ReplyDeleteKurtis Nelson
ReplyDeleteThe discussion today in class was very interesting to me. Starting off, I was particularly suprised about the difference in numbers of rapes amoung whites and minorities. Some people suggested what I thought, and that is that for whatever reason minorites are not reporting rapes. As a male it disgusts me to think about someone committing a rape, but we know they happen everyday. For me sex is a very intimate thing in which I need the girl to be equally into it or I would not have any interest in pursuing her. This is what really gets me, is that not only is a rapest physically controlling a girl against her will, but the ability to go through a sexual experience in its entirety without the girl giving back the emotion and passion that I have for her is just so unsettling. I watched the movie "For Colored Girls" the other day, and the scene that comes to mind is the dance teacher being raped in her home. After the initial take-down and submission, the camera focuses on the women's face as she is being raped. Words cannot describe the experience captured in that scene. The most powerful part for me was watching her face as she had nothing left, no care, no will, no emotion. What someone could possibly get out of doing that to a woman boggles my mind. Getting at deeper issues, like what exactly constitutes a rape, is quite clear. I think it is imnportant for women to be strong in expreesing their feelings. I can see how it would be frustrating for a guy who is accused of raping a girl when he never heard her say "no". Like I said earlier, for me this would never be an issue, because if I don't think you're that interested in me I lose interest in you pretty quick. So for me to be having sex with a girl, means she was probably even doing some of the pushing to make it happen. I am not saying every guy must opperate this way or it is rape; therefore, I think girls need make sure they communicate clearly if they don't want something. When they don't that is when people get drunk, start talking, one thing leads to another, and then the girl wakes up next to a guy and says wait I never wanted to have sex with you. At this point it would be very difficult to prove anything (i.e., Ben Roethlisberger). Rape is a mojor problem in society, and as citizens in this society the best we can do is continue talking about it and reporting it.
Nathaniel Watson
ReplyDeleteAs almost anybody you could ask would tell you, rape is a terrible terrible thing. Now that we got that out of the way, i believe that most of the statistics on rape are not only skewed, but completely wrong. I think that the actual rate of women being sexually assaulted/raped in america is more like 1 in 5 or 1 in 4, but, as was stated, its not always reported. It's vry traumatizing to be raped and its something that many people would be embarassed about telling about, or can't really because of threats. It's just a crime that is never fun to talk about (unless its bootie warrior like on boondocks, thats my sh*t). And the worst part is there's no real way to bring it to a stop. All we can do is teach self defense classes and hope for the best. We should also teach guys and girls that no means no.
Based on what we discussed in class I think that this issue our society as a whole is dealing with can probably be redressed if people talked about it. Granted, it’ll be hard for parent to speak to their kids about it because most parents just don’t even have the sex talk with kids. Another reason why it may be difficult to speak about is because nobody believes that the person they think their loved ones are is capable of doing such a thing and so they don’t think that conversation is necessary. I certainly can’t imagine any of my family members doing it and if an allegation were to arise, I’d probably be the one of tv defending them, talking about they didn’t do it. Perhaps that’s where the problem lies. People are much too concerned about the negative light or the harsh reactions from society their family members would receive, so they’d rather sacrifice some poor victim’s wellbeing. I definitely think that there should be more programs society has available but I don’t know how much of an effect it’ll have because of our whole “blame the victim” or “he must be gay” phrases. As far as the discrepancies in the number of black women and white women represented in the rape statistics, the reason for that is beyond me. The nature of rape has changed, and unfortunately, I believe that males are just as susceptible to being victimized as much as women; maybe even more, because they have greater incentives to remain silent.
ReplyDeleteMs. Otgna K. DOrno
ReplyDeleteBased on what we discussed in class I think that this issue our society as a whole is dealing with can probably be redressed if people talked about it. Granted, it’ll be hard for parent to speak to their kids about it because most parents just don’t even have the sex talk with kids. Another reason why it may be difficult to speak about is because nobody believes that the person they think their loved ones are is capable of doing such a thing and so they don’t think that conversation is necessary. I certainly can’t imagine any of my family members doing it and if an allegation were to arise, I’d probably be the one of tv defending them, talking about they didn’t do it. Perhaps that’s where the problem lies. People are much too concerned about the negative light or the harsh reactions from society their family members would receive, so they’d rather sacrifice some poor victim’s wellbeing. I definitely think that there should be more programs society has available but I don’t know how much of an effect it’ll have because of our whole “blame the victim” or “he must be gay” phrases. As far as the discrepancies in the number of black women and white women represented in the rape statistics, the reason for that is beyond me. The nature of rape has changed, and unfortunately, I believe that males are just as susceptible to being victimized as much as women; maybe even more, because they have greater incentives to remain silent.
Kristin Salter
ReplyDeleteTo continue what we discussed in class, I do think that the percentage of white women getting raped is significantly higher than that of other races but i won't suggest that it is unbelievable. The idea of the strong black woman and the type of communities black woman grow up in play a role in why more black woman may not report. Not only do black women not like to look weak, it is a big concept for black people to think "I'll be alright". No matter what happens at the end of the day we always think "I'll be alright, I can get through this". We like to do things on our own. It does not help that most rape victims are victims of people they have felt comfortable with before the incident. Then they start to blame themselves, because a strong black woman does not like to place blame on other people so they keep quiet.
Althea Daley
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the issue of rape, there are no race or gender identifications. It can happen to literally anybody. There is no "face" for rape victims, nor is there a "face" for the rapist.
As far as coping with being raped that's something that will never be a clear cut happening. All the therapy in the world and "embracing" doesn't really matter. It's easy to look from the outside in trying to determine what should or should not be done but the fact remains that if it didn't happen to you personally, you will never understand. It has nothing to do with an individual being strong or weak. The idea of a woman keeping the rape to herself as an act of selflessness and maintaining the persona of a strong Black woman is an unfair judgment. Despite the stigma placed on the Black community, no matter who you are rape is a demeaning and traumatizing act. It brings shame to the victim regardless of their race, sex, religion, etc.
La'Kendra Curry
ReplyDeleteThanks to the discussion in class today, I look at rape in a whole different light. Even though I knew that it was quite possible for a male to be raped, I was totally unaware of the fact that it really did happen on more occassions than I ever could have imagined. Most of the time rape is overlooked or placed on the back burner whether the victim is a male or a female due to the fact that its a touchy subject with so many grey areas. Who determines whether a certain sexual encounter is rape or not if the victim won't tell. The question that I'm left with in my mind is if there are so many reported cases of rape, then I wonder how many cases go unreported. I also wonder do rapist actually ever get a good nights rest due to the fact that they ruin so many lives other than just the victims...
Jerold Blount
ReplyDeleteOne thing that was not discussed during the discussion in class today was the possibility of a woman being raped by another woman. I didn't think about it at the time, but it is possible. It may be unlikely, but some people think holding someone up with a gun or knife will get them anything. It takes a certain kind of evil to rape someone violently, but what about those instances where someone is taken advantage of through cohersion or plain naivety, like pedophelia...that's another monster all together. Though that person may not be a violent predator, it doesn't mean they won't harm someone. When y'all see those pictures posted up in the corner store or outside somebody's office... check em out! You could've been standing right next to somebody on that sheet and didn't even know it.
The issue of rape is one that I feel is an issue that we have to deal with because there is no set way to prevent it. We can only promote victim awareness and educate everyone. I couldn't give a personal story of how rape effect the individual or how i have been effected by rape. I can only go off of what i hear and see.
ReplyDeletePersonally i dont believe that rape victimization is geared towards any specific race. I think that rapist go after whom ever seems weak or vulnerable at the moment. Rapist take control over there victim and at that moment color is not an issue.
Though the number did seem off i believe that in fact african american women do not report these type of crimes due to the pride that many blacks have.
Rape is a horrible crime and everyone could agree that its a crime we wouldnt wish upon anyone but the fact of the matter is that it happens and it cant be prevented once it begins to take place but there any many safety measures that can be taken to lessen your chances such as to refrain from leaving your house alone at certain times or dont leave the club alone if you've been drinking.
Laquinnesha Thompson
Clive Hall
ReplyDeleteIts a very sad story when you hear that someone has been raped. Its a very disturbing crime that is hard to be prevented. We often think that women get raped by crazy strangers in the streets but its another story to be violated by someone you know or trust. Rape is a big issue because you never know who is suspect or victim and the best thing to do is to simply BE CAREFUL. Im quite sure that african american women and men of every race have their pride in the way of reporting rape to authorities. I believe that everyone should report the crime because it can help inform others snd posibly prevent the next person from becoming a victim.
Kandis Hankerson
ReplyDelete(I thought my blog showed up but i guess it did not so I am re posting it)
When I think about the word rape and how it has affected many Americans today, I wonder what started it. When did people think that taking advantage of someone was cool? It has never been a good issue but constantly everyday someone is being raped. You would never even think that males would be victims as well. I mean I always heard situations in prison where men would get raped but never outside of prison. Then with females, many of them suffer after affects from being a rape victim. It could range from trust issues to possibly even suicide. In the movie with Precious it was crazy that her own father had raped her, but the sad part is that the mother knew and did not do anything about it. Instead she actually blamed Precious for her father having sexual intercourse with her. In situations like this, I feel bad for the child because then they grow up all messed up in the head.