Rape Censorship

Recently at my school we were reading a book called "Speak", or at least beginning it. I have a habit of reading ahead in whatever book my class is reading, so to try to control it I read an interview with the author in the back of the book. One of the answers said something about the book including rape, so I told my teacher and she decided the class should not read it (or at least not yet) to prevent any controversy among parents. (I go to a small school for kids with learning problems like Dyslexia or ADD, some kids even have very mild forms of autism, so that was a smart move on her part.) I asked to keep reading the book, though, and she lent me a copy. It was a very good story, but the one thing that really disturbed me was something author said in answer to one of questions.

She said that she had received emails and letters from "young men" (that's what she called them) who said they liked the book, but didn't understand why the main character was so upset by being raped.

As I am 14, and am a Freshman, this brings both horror and terror to me. I first learned about rape in fifth grade from my mother, so I have generally thought most people understand the horror, or at least most girls. Right now I'm at an age where people might find me an easy target for rape, and learning that there are boys who don't get what's so bad about it is not very reassuring.

It seems that some adults are afraid to talk to kids about why rape is so bad. Since I am not a parent, I don't know who is given the task of talking about, and assume that parents usually are given the task. But whoever is supposed to tell kids about the bad effects does not always do a very good job. Censorship only makes this worse. If "Speak" was censored, there is a chance the readers who sent the mail asking what was so bad about rape may still not know why. It is the same for other books dealing with that as well.

I understand that rape is a very sensitive topic, but shouldn't we make more of an effort to talk about it? Maybe if we did, there wouldn't be so much of it happening. For now, it is terrifying that there are people who don't understand it. Those people may be more likely to do it, as they would not expect it to hurt the victim emotionally, or even cause the person they raped to be considered a victim.

In summary, why are people so afraid to talk about why rape is bad, or even about rape, to minors?

People think that it's bad to talk to kids about rape because rape involves sex. And everyone knows that the second you mention sex to a minor they'll go out and rape someone. It's a vicious cycle. </sarcasm>

But seriously, it's because talking to kids younger than 14 about sex tends to fall under the 'Nooo they're so innocent we can't tell them about that yet' category, even though it also falls under the 'Mom/Dad/Other Parent/Guardian, I know about that already' category. And rape falls under the sex category.

Personally, I think kids should be taught that it's bad, and exactly why it's bad. They might tell you when you're a kid that being touched is bad, but they never tell you when you're older that you shouldn't be the one touching, either.

I'm assuming you're unaware of the tremendous population of 'young men' who think they're very clever joking about rape.

Vyraura said:

I'm assuming you're unaware of the tremendous population of 'young men' who think they're very clever joking about rape.

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Yeah, pretty much.

There's a book out there called Lucky; it's a memoir where the author's memories of being raped play a big part. I've never read the book, but there's apparently a very detailed recollection of the rape in it. This book was available in my middle school's library. Some kids in my homeroom checked it out and were passing it around to people and laughing at it.

Hell, my friend was annoyed because last year my honors class got to read The Kite Runner while his normal-level class didn't. We had the same teacher, and her reasoning for not showing the non-honors kids was she didn't think they could be mature about a kid getting raped in the book. That was in 11th grade. :\

I guess it wouldn't hurt to include information about rape in sexual harassment units and whatnot. Sheltering kids from things is rarely a good idea. The subject just needs to be handled well. But then again, if they won't even show kids books with rape scenes in them, I'm not sure if/how that'd ever work out. I think some books can illustrate the reality of rape pretty well. :\

I can see it now. The setting: A rainy morning, period 5 lunch. The table Topic of the Day: The reading of the book that includes rape. Laughter wafts through the atmosphere.

It would be a joke for some people. :/

it is a joke for some people, and it certainly shouldn't be. i know people that laugh at stories or memories of people that have been raped everyday. they say rape like it's a joke.

it bothers me.

Well, I, for my part, am totally teriffied by the thought of rape. Y'see, there was a dangerous mass rapist in my neighbourhood in the year 2007, and we had to hide in our houses, or else that psycho would have raped and killed us. Anyawy, Im afraid of this stuff.

I grew up in Belgium, during the time when Marc Dutroux and Michel Fourniret were caught.
Yeah, rape was a pretty big deal and anyone who thinks it's funny needs a kick to the back of the head.

Psh. To think there are still people not used to the idea that everything with sex in it is a joke for some teens.

I think one of the broader reasons that popularized rape as a joke (at least over internet) are these japanese hentai comics that overuse the "rape but the victim likes it halfway through" excuse plot.

Vladimir Putin's LJ said:

I grew up in Belgium, during the time when Marc Dutroux and Michel Fourniret were caught.
Yeah, rape was a pretty big deal and anyone who thinks it's funny needs a kick to the back of the head.

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didn't they show dutroux his own house to induce remorse or some shit

Vladimir Putin's LJ said:

anyone who thinks it's funny needs a kick to the back of the head.

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Tell them to follow this link.

Anyway, rape is not a topic to be sheltered from discussion. It is a topic that is best read in books. It is a crime that must not be commited.

Also, that link that Vyraura posted is HORRIBLE!!!!

Well, the internet can never go too far, so why should I complain about links?

Rape however, is a menace and MUST BE ERADICATED.

Dont you just hate the Universe?

Watershed said:

didn't they show dutroux his own house to induce remorse or some shit

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I'm not sure, it's been a while so I kind of mix up his and Fourniret's story in my mind. One of them (Dutroux I think) actually had the police come into his house while there were girls locked in the basement and the police didn't find anything. They got a lot of shit for that when the truth came out.

... said:

I've never been raped, so I can't speak personally, but I think the coldest way to say it is this: it is the ultimate invasion of privacy. It is the invasion of you, it is someone forcing themselves on you, someone thinking they have the right to take you, whether or not you want it. It is even worse when done by someone you thought you knew because it turns into a betrayal of trust: you liked this person, and they invaded you in the worst way possible.

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Exactly. People need to understand that rape isn't about sex, it's about power and control.

Yeah, Lucky's by Alice Sebold (possibly Seabold) and is a... I hesitate to use the word "good". Uh, it's something I think people should read. Rape isn't talked about much in popular culture, and when it is, like in Law and Order and even in the news, it often carries a very unfortunate undertone of victim-blaming; "If she hasn't been wearing that dress..." "If she hasn't been walking by herself..." "If she hadn't been drinking..." which is pretty disgusting.

And, because the thread title made me think of it, I also believe very much that any rape scene on television, film or in a book should come with a clear trigger warning. I don't care if it ruins the "surprise", rape victims should be able to enjoy media without running the risk of being triggered.

Dannichu said:

I don't care if it ruins the "surprise", rape victims should be able to enjoy media without running the risk of being triggered.

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Whenever has popular media done anything correctly? (Hello, furry CSI episode.) This is why I don't watch TV for entertainment.

Recently I watched a pilot for a science fiction series (which wasn't picked up DIE FOX DIE) called Virtuality, which had quite possibly the best handling of rape I've seen on TV. I heartily recommend it to anyone.

People joke about rape just like people joke about war, terrorism, drug abuse, racism, murder, AIDS, abortion, suicide, mental retardation, etc. etc.

Rape is not really some sort of special case.

I would call people on most of those, too (the exceptions being war and terrorism, which are really not in the same class).

i still think people need to lighten up

Some people need to lighten up about serious issues, yes. They happen, they're terrible, and that's why people joke about them. Laughing about situations helps us keep our heads up. But also, we need to be aware that you cannot just joke about everything with everyone. Some people are really sensitive and insecure about their issues. And while joking about them can be cathartic, it can also be incredibly painful. It's a little like being called 'four eyes', only on a much, much bigger scale.

I agree, we need to do things to lighten some situations, but I don't think we should really joke about rape so much. Over the summer I had a dream where I was almost raped by two kids from school, but managed to overpower them, knock them down and jump on them. The problem is that one of those kids from the dream is one of my best friends, and though I have recovered slightly so that I don't freak out when I see him, sometimes I still think of that dream around him. The other boy is a year younger than me, and my school goes from 4th grade through 12th, so we rarely see each other, but when I do I still remember that dream. This isn't one of those things you should try to lighten up with some sick jokes. Even my other best friend agrees, and his jokes tend to go too far at least once a week or center around death or suicide.

The difference between murder and rape: murder just ends the pain and suffering, but rape doesn't always result in death, causing even more pain. One woman went to a late-term abortion clinic to get one because the baby was a result of rape, and she'd commit suicide if it was born. There is also evidence that a two- or three-year-old girl who was murdered by her mother last year (I believe their names are Kaylee and Kaycee) was a child born from rape. If that is true, I speculate that the mother tried to live with her daughter, but whenever she saw her the memory of the rape came back to her mind. By the time of the murder, there was such a strong bond that the mother didn't want to give her up but also didn't want to keep her, and finally her conflicting emotions led her to kill the daughter. While that may not be a correct theory, it is still possible in other cases, so rape can lead to murder. Even a comic book character was planning to kill someone who raped her, but he died in a car crash before she could.

In conclusion, rape is something we have to talk about to warn people. In fact, it might even lead to someone being raped without knowing that it was rape if we don't tell kids. Victims can even lose their sanity; one woman was raped by a truck driver and assumed that all truck drivers were rapers and killed several men. We don't want a generation of serial killers like that because we don't tell them about how rape can affect the minds of both the victim and the raper, do we?