Campus Sex Crimes are being investigated and Vice President Biden wants to do more to prevent sexual violence. The NY Times article put out in April 4, 2011 discusses how Vice President Biden is going to New Hampshire on Monday to issue instructions on how to help prevent sexual violence on campus. Since reading Brownmiller and Crenshaw I have come to realize this is not going to be easy for Bien to accomplish. Also, since living at College I can definitely see what goes on behind closed doors and what does not get reported.
“Mans discovery that his genitalia could severe as a weapon to generate fear must rank as one of the most important discoveries of prehistoric times, along with the use of fire and the first crude stone axe” (Brownmiller, 312). I believe that this statement is one of her most powerful statements she could make about men. It covers the fear that women feel about how men can have so much power over them. It also, says that the men know they can have this power and they can exploit it anyway that they want to. In the NY Times article, Dillon says sex crimes often “go un reported because victims fear that universities will not discipline the offenders” (Dillon, 1). I can see why the victims would believe this. Unless you have direct proof it is one person’s word against another person’s word. You can’t charge anyone with circumstantial evidence. Also, in Yale an investigation is going on because in 2008 a fraternity was photographed holding a sign that was sexually degrading to women and Yale did nothing about it. Fear is definitely a problem that women face, especially with acts like this because they cant even trust authority figures to do anything about it. So why would they help them with sexual violence acts towards them? Power is what the men gain in this situation. Brownmiller says that “to simply learn the word rape is to take instruction in the power relationships between males and females” (312-313). Even though this says that women are only victims and I want to say this isn’t true, well it certainly seems like it when we wont stand up for ourselves. We give all the power to the men and we don nothing to fight for it back. This power has seemed to be a problem since the beginning. Folk tales like Little Red Ridding Hood has women being the damsels in distress and the men coming to their rescue. It is not just in one folk tale, it’s in every single one. The power balance is messed up and we are being the victims here.
Creshaw’s article “Mapping the Margins” also highlights on the power relationship between men and women. She says “certain strands of feminist and racial liberation movements, for example, is the view that social power in delineating difference need not be the power of domination; it can instead be the source of political and social reconstruction” (Creshaw, 1). This is basically saying that power is a reason that men are sexually violent against women but it is not the only reason. Sometimes men are looking for political power or social power over different races and genders. For example, rape can be used as a weapon of War. It can be used to dominate a culture and gender to put fear in victims and have the dominating power over them. Why do men take over villages and rape victims or plunder the village? It all about the fear they can put into the victims and eventually the country. Dillon even quotes the secretary of education who heads the Office of Civil Rights that “there is a terrible and alarming trend in the country of sexual violence” (Dillon, 1). This basically means, that even she is fearful that the trend will continue to expand across the country and maybe even further. It is affecting everyone now, every race, gender and ethnicity. The Education Department is trying to set up new guidelines to be able to prevent sexual violence from occurring and spreading further. If all campuses are like Colgate then I don’t see how a form will be able to prevent these things.
The Colgate Campus is a hook up culture like most colleges are. We are made up of sororities and fraternities, which host the rape culture. Rape myths also go along with these college parties such as: if your drinking you deserve it, or if you dress provocatively, if you come to the environment then you should expect it, and if you dance with someone then you want to hook up with them. All these myths lead to the fact that men take advantage of certain scenarios and assume that all women want to have sex with them if they put themselves into these situations. It should be warning to women on what to expect and to be careful, but it isn’t. We willingly participate in events that put us in compromising positions. When the Educational Board says that they want new guidelines then realistically you would have to get rid of every frat as a start. For example, here at Colgate we host Derby Days which is where men put on drinking events and form teams to gain points. The more sexual favors you do for them, the more points your teams get. The drinking is just a mask to help cover up what really is going. There are also women degrading other women in these places. Women throw beer on freshmen and call them out for everything that is going on. So we can’t blame everything on the men, women are just as much as part as the problem as the men are. Another thing that the Educational Bored would have to stop is the parties in general. Places I know put zanex in certain drinks that only girls drink so that they blackout and don’t remember anything that went on the next day. This can be dangerous because men could take advantage of you and you probably wouldn’t even remember it. It is going to be hard to get rid of all these rape cultures across the country.
Overall, sexual violence seems to be a major issue that is spreading across that country. Brownmiller and Crashaw both suggests that power that we give them men or allow them to have, is the major issue. The NY Times reports that they are the Educational Bored is going to try to prevent sexual violence on campus. They are starting with investigations against Yale and how it has “ a hostile environment and the university is not responding effectively” (Dillon, 1). I don’t think that they can really see what is going on. I would say what the Board should concentrate on is getting women to stand up and report events. It allows women to gain their power back and brings forth the attention that is needed. Even is it doesn’t get taken care of, it will still be better to get the attention that is deserves rather then none at all.
References:
Crenshaw, Kimberle. Mapping the Margrins: Intersectionality, Identity, Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color. The Public Nature of Private Violence, 1994.
Dillon, Sam. NY Times: Biden to Discuss Ne Guidelines Against Sex Crimes. NY Times NewsPaper, 4, April 2011.
Brownmiller, Susan. Excerpt from Against Our Will. In: The Essential Feminist Reader. Modern Lbrary, 2007.
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