RAINN Denounces, Doesn't Understand the Concept of "Rape Culture"

[BainsBane]

The Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is one of the most active and important organizations in the country fighting sexual violence, so it's quite the head-scratcher to read about it denying the cultural factors that allow sexual predators to evade justice.


In a press release announcing RAINN's recommendations to a White House task force created to fight sexual assault on college campuses, its president, Scott Berkowitz, and vice president for public policy, Rebecca O’Connor, wrote:

In the last few years, there has been an unfortunate trend towards blaming 'rape culture' for the extensive problem of sexual violence on campuses. While it is helpful to point out the systemic barriers to addressing the problem, it is important to not lose sight of a simple fact: Rape is caused not by cultural factors but by the conscious decisions, of a small percentage of the community, to commit a violent crime.

This doesn't make sense. People who use the phrase "rape culture" do not deny that rape is a matter of individuals making the active choice to rape. "Rape culture" is a very useful way to describe the idea that rapists are given a social license to operate by people who make excuses for sexual predators and blame the victims for their own rapes. Instead of recognizing this, or, at the very least, just not bringing it up at all in its memo, RAINN instead bashes a straw man, arguing that the focus on "rape culture" diverts "the focus from the individual at fault, and seemingly mitigates personal responsibility for his or her own actions."


Feminists who coined and spread the phrase "rape culture" are not denying that rapists need to be held personally responsible for their criminal behavior. They are pointing out all the cultural reasons that this doesn't happen: the myth that false accusations are common, the myth that rapists are just confused about consent, and the myth that victims share the blame for drinking too much or otherwise making themselves vulnerable. Only by tackling these cultural problems will we be able to see clearly that rapists know exactly what they're doing and punish them for it. Rape culture doesn't cause the desire to rape, but it allows rapists to rape with the confidence that comes from knowing you're very unlikely to be prosecuted for it. Surely they have Google search at the RAINN offices that could have helped clear this up, but if not, an intern could have called one of the many feminists who speak out regularly about this issue to understand it better before dismissing it publicly.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/03/18/rainn_attacks_the_phrase_rape_culture_in_its_recommendations_to_the_white.html

[niyad]

1. what the hell is wrong with rainn?????

[BainsBane]

2. It's very strange

I agree with the Slate author that it makes no sense. My guess is a retraction or clarification will be coming soon.

[Raine1967]

3. RAINN Press release:

The federal government should push colleges to improve the criminal justice response to rape, de-emphasize internal judicial boards, put in place bystander intervention and risk reduction programs, and ensure comprehensive care for victims, RAINN advised a new White House task force charged with creating a plan to reduce rape on college campuses.

In 16 pages of recommendations, RAINN urged the task focus to remain focused on the true cause of the problem. “In the last few years, there has been an unfortunate trend towards blaming “rape culture” for the extensive problem of sexual violence on campuses. While it is helpful to point out the systemic barriers to addressing the problem, it is important to not lose sight of a simple fact: Rape is caused not by cultural factors but by the conscious decisions, of a small percentage of the community, to commit a violent crime,” said the letter to the task force from RAINN’s president, Scott Berkowitz, and vice president for public policy, Rebecca O’Connor.

President Obama appointed the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault in January, giving it 90 days to recommend improvements colleges should make. The task force includes representatives from the White House, Justice Department, Education Department, Health and Human Services and other federal agencies.

RAINN’s recommendations pointed to research that suggests that more than 90% of college rapes are committed by about 3% of college men (reliable research about female perpetrators is harder to come by). Based on that pattern of assaults by repeat offenders, RAINN stressed the importance of treating sexual assaults on campuses as the serious crimes that they are, and ensuring that there are meaningful consequences.

RAINN also stressed the need to de-emphasize colleges’ internal judicial boards. “The FBI, for purposes of its Uniform Crime Reports, has a hierarchy of crimes — a ranking of violent crimes in order of seriousness. Murder, of course, ranks first. Second is rape. It would never occur to anyone to leave the adjudication of a murder in the hands of a school’s internal judicial process. Why, then, is it not only common, but expected, for them to do so when it comes to sexual assault,” the letter asked. “The simple fact is that these internal boards were designed to adjudicate charges like plagiarism, not violent felonies. The crime of rape just does not fit the capabilities of such boards.”

For prevention programs, “RAINN recommends a three-tiered approach when it comes to preventing sexual violence on college campuses,” the letter noted. A prevention campaign should include the following elements:

It appears at first blush they are looking for more judiciary action.

There are recommendations at the link from RAINN.

[niyad]

5. confused here. how is quoting the press release, which includes a denial of rape culture, going

to somehow prove that rainn isn't denying rape culture?

[seabeyond]

6. What a hoot. They go after and explain the result of a "rape culture" using a board to deal with a

Crime as the biggest thing they need to address.

Break it down. Why would a college use a board for a serious crime like rape seeing how they would not for murder.... By the very definition of rape culture... There is your duh.

[Raine1967]

11. Yes, it's quite a HOOT.

RAINN: The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.

Public Policy

RAINN's policy department works to improve the criminal justice system to ensure that more rapists are brought to justice, and that victims of sexual violence get the justice they deserve. Is there an issue you’d like to see us work on? Let us know.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization and was named one of "America's 100 Best Charities" by Worth magazine.

RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE and online.rainn.org) in partnership with more than 1,100 local rape crisis centers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice.

WHAT THEY PUT OUT IN THIER PRESS RELEASE IS TOTALLY IN LINE WITH WHAT THEY DO AS AN ORGANIZATION.

That isn't a hoot. They want to see rapists, abusers and people who commit incest in jail.

I am a little surprised to see people think it's a hoot that they are choosing to focus on this. They aren't denying rape culture. They are focusing on what they have done all along.

duh yourself.

[seabeyond]

13. They are exactly calling out the rape culture as they act confused about it.

It is there in front of their face and yet they do not see. Not a ha ha hoot either, but a hoot in the obvious, none the less.

That being said, even though they do not help awareness in this perspective, the action of taking rape issues out of the school and placing them where they belong in the criminal system is appreciated and long over due.

[LeftyMom]

4. I would guess, and I'm no expert but I know this is true in my case,

that most rapists don't think of themselves as rapists. If you were to ask "my" rapist, I'm sure he'd tell you that he felt perfectly entitled to the use of my body, and that my being in no condition to enjoy it, or to give or deny consent (in my case it was not because I was drunk, but because I was severely ill with a very high fever) never entered his mind. He might even admit that it was a shitty thing to do, but rape? I genuinely don't think the thought ever crosses his mind.

That's really the underlying truth about rape culture. What we don't have is a culture of consent, and as a result we've got a situation where people feel entitled to the use of others' bodies.

[seabeyond]

7. Exactly lefty and these are suppose to be the smart ones with this issue.

In studies men will describe their acts in terms of rape, but they do not call it rape.

[MadrasT]

14. ^^^ THIS ^^^

Also, the husband who thinks he is taking what he is rightfully "his"... the boyfriend who thinks he is taking what he is "owed", and so forth.

They don't ever for one moment consider themselves to be rapists.

THAT is fucking rape culture.

[seabeyond]

8. I am not real confident with rainn. MRA argument often uses rainn for their arguments.

I did a little research on them and had an article with some of the issues, but that was a while ago.

This only makes me question them more and good of Scott to be so "confused".

[Tuesday Afternoon]

12. cause and effect.

the effect of a rape culture causes people to not understand that their actions cross legal boundaries in a most violent manner.

I think this is what they are trying to address with this statement:

In the last few years, there has been an unfortunate trend towards blaming 'rape culture' for the extensive problem of sexual violence on campuses. While it is helpful to point out the systemic barriers to addressing the problem, it is important to not lose sight of a simple fact: Rape is caused not by cultural factors but by the conscious decisions, of a small percentage of the community, to commit a violent crime.

[niyad]

15. . . .