Rape Myths How Assumptions Can Lead To Essay

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Rape Myths How Assumptions can lead to False Belief, and the Importance of Truth

Rape is a serious issue in today's overtly sexualized society. Bare skin seems to be everywhere, no matter what the season: music, art, television shows, advertisements, etc. And this sexualization happens in all areas of society, and contains all ethnicities and both genders. Nobody is spared, and though we are all exposed to the same images, we often assume certain things that are not true. As human being, we tend to do that a lot. It is, for this reason, very probable that this is how the rape myth came about. This paper will discuss what a rape myth is and describe the various kinds that exist, while at the same time pondering how knowing about this issue can change one's perceptions.

Rape myths are beliefs that diminish the violent nature of the rape act and undermine the harm suffered by the victim, while sometimes even blaming the victim for what happened....

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There are many rape myths, and they all show evidence of societal ignorance. Some of the most important rape myths that ought to be discussed and replaced by truth are described below.
Sexual assault is impulsive and uncontrollable. This myth is completely untrue, as rape is an act of violence, and due to the fact that most rapes are planned.

Rape only happens in big cities. This is again, false, as rapes can happen anywhere, at any time.

The third myth is that women are sexually assaulted only if they are alone at night and almost always by a stranger. This, again, is untrue because most women are actually assaulted by someone they know, and this can happen in one's own house.

Another myth is the most rape involves a black man raping a white woman. This is not only untrue, but incredibly racist. Rapes can happen to anyone, regardless of gender or ethnicity.

Perhaps the most ridiculous myth is…

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A last myth in the long list is the men cannot be raped. Again, this is untrue, as many men are demeaned an humiliated through sexual abuse. Rape happens no matter the gender. [footnoteRef:1] [1: Paraphrasing of bullet points from the following two sources:"List of Rape Myths" (2011). University of Minnesota Duluth. Retrieved from, http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/jhamlin/3925/myths.html and "Sexual Assault" (2011). Roger Williams University. Retrieved from, http://www.rwu.edu/studentlife/studentservices/counselingcenter/sexualassault/rapemyths.htm]

Knowing these myths is quite illuminating. I do not believe anyone could be really that ignorant to believe all these falsehoods. However, it is probable that many people believe some, such as the last one "men cannot be raped." Unfortunately, society is ignorant. Personally, this does not change my understanding of what rape is, for I knew all of these myths from previous studies, but I do hope that some who read this will think differently about rape. If I were to know nothing about rape, I would certainly believe that it is important to examine truth vs. opinion.

In any society, it is important to be aware of certain things that are harmful, and sexuality, so widespread in ours, can take a turn for the worse and be expressed through violence with the goal of manipulation and humiliation. It is important to be aware of how such beliefs interact in our society, and how we can change wrongful perceptions.


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