Sexual abuse, battery and rape are all horrible and degrading crimes. If you look at today’s crime shows and movies, these degrading crimes are frequently portrayed, especially against women. Is over exposure of these crimes detrimental? Does it leave society desensitized to sexual abuse, battery, and rape?
Recently in one of my classes a group of students were playing a computer game in which someone got raped. I myself did not witness the game, but heard one of my classmates exclaim “He got raped! That’s so sweet!” Then, along with a few other classmates, started to make fun of the sound made by the person being raped.
Rape is not sweet, and it is certainly not funny. Rape is an inhumane and degrading violation of someone. I understand that on shows like Law and Order: SVU, the regular Law and Order, and even on some sitcoms. you do see the portrayal of rape, sexual abuse, and battery, but I think the purpose of that is to raise awareness, not to desensitize. What are we becoming as a society if we find humor in such degrading violations of not only someone’s pride and honour, but of their bodies? This isn’t right. It is time to put the horror and evil back into our minds when we hear the words rape, sexual abuse, or battery.
I personally know women who have been raped, sexually abused, and battered. I know they will carry the memories with them for the rest of their lives and always fight so hard to get back what was lost and stolen from them; their dignity.
These crimes are meant to be taken extremely seriously, and are definitely nothing to joke about. Women and even men who get through these crimes, report them, fight to get their lives back are truly survivors, and I feel that if these crimes don’t horrify you then you are sort of disrespecting their right, and their fight to survive. That is just wrong.