It has been in the news lately of
incidents where young rape victims have been committing suicide. They were not
only embarrassed by the awful situation they endured, but also because their
pain and horror was put on social media sites by their attackers for others to
see.
This has become a growing trend as
of late. Young people posting pictures or videos of young women, who are
usually unconscious, during rape. These forms of media are being texted
throughout schools and communities. It not only makes the victims feel a great
amount of shame, but also gives a sense of power and control to the attacker
over the wounded. This control can turn other people against them as well. This
has been seen in the recent suicides of Rehtaeh Parsons and Audrie Pott. The
two girls took their life, when the harassment of their peers after photos were
shared of them being raped was too much.
Access to the photos/video of these
events gives those that were not involved the opportunity to judge what happened
themselves. “She deserved it” or “she was asking for” are common reactions when
those pictures were viewed. It may not look like what the students knew of rape
to be, so rather than chastising the young men responsible, they bullied and
attacked the victim. No matter what it looks like to someone else, in the end,
rape is rape.
With broadcasting these horrors on
social media, it also shows how our younger generation is changing how certain
events and attitudes are perceived. The lack of compassion in our current
society combined with the explicit sexuality in our culture has created a
younger generation that finds it acceptable to treat others in this humiliating
way. As the issue of rape and violence against women is becoming a constant in
the media, it is important that the concerned citizenry, but also social
networking sites, i.e. Facebook and Twitter, take action.
There has to be consequences for those that play with the vulnerability of a
human life.
By Megan Bird
Sources-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/9994354/Facebook-advertisers-enraged-by-rape-ads.html
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