Rape is not inevitable: On Zerlina Maxwell, Men and Hope

If you’ve been following the Steubenville rape case, it might seem that there is little hope for a better, safer world for women. However, we can use these disgusting and tragic events to open the discussion about the way we as a society handle rape. Lots of people are speaking up, such as political commenter and writer Zerlina Maxwell – who stated the obvious on Fox News when she said women should not have to arm themselves to prevent rape; that to prevent rape, we should put the responsibility on men NOT to rape. Unfortunately, this logical statement came under fire – which is quite sad. Here is a great article by Jessica Valenti for The Nation on the matter: Of all the feminist ideas that draw ire, one would think that “don’t rape” is a fairly noncontroversial statement. It seems not. Last week, Zerlina Maxwell, political commentator and writer, went on Fox News’ Hannity to talk about the myth that gun ownership can prevent rape. Maxwell made the apt point that the onus should not be on women to have to arm themselves but on men not to rape them:

I don’t think that we should be telling women anything. I think we should be telling men not to rape women and start the conversation there…You’re talking about this as if it’s some faceless, nameless criminal, when a lot of times it’s someone you know and trust…If you train men not to grow up to become rapists, you prevent rape.

And with that, the floodgates of misogyny opened. Right-wing media outlets like TheBlaze oversimplified Maxwell’s comments, writing that her call to teach men not to rape was “bizarre.” Online, Maxwell started receiving racist and misogynist threats – including, ironically enough, threats of rape. The reaction to Maxwell’s comments, while horrific, are not entirely surprising. Women who speak their mind – especially women of color – are often targets of harassment and threats. But what I find most telling is the incredulousness people are expressing over the notion that we teach men not to rape. Crazy talk! Here’s the thing—when you argue that it’s impossible to teach men not to rape, you are saying that rape is natural for men. That this is just something men do. Well I’m sorry, but I think more highly of men than that. (And if you are a man who is making this argument, you’ll forgive me if I don’t ever want to be in a room alone with you.) And when you insist that the only way to prevent rape is for women to change their behavior – whether it’s recommending that they carry a weapon or not wear certain kinds of clothing – you are not only giving out false information, you are arguing that misogyny is a given. That the world will continue to be a dangerous and unfair place for women and we should just get used to the fact. It’s a pessimistic and, frankly, lazy view on life. Because when you argue that this is “just the way things are,” what you are really saying is, I don’t care enough to do anything about it. Do people making this argument really want to live in a world where we just shrug our shoulders at epidemic-levels of sexual violence and expect every woman to be armed? (And little girls, do we give them guns too?) The truth is that focusing on ways women can prevent rape will always backfire. Not only because it’s ineffective – what a woman wears or what she drinks has nothing to do with whether or not she’ll be attacked – but because it creates a culture in which women are responsible for men’s actions. Because when you say there are things women can do to prevent someone from raping them – owning a gun, not walking in a certain neighborhood – you are ensuring that rape victims who don’t take these steps will be blamed. Rape can be prevented by focusing on men and misogyny. All rapes, ever? No. But creating a world with less sexual violence starts with abandoning the awful idea that rape is an inevitable part of life. That’s not naivete – it’s hope and it’s action. And that’s better than complacency any day.

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The Steubenville case has also inspired the creation and resurfacing of rape prevention ads and campaigns – such as the Don’t Be That Guy campaign, which I just came across. The “Don’t Be That Guy” campaign was first created in 2010 by SAVE (Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton). They just revived the campaign with their second round of posters in November 2012. The posters aim to educate people on the difference between true consent and sexual assault.

You can find more great info about society’s attitudes toward women and rape (and what we can do about it) in The Women’s Issue, a digital magazine we’ve created to honor women during Women’s History Month!

About The Author

Patricia Colli, Editor of Beutiful Magazine, is a human rights activist, equality advocate, and promoter of health, acceptance and wellbeing. Having experienced disordered eating, unhealthy exercise patterns and poor body image, she is especially passionate about shedding light on eating disorders and the power of body acceptance.