Till It Happens to You

In class today we learned the meaning of Chrono’s and Kairos which are both Greek words.  As we discussed, Chrono’s is the natural flow of time while Kairos is the right or opportune moment to make an argument or persuasion.  Kairos is used throughout the novel Missoula by Jon Krakauer in multiple ways.  One case that is relevant for today’s class period is the fact that an athlete was the assailant in the Washburn and Johnson case gave Kairos to the prosecutor because of the fact that an athlete had just been prosecuted (Donaldson) which helped bring Johnson to court and demonstrated that there was no sense in letting him get away with sexual assault just because he is an athlete.  On the other hand, the defense could use Kairos here by arguing that a college athlete is a driven and educated person who would not sexually assault anyone, or on the other hand, give the argument that Washburn only regretted having sex with Johnson which is why she is taking him to court.  Kairos can be used either negatively or positively depending on how a prosecutor or defendant spins the situation.  These are ideas that we probably all have a sense of familiarity to due to the common knowledge provided by television series such as Law and Order: Special Victims Unit which displays the back and forth arguments that result during a court case.

The introduction of Kairos made me think of how figures within our society could possibly make a change and put an end to sexual assault.  For instance, Lady Gaga co-wrote a song with Diane Warren for the documentary film The Hunting Ground which deals with college campus rape in the United States.  The song is called “Till It Happens to You” and is a call for movement against the act of sexual assault on college campuses across the country.  I found this to be relevant to Kairos because the film and the song are being used during a time when sexual assault is extremely present on college campuses in order to educate people on the subject and cause awareness.

**The film The Hunting Ground can be found on Netflix and more information can be found at http://thehuntinggroundfilm.com/

**”Till It Happens to You” by Lady Gaga can be found on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmWBrN7QV6Y

Missoula: Chapter 11

Chapter eleven of Missoula by Jon Krakauer was a frustrating read.  It was very apparent that the investigators who were supposedly “helping” Allison Huguet convict the man who raped her, Beau Donaldson, weren’t actually much help at all.  In the beginning, the detectives seemed to question whether or not Huguet was lying rather than questioning if Donaldson had sexually assaulted her.  Even though Huguet’s case was stressful and draining on her, it actually became rather important for other young women because it gave them the courage to share their own stories with sexual assault.  However, investigators still questioned these young women’s accusations which obviously takes steps backwards rather than moving forward towards justice.

I found this to be extremely frustrating because of the shame and guilt it obviously causes sexual assault victims to feel.  When victims like Huguet and many others aren’t taken seriously it causes other people to feel as though they should just keep their mouth shut instead of going through the long process of being questioned and prodded.  For instance, victims are often asked about what they were wearing the night of the assault, how much they had to drink, or why they were even out partying in the first place.  No matter what the circumstances are, sexual assault is probably the most horrible thing that can happen to a person and must be taken seriously.  Demoralizing questions such as the ones I listed above should not be asked of a sexual assault victim.  More importantly we should be asking what the attacker looked like, where the incident took place, or if they knew the person’s name.  The system needs to be changed dramatically in order for assailants to be locked away.

I know that sexual assualy will most likely never end within society, but my biggest fear when reading all of the accounts given in Missoula is that if women aren’t taken seriously people will continue to believe that they can get away with these heinous crimes and continue to be the trash that they are.  Overall, this makes me question what causes an investigator to determine whether a victims accusations of sexual assault are valid or not.  In my opinion there is no right answer to this question because all victims of sexual assault should be taken seriously and their accusations taken entirely valid.  As we continue our discussions in class I hope that more light will be shed on this topic.

Third Wave

Our discussion in class today revolved much around the idea that justice is not always served within the legal system surrounding rape victims.  As I have written about in earlier blog posts, rapists are often let off the hook too easily or in some ways looked at as a victim in their own way.  This is not fair to anyone who has gone through the tragic experience of being raped.  The fact that sometimes justice isn’t served in our court system made me want to research into what people (women especially) are doing to point out the flaws within our system and bring justice to everyone.

An article I found on CNN called “Rape Rage Drove Feminisms Third Wave” (http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/09/opinion/burleigh-feminism-rape-speaking-out/ ).  For those that don’t already know, the ‘first wave’ of feminism won the right for women to vote, the ‘second wave’ gave women the right to work, and now the third wave is battling sexual assault.  The article focuses on feminists who became outraged by the amount of men getting away with rape.  The article states that, “Women, their voices amplified by social media and with the support of a small but growing cohort of men, have been exposing and shaming venerable American institutions such as the NFL, Ivy League and non-Ivy League colleges, and the entertainment icon Bill Cosby” (CNN, 2014).  These are great strides that people are making within our country.  Social media has given women and men everywhere the platform to speak out against sexual assault and rape which helped make the rapists who committed these crimes pay for their actions.  I think that this is a wonderful thing, not only because it punishes rapists, but it also deters others from thinking they can get away with violating people. 

The ‘third wave’ has extended far into our political system.  So much so, that the issue of sexual assault on college campuses has gained attention from the white house and president Barrack Obama himself.  The CNN article explains, “Barack Obama became the first President to use the words ‘sexual violence’” (CNN, 2014).  Although it is somewhat shocking that no other president has properly addressed this issue, it is wonderful that our current president is actively trying to make a difference for our society in regards to rape and sexual assault.

One of the biggest issues which is obviously talked about frequently in the book Missoula by Jon Krakauer, is the fact that colleges often sweep rape accusations under the rug or don’t properly report cases to the public.  This is a major flaw within our education system and feminisms ‘third wave’ is very important to handle this in the sense that colleges have been exposed for keeping sexual assault information hidden from the public.  As we talked in class the other day, it was mentioned that in WSU has even been found having hidden information and had to pay a fine of 15,000 dollars.  I also want to add that we discussed a Buzzfeed article that discusses a sexual assault that happened at WSU in 2014 where a woman was found guilty of raping a man.  The article can be found here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/alleged-assault-at-wsu?utm_term=.mkGjQnJ3B9#.keDpNjEZyq

Mental Health

The class period today was certainly a very interesting one.  As a class, we spoke a lot about what rape causes a victim to go through mentally.  Obviously experiencing such a trauma as rape would be an extremely horrific experience.  In fact, so traumatizing that it would cause long lasting effects after the experience was over.  Most people would only relate Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD to war veterans, but as we discussed in class, victims of rape can also possibly experience it.

During class we learned that there is research that shows PTSD is something that rape victims deal with for years to come.  The US Department of Veterans Affairs Department has a page devoted to PTSD (http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/women/sexual-assault-females.asp) and other long-term effects that a rape victim may suffer from.  The website defines PTSD as, "a pattern of symptoms that some individuals develop after experiencing a traumatic event such as sexual assault. Symptoms of PTSD include repeated thoughts of the assault; memories and nightmares; avoidance of thoughts, feelings, and situations related to the assault; negative changes in thought and feelings; and increased arousal (for example difficulty sleeping and concentrating, jumpiness, irritability)."   This makes complete sense due to the traumatization that a rape victim has gone through.  Not only does the victim have to experience a sexual assault or a rape, they have to go through the process of reliving terrifying memories on a day-to-day bases. 

As we have briefly discussed in class, the US Department of Veterans Affairs explains that victims of rape also experience depression, anger, shame/guilt, social problems, sexual problems, and alcohol/drug abuse.  The fact that these victims have to deal with these emotions and problems for years and possibly the rest of their lives makes me feel terrible.  The rapists who perform these heinous acts must be held accountable and punished for their actions, but often times they are let off due to their class or position within society.  For instance, in recent news Brock Turner was released from prison after three months even though a prosecutor argued for a sentence of six years and a judge ruled that he serve six months.  An article on CNN news (http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/02/us/brock-turner-release-jail/) explains that, “The case drew national attention after the victim's wrenching impact statement went viral. The brevity of Turner's sentence triggered outrage against the judge and controversy over how the justice system treats sexual assault survivors.”  This outrage is something that the public should definitely be feeling.  The victim will have to live with all of the negative impacts that Turner has caused, while he is set free and allowed to live his life of freedom.  Rapists are dangerous and terrible individuals who should not be given the opportunity of being let off easily.  As we have collectively discussed in class, there are too many instances like this where justice is not served.

He Said, She Said.

In class today, a few very interesting topics were discussed including the way police react to a victim of rape and the differences between how drunken men and women are viewed.  While reading Missoula by Jon Krakauer it became concerning to me when investigators would brush off accusations of rape as if the women were just making things up.  Questions were asked like:

“What were you wearing?”

“How much did you have to drink?”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Why were you out partying?”

These questions are completely irrelevant to what happened to the women in the book as well as women all over the world.  It doesn’t matter what they were wearing, drinking, if they have boyfriends, or if they’re single.  Rape is rape and it should be taken very seriously.   One of the most fascinating points made during the class was that if someone’s car or personal belongings are stolen, no one hesitates to call the police.  On the other hand, when someone is raped or sexually assaulted in any way, they often wait for an extended period of time.

It is also important to take a look at how drunken men and women are viewed differently within society.  We talked in class about how it is more normal to see men drunk in public, but when women drink it is thought of as risky or irresponsible.  This is certainly a common belief, but it is not something that I would agree with.  Viewing a drunk woman as irresponsible takes their credibility away when something like rape or sexual assault does happen to them.  Whether you are a man or a woman, drinking alcohol can lead to irresponsible behavior due to lowered inhibitions, but this does not qualify as an excuse for raping or sexually assaulting someone.  The biggest problem with alcohol is that people use it as a reason for why they did something, but this needs to end.

Staying in Touch with Reality

Today I began class looking forward to a fresh beginning of classes and faces.  I love the challenge of a new class in the sense that I am forced to stretch the knowledge that I already have and learn new things in unique ways.  However, shortly into the class hour I realized that the course may be harder for some than others.  What I mean by this is that the topic of rape may be sensitive to some students who have experienced an assault or know someone else who has. This could be a family member, friend, or even an acquaintance. 

Our professor gave a sincere trigger warning at the beginning of the class in order for students to decide if they wanted to stay in the class or not due to the sensitive material being taught.  Growing up, I thought of sexual assault as something distant and something that would never happen to me or any of my close friends.  This is probably due to the protection my family provided for me and the sense that sexual assault is mainly seen on the news or in television series such as Law and Order: SVU which makes it seem like something far from home.  However, my view changed after one of my close hometown friends accused another friend of raping her.  This was hard for everyone in the friend group to handle because it was so traumatizing for the girl and we all felt so hurt for her.  It was even more difficult to view some people within the friend group feel the need to choose sides.  Some people even tried to make the victim feel like she had given consent—or even worse was trying to cover up the fact that she cheated on her boyfriend by making the incident up.

The character Kelsey Belnap in Missoula by Jon Krakauer reminded me of this instance because she had to deal with a very similar scenario in which her friend tried to downplay what had happened and convince Belnap not to contact the police.  I can’t even imagine what it would be like to experience what the women in this book have gone through because I am not a survivor of rape.  However, I hope that this class helps me to understand the severity of this issue in our world and helps me have a voice to stand up against rape culture.

English 460

This blog thread is intended for my English 460 class at Washington State University in Pullman, WA.  The theme of this class is The Scope of Rhetoric: Understanding the Culture of Rape.