The Steubenville Rape case: A Shocking Picture of Modern Sexism

It seems sadly appropriate that no sooner had I published my last blog post, lamenting sites where women are objectified and dehumanised, that the disgustingly sexist coverage of the recent Steubenville rape case hit the headlines.

Sentenced to a mere one and two years respectively in a juvenile correction facility, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond were found guilty of rape after performing sex acts on an intoxicated sixteen year old girl at and between a series of parties last August. Perhaps most disturbing was the ugly influence of social media, with images of the naked victim being circulated, a friend of the defendants tweeting "Song of the night is definitely 'Rape Me' by Nirvana," and Mays even texting "Yeah dude, she was like a dead body. I just needed some sexual attention."

The group mentality of the crime is truly frightening. At least three other teenagers, who provided eyewitness testimony, were present at the time of the assault, with a third party even filming the attack.

This event is just another worrying hint that the "lad" culture is going too far. Just earlier this week when discussing my latest blog, I was asked "Do you really think that people who joke about rape actually think it's OK?" Well apparently some of them do. The shockingly cavalier attitudes of the rapists and the friends who stood by and watched are a horrific indictment of a certain male culture, where drunkenness, promiscuity, or manner of dress make women acceptable targets for assault. Perhaps used to misogynistic attitudes particularly pervading in an internet driven world, the defendants saw no problem tweeting a photo of the passed out naked girl, or even posting a video where the friends joked about the attacks.

Worryingly, recent evidence suggests that even the defendants football coach knew about the rape, hiding information so that his 'star players' football careers weren't threatened. Apparently in this shockingly anti-woman case, the hobbies of two rapists were more important than protecting a minor. In fact, it seems a wide proportion of the Steubenville community were aware of the case via its mocking coverage through social-media, and were involved in a kind of cover-up; the case was not brought to court until blogging group Anonymous independently collected evidence and campaigned for justice for the victim. Before this, an apparent reverence for these local football heroes prevented any real progress getting them prosecuted.

These horrific attitudes have continued into national media, with CNN lamenting the threatened futures of the defendants in a recent broadcast, and pitying them for their inclusion on the Sex Offenders Register, a move which will help protect other women from becoming victims.

The Steubenville Rape case has become a tragic illustration of how dangerous modern sexist attitudes really can be. Just a glance at the YouTube comments section on this video says it all: "if you dress like a slut your chances of getting raped increase," asserts one user, whilst another suggests that the victim should have had better "personal accountability" by "not sexualising one's self by dressing in a mini skirt and inviting unecessary, unwanted, and uninvited attention." This assumption is in spite of all images of the victim, included her clothing, being heavily pixelated.

People may say that modern misogyny is harmless, and even a joke, but the Steubenville rape case has shown otherwise. As long as these attitudes exist, they have the ability to invade reality, and horrifically distort the reactions, and thus access to justice, of bystanders, the legal system and the media.

Student Sexism: The REAL Problem of the "Lad Culture."

As an avid reader of Glamour mag and (mostly) hardworking student, one article in particular caught my eye last month.

"Is this what it takes to get a degree?" screamed the stark headline, plastered against a background of women in tiny outfits. "You expected wild night at uni." the byline continues "But what about being pressured to strip and called a slut? When did that become OK? GLAMOUR investigates the rise of campus sexism-- and what it means for women everywhere."

Writer Elizabeth Day certainly does a good job of exploring the darker side of university sexism. Citing the "lad" culture every student is familiar with, Day bemoans sex-act simulation at sporting initiations, degrading fancy-dress themes and provocative night-club games. "The breed of sexism on show is darker, more endemic and more troubling than ever before," Day tells us adding that modern university life displays "a misogynistic campus culture that's got seriously out of hand."

And sadly, Day is not far off the mark. Although she seems to miss the fact that the sexist culture depicted is only really associated with certain, often sport based, spheres of university life, Day is spot on for much of the article. Far from being a place where women are respected for their equal intellectual abilities, a disappointing amount of male-female social interaction at University is based around the unfortunate "lad vs slag" dichotomy. In a befitting patriarchal twist, the "slut culture" is characterised only in opposition to the "lad culture." And it really is a feud where women are both enemy and victim.

This frightening trend is most apparent on sadly popular site www.unilad.com. Discussing one-night stands, a recent article boasts "by the time the DJ slips on Kings of Leon, most lads will have bought enough double-vodka-redbulls to convince some skank in a short skirt that engaging in a bit of a naughty snog on the dance floor is a great idea." It then launches into advice on how to prevent said girl staying the night, suggesting getting it over and done with before actually getting home. "Asking if you can slip a few fingers in first might help you figure out whether she’s a good candidate for taxi sex. If she manages to keep quiet but likes it then get her on top and get going so you can drop her off before she figures out your address." Uni Lad recommends. How hard you need to work on an excuse depends "on whether your bird has standards and how horny she is."

"Uni Lad" Logo

Horrifically objectified, in this "lad" culture, women are set up in a strange paradoxical state as both objects of desire and the enemy who serve no other function other than sexual, and thus become an embarrassing problem as soon as they have fulfilled this role. Disturbingly, Uni Lad followers have even responded to feminist protests with comments like "shows why we shouldn't allow wenches to be educated" after the site landed itself in hot water for its description of rape as "surprise sex."

Now, of course I'm not saying that this is representative of University life as a whole. Throughout my time as a student I've met plenty of interesting, respectful men, and have a lot of male friends. However, unfortunately the extremity of the misogynistic "Uni Lad" culture frequently returns university social structures into a primitive state of male/female separation whereby the primary function of interaction is sexual. Although many see Uni Lad as a joke, or that most mitigating of all things, "banter," unfortunately the extremity of Uni Lad is merely an elevated version of pervading misogynistic attitudes across the higher education social structure.

However, the real problem is not just university-based; the causes of student sexism go much deeper. Sites like "True Lad" and project "Everyday Sexism" show that sadly, this culture is widespread. Away from home for the first time, and in a strange pseudo-reality where the impression you make on people you meet doesn't impact your professional life, University is merely the ideal festering-ground for already heavily present patriarchal attitudes.

"Pimps and Hoes" themes instantly put men in power over the sexualised female

Away from the influence of family and in an environment where there are no serious repercussions for sexism, misogyny is given the perfect opportunity to flourish. The University lifestyle which advocates excessive partying and casual sex also means that men don't find it necessary to show women the respect necessary in most areas of society for developing a functional relationship, as girlfriends are highly incompatible with the ideals of the Uni Lad.

Most of the problems raised by Day's article henceforth stem from this culture; as men both encourage for their own gain, yet simultaneously deplore and mock female promiscuity and revealing clothes, both women and university night-life come to cater to this strange desire, with "slutty" or patriarchal themes, such as 'Pimps and Hoes' or 'Slag and Drag' being defined by the simple pre-requisite that women should dress as a mythical stereotype of female sexuality. This elevates everyday-misogyny from childish web-pages into the mainstream, increasingly redefining the uni social space as one divided by the binaries of the slut/lad culture; instantly a vicious circle promoting an ugly brand of sexism is created.

Ultimately, I too have partaken in the odd pimps-and-hoes fancy dress, and even seen it as a bit of harmless fun. But what's important not to forget is the danger of the underlying attitudes which have made these events so popular. Campus sexism that promotes a culture where women are viewed primarily in light of their sexual capacity, or how they look, is a sad twist for educated females, taking us back to a pre-feminist era which simply shouldn't be in play in the twenty-first century.