Comments on: Pulling the Plug on Rape Culture One Word at a Time — Cara’s WAM Presentation

By: Acey

Acey — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:19:20 +0000

“Wife” is sometimes also another word for an unrapeable woman in a rape culture, unfortunately.

By: N.M.

N.M. — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:23:41 +0000

Great post and congrats on the panel. You make some great observations on language, and I feel it’s this way because everyone is just scared to come to terms with rape and take it as seriously as it needs to me. Makes me so mad to think about it. Thanks for posting.

By: Alleged Victim Slut-Shamed, Rape Case Thrown Out : The Curvature

Alleged Victim Slut-Shamed, Rape Case Thrown Out : The Curvature — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:40:05 +0000

[...] society some women are more vulnerable than others to both sexual assault and rape apologism. And though virtually any woman can be made to be seen as unrapeable, some women start out closer to that status already. Among the many factors that can make a woman [...]

By: Swedish Court Decides Sexual Assault is Not a Crime : The Curvature

Swedish Court Decides Sexual Assault is Not a Crime : The Curvature — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:19:17 +0000

[...] system in terms of which victims are seen to be the least sympathetic, most marginalized, and most unrapeable — so thinking that no sexual predator will read of this decision and start acting accordingly [...]

By: Judge Refers to Convicted Rapist’s Actions as “Rough Play” : The Curvature

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:04:14 +0000

[...] written many, many times before, and at length, about the tendency for people to minimize rape by referring to it as “sex.” This [...]

By: It’s sex, Jim, but not as we know it « Ideologically Impure

It’s sex, Jim, but not as we know it « Ideologically Impure — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:32:36 +0000

[...] sex”. Lauredhel includes a link to the fairly comprehensive and highly-recommended Pulling the Plug on Rape Culture One Word at a Time post at The Curvature: What incorrectly using the word “sex” in cases of rape does is cast a [...]

By: Anti-Sex Worker Bigotry Makes Its Way Into Rape Trial : The Curvature

Anti-Sex Worker Bigotry Makes Its Way Into Rape Trial : The Curvature — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:32:58 +0000

[...] Rape shield laws exist in the United States to prevent a defense attorney from questioning an alleged rape victim about her (or his) previous sexual history. And they exist for a damn good reason — because a sexual assault victim’s sexual history has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not she was actually raped. The only reason, in fact, that an alleged victim’s sexual history would be “useful” to the defense in a rape trial is the hope that a jury’s prejudices about a woman’s previous sexual history will cause them to declare her unrapeable. [...]

By: WAM! Panel Summary : The Curvature

WAM! Panel Summary : The Curvature — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:54:07 +0000

[...] then launched into my presentation, which you can read through in its entirety here. To summarize very briefly, I made the argument that the language we use to talk about rape [...]

By: Natasha

Natasha — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 02:58:05 +0000

It took me well over ten years after I walked out on an abusive man to understand that the word “rape” applied to most of the “sex” “we” “had.” The “gray rape” situation is that he threatened to throw me out if I said no (after the first time). So I never said it– but I always tried-hard to physically fight him off. My blood runs cold as I remember my lover ( I did love him) explaining to me that “I wouldn’t have to hurt you (when we have sex) if you wouldn’t fight me.” This is a man who would consider himself gentle as a lamb.

By: Rebecca_J

Rebecca_J — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 16:19:15 +0000

Wonderful article. The use of the word sex where rape would be more accurate, always pisses me off.
Once I sent a letter to a local reporter upbraiding him for his use of the word “sex” to describe a man raping young children. He agreed with me that it was wrong but said that he had no choice, and I should take it up with the editor. Here is the editor’s response: “I understand your point, but I don’t think anyone who reads our story, with the terms that are used, would confuse what [the rapist] did with consensual sex. Rape is no longer used in the legal lexicon in Canada…I see little point in debating terms when it is perfectly clear what this man did.”
It was annoying – he totally missed the point of my letter, which was that using the term sex makes it seem less important & less traumatizing, whether the reader understands “what the man did” or not. As for rape being not part of the legal lexicon, he could have at the least used “sexual assault.” I lacked a full understanding of how to respond to his rebuttal but I think I understand the issue better after having read your article.