There has been 263 celebrities, politicians, CEO’s, and others accused of sexual misconduct since 2017. The #MeToo Movement has created space for discussions, debates, and stories of personal experience within rape culture to take place. This platform has single handedly, within a short hashtag, reached all around the world. It has become a link that strengthens and encourages others to heal. It has a promise: we are not alone.
On February 19, 2019, Roanoke City’s Police Chief Tim Jones spoke of trending crimes and provided a bias and distasteful advice which did not not support, serve, or protect women within the community he is entrusted to “protect and serve”. His comments were,
“I did not want to have fear in the community that we had a rapist at large, but we just got to be very, very conscious of, socially, of where we go, who we engage in, and what we do when we’re with them. From what I have seen and have been told through our investigators, all too many young women put themselves at risk when alcohol and social behavior goes bad, and that’s what we are seeing the greatest in our investigations.”
Rape Culture is REAL. It does not only happen within celebrity circles like with Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly, and many others. However, Jones’ poorly given advice shifts the blame on the victims, who in this case women. It is not a victim’s job, let only anyone, to take the responsibility of another’s actions. His comments omit the point that rapists and other predators must take responsibility of their own actions. We must have people in power who are not afraid to call out their fellow friends, collogues, associates, or strangers on their misconduct.
Rape is wrong and the victims should never be to blame. Blame is not protection. It is disrespectful, sexist, and inconsiderate. Rape culture is real, and we must change the narrative surrounding it. In order to change the narrative, we must change our perception of the issue. As humans and individuals, we choose to demonstrate behavior and character traits we have been taught, good or bad. That is where blame should rest, not solely on the shoulders of women, (including transwomen and genderqueer persons), who will carry this traumatic encounter with them for the rest of their lives. If we are going to support women; we must support women in words and in action.
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