Rape Culture 101 by Melissa McEwan

"Rape culture" is a term thrown around a lot, especially in feminist articles like the ones we read in class, but does not have a clear definition. There is no brief, short and sweet, factual definition of what rape culture is; it cannot be summed up in a sentence or two. McEwan does an amazing job describing every angle of rape culture and providing all the different examples of rape culture in society. She also includes pop culture references, such as how football teams hiring a dogfighter would "elicit more outrage" than a rapist (during the last NFL draft, players accused of sexual assault and rape were drafted without a second thought while Michael Vick is considered a disgrace to the NFL). I would recommend everyone I know to read this article because it covers all the bases and does not rank rape as one concrete thing. McEwan discusses all different types of sexual assault and makes a point that rape is not a woman's issue, which I think is really important. Rape is too often referred to as a woman's issue, but men and children can also be raped. Also, women have families. They have husbands, children, parents, siblings, and friends. Why would society consider rape a woman's issue when more than just a woman is affected?
Another important point that McEwan makes is that rape culture is so saturated into our society that people cannot even point it out. It is common for rape jokes to be on TV or for a woman to be warned about her outfit before going out at night. As a woman, I don't even blink an eye at a guy yelling something provocative at me or a passing car honking their horn when I walk down the street. All of these things prove that our society is deeply sexualized and that rape culture is the norm.

"Our Violent Economy is Hurting Women" by Vandana Shiva

All over the world, women suffer from violence because of society's mindset that they are unequal to men. Although it is a problem everywhere, violence against women is extremely severe in the middle east because of the lack of women's rights. It is absolutely disgusting that rape cases have increased 240% since the 1990's [page 2] and something needs to be done. Shiva analyzes the connection between the economic treatment of women and the brutal crimes against them, saying that women are valued less because they produce within the home verses within the economy. 

I think this article was interesting, but definitely a bit confusing. The wording and technical language threw me off a bit, but once I reread it, I agreed with Shiva's opinions. She is correct that society values economic production more than production within the home, which is the role of many women in the middle east. I did get a little lost during the second point about the Earth and resources, but I can partially understand the relationship she is trying to make between the treatment of women and the planet. Overall, Shiva is speaking out against violence against women and calling for a change, which needs to happen. Something needs to happen in the middle east because things are continuously getting worse for women. 

Our Violent Economy is Hurting Women

Despite all of the progress that  women have made, rape and other forms of violence against women unfortunately still exist. Vandana Shiva claims that the increase in domestic violence is due to the status of the economy. Men feel entitled to lash out at women because of the social issues that are troubling them. Since we live in a patriarchal society, it is considered socially acceptable for men to be strong and aggressive beings, but there is a fine line between strength and violence.

Although there are certain laws that punish those that hurt women, a lot of the violence goes unreported. Many women who are abused choose to keep it hidden from others for a variety of reasons. By not reporting these crimes, however, society is teaching young girls that it is okay to be treated in this way.  These impressionable girls will then enter abusive relationships in which violence is a daily horror.  Violence against women needs to end , and sooner than later. 

Global Feminism

Feminism isn't just about solving women's problems here in the United State. We cannot look at feminism and only see our goals such as equal pay for men and women and the body image issues that plague women of the U.S. While these goals are important, we cannot sit idly by while our sisters in under-developed countries are sold into sex slavery, forcibly circumcised and treated like second-class citizens. These sorts of issues must be made important at by women in the West because we are all women in the fight for equality. These horrendous issues plaguing women in other countries globally mirror issues in our own country. While these acts may be more violent or horrifying, the underlying sexism and misogyny, pointed out by hooks, is an issue faced by all. Global feminism is feminism. The rights that we fight for here are the same rights women around the world are fighting for. We all want equality and an end to sexism.

"Our Violent Economy is Hurting Women" by Vandana Shiva

Vandana Shiva starts off this article by giving us the numbers of rape cases in India since 1990 through The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). A lot of people should realize is that these are only the cases that were REPORTED, there have been many more rapes that were not reported or have been hidden from society because of the fear of being treated differently in society. As an Indian, I have been to Delhi and also have a lot of family and family friends that live in Delhi as well. My recent visit, was actually during winter break and I have heard a lot of stories about rapes that were not reported and was "thrown underneath the rug." The main reason for this is because in India, a women has to remain "pure" to be married because if she is not "pure" then she will not be able to find a suitable guy that is willing to get married to her. Does anyone ask or care if the guy was a virgin or not?
Another reason for why some rapes are hidden, is like I mentioned before, because society would look down upon the woman and will treat her differently. This is what is wrong with society, they care so much about the woman and how she is and what she can or cannot do that, that they are really unfair to the woman and do not treat them like equals to the men

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

The first time I read Persepolis, it was my freshman year of high school and I did not really know much about the topics discussed in it, such as female oppression or anything about the Middle East. It was the first graphic novel I had ever read, so I thought it was cool and interesting, but just as a story. This time around, Persepolis was much clearer for me and I could relate parts of the story to my previous knowledge. I think Marjane Satrapi did an amazing job simplifying her story in a way that readers could understand the Islamic Revolution without confusing them with too many facts or characters. She provided readers with a very unique perspective, that of a young girl in the midst of the revolution, that even those well versed on the Islamic Revolution have not yet heard. Satrapi empowers the women of Iran to speak up about the revolution and shares an important story with the rest of the world. Because of Persepolis, I have a much better understanding of culture in Iran and why the situation for women is the way it is.
In my opinion, this is the perfect time for our class to begin covering global feminism because of everything that's happening in the world right now. It is a huge time for revolution; over the past few years, we have seen large scale protests in Turkey, Brazil, Greece, Iran, the Sudan, and many other countries. Egypt revolted in 2013 and ousted their president, while Venezuela is now protesting and the Ukraine is in the midst of their revolution. I do not know much about any of these protests or revolutions, but stories like Persepolis help me to understand the current issues of global conflict. I am excited for the rest of the semester because I want to understand more about feminism worldwide, and just about different countries in general.

Persepolis: An Eye Opening Novel

Persepolis is probably a book I never would’ve read if it weren’t for this class, but I’m really glad it was assigned because it was amazing. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began Persepolis, I mean how impactful can a graphic novel be? But I was so wrong. Reading about the extreme changes in Iran written by someone who experienced it was incredible.

            As a child, you don’t quite understand all of the things happening around you. For Marji, this was definitely the case in the first part of the book. She talked about the rebellion being almost a competition in school with the other children. To be cool, you had to know someone who was in jail or had been killed. Reading about children who bragged about things as serious as these events was heartbreaking. To them, their family members being jailed or killed was the new normal. It had become normal to be accosted on the street by a group of grown women because they didn’t agree with what Marji was wearing.

            Reading a book that is truly written from the perspective of a child/teenager made me truly realize the way a rebellion can affect people my age. Until I read Persepolis, I had never considered what it would be like to wake up one day and have my rights taken away. I never thought about what it would be like to go to school one day and be forced to cover my head and hair in a scarf because that is the new law. This book was eye opening to say the least. I will probably move on to read Marjane Satrapi’s sequel to Persepolis hoping that it can be as amazing as Persepolis.