Last week I released the Top 12 Flipswitch podcasts and articles of 2012--the most popular items of the year. This week I toyed with the idea of sharing my thoughts on my most favorite Flipswitch podcast of 2012, which is 5 Things NOT to Say + 5 Things TO SAY to a Person Who's Been Raped or Sexually Assaulted. (This podcast was the fifth most popular Flipswitch item of 2012.) The overwhelming support I got from survivors of rape who wrote in to tell me how this podcast touched them is something I will never forget. Re-releasing this podcast is also timely in light of the stories in the media this week, surrounding the gang rapes in India and Steubenville, Ohio which highlight two things 1) rape culture is a problem that affects everyone everywhere and 2) through social media, you and I have great power to change the world!
Responses from Survivors of Rape and Assault :
When I put together the podcast, I was motivated by the women in my life who have been victims of rape--some of them were abused by a family friend as children while others were assaulted by acquaintances they thought were friends. The fact that I know a handful of women in my life who have been attacked highlights just how common this problem is--1 in 4 women in the US will have been raped or sexually abused in her lifetime; 1 in 6 men will also be victims. In most of these instances, the women I know have rebuilt their lives and are now happily married wives and mothers. In one case, however, a friend's rape and her family's extremely negative reaction, destroyed her. Depression and PTSD are common byproducts of rape, making this problem both a physical and mental health issue. Witnessing this injustice is what moved me when I recorded the podcast. I am thankful to the women who wrote in about the podcast--here is a sample of people's responses:
--Listener 1, "I cried when I heard this podcast because all of the things you're supposed to say to someone who's been raped--nobody ever told me those things I needed to hear."
--Listener 2, "All the things you're not supposed to say--what were you wearing?, etc--those are the things my parents told me after I had been raped. This podcast touched me..."
You and I Can Change the World:
By now, you may have heard about a 23-year old woman who was gang-raped in India. She and her male companion were attacked by a gang while riding a bus in New Delhi. The six attackers assaulted the couple, robbed them of their belongings, and dumped their badly beaten bodies along the side of the road. A few days after the brutal rape, the young woman died in a hospital in Singapore, where her body was airlifted because of the severity of her injuries. (Her male companion survived and was released from the hospital.) But ever since her death, there have been protests all over India--people demanding justice for the victim--people who want an end to rape culture. rape-cultureOver here in the US, you may have heard about the events in the town of Steubenville, Ohio–home to 18,000 people. A 16-year old girl was drugged with "Roofies" (the rape drug) and raped multiple times on August 11 and 12, 2012 during and after a party. Dozens of jokes and pictures of the girl naked and unconscious (taken on at least a dozen partygoers' phone and iPads) were shared on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. Despite all of this, Steubenville's police department had taken almost no action until last month when a group of crafty computer hackers called Anonymous started releasing damaging information about the young men involved in the rape that includes videos of them telling graphic jokes about the rape. Because of Anonymous' determination and skilled use of social media, this injustice in Ohio is finally getting the attention it deserves. Two young men have been charged with rape and will apear in court next month. With more information imminent, there is speculation that other parties may also be charged. (Picture...
