Are Men Taught to Commit Sexual Assault? By Livia

When a young person is having a conversation about sexual assault, it will go one of three ways- either they'll be told how to avoid being assaulted or they will be told never to objectify someone. The third option is that this conversation just didn't happen... probably because it's uncomfortable. It's an "awkward" conversation to have with your son or daughter because no parent ever has wanted to imagine their child as a victim- let alone someone capable of assaulting another person. And there's the problem. A mother tells her daughter to walk with caution through her campus at night, little does she know she's actually saying "Rape happens... nothing we can do about it." That mother who has the right intentions is feeding the idea that sexual assault is just boys being boys. Or rather, people being people... Boom goes the dynamite.

But why is it that there are so very few female rapists? Is it biological? Or is there more to it. It almost seems like men are taught to sexually assault... or rather, they haven't been taught not to.

Hyper-masculinity. How many little boys do you know whose Dad's bought them barbies for Christmas? Not many. If you are a young boy, you are given toy guns, swords, figurines holding a gun or holding a sword- or maybe both a gun and a sword. These are all violent objects and  these tiny little plastic guns teach these boys that violence is power and conquest. Now if a boy is taught that violence is power and power gets them what they want... Where do you think they get the idea to act violently when please can't get them very far?

A young woman walking home at night could be wearing a hazmat suit and would be just as likely to be sexually assaulted wearing nothing at all. Because it's not the victims fault... It's whoever decided what apparently being a man is.