Poem Takes on American Rape Culture

We live in a rape culture; this is an unfortunate but undeniably true fact. And in their slam poem "American Rape Culture," Desireé Dallagiacomo & FreeQuency make it clear that popular culture is infused with it — and that no matter how many people seem to think "It's just music; lighten up" popular culture does matter. Because when the world around you glorifies violence against women, violence against women, shockingly enough, remains common.

Evidence of rape culture is everywhere in this country, from the military to college campuses. From Robin Thicke getting wildly popular for a song degrading women to the idea that anyone would ever expect a celebrity to apologize for someone leaking nude photos of her without her consent — to say nothing of the fact that someone would ever leak such photos to begin with. Not to mention the fact that our culture actively works to protect and defend men accused of sexually assaulting a fellow human being, whether it's Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, R. Kelly, or just your average boy next door.

Though it's been made abundantly clear over and over and over again that lots of people don't understand what rape culture is, it is even more clear that like it or not, we are living in one. What else do you call a place where women are bombarded with "how not to get raped" advice, where anti-rape products sound remotely reasonable, where the phrase "another damn rape poem" has not only ever been uttered, but has become a trope.

Welcome to "American Rape Culture."

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