Because it's a well documented sociological phenomenon. We wouldn't live in cultures where nearly every woman experiences sexual violence (and other types of violence) beginning in childhood if it weren't tolerated and even encouraged to some extent. And why are you saying "Perhaps in this case" when that is literally the only thing you should be commenting on - the things that were actually discussed in this essay, not other things that haven't been said or other topics. You being indignant and saying that you don't enable such things is belied by the fact that you reacted so strongly to this OP and that you keep bandying the word socialist around in a context that has absolutely nothing to do with the topic. Let's just say, you are protesting rather too much. This story wasn't about women making accusations - it was about the fact that boys and men know exactly which one of their friends is problematic. Going off on a rant about feminism just proves my point about why this topic makes you uncomfortable.
“[Ours] is a culture in which sexualized violence, sexual violence, and violence-by-sex are so common that they should be considered normal. Not normal in the sense of healthy or preferred, but an expression of the sexual norms of the culture, not violations of those norms. Rape is illegal, but the sexual ethic that underlies rape is woven into the fabric of the culture.” — Robert Jensen
After all, real rapists are scummy-looking guys hanging around dark alleys with a knife… right? Except that mostly they aren’t. In a study of college students, athletes were often a part of a subculture of sexual coercion and conquest but other young men engaged in many of the same behaviors.
And non-athletes aren’t completely off the hook. The study also found that 38 percent of male students who do not participate in sports pressured partners into having sex. Reiterating what most women know to be true: that all sorts of men can be rapists.
Moreover, researchers discovered that participants who admitted to coercing partners tended to agree with statements that justified rape, like, “If a woman doesn’t fight back, it isn’t rape,” and that reinforce traditional gender roles like, “Women should worry less about their rights and more about becoming good wives and mothers.” These exact statements were lifted from another survey developed back in 1973, proving that despite the passing of 40 years, attitudes and education toward sexual consent are still antiquated. (The Cut)
Scully’s (1990) study of sexual violence views rape as learned behavior within a patriarchal culture. According to her findings rapists as compared to other felons are more likely to believe in a double standard regarding gender roles and they identify more strongly with the traditional male role.In cultures where there is no historical belief in male dominance, or coercion and violence as a demonstration of masculinity, rape is nearly unheard of. In fact, in at least some of these cultures, rape is seen as shamefully unmasculine behavior. The Minangkabau of Indonesia, the world’s largest matrilineal culture, is a place where men move into their wives' homes after marriage. It is also a place where rape is largely unknown, in part because it is considered unmanly.
There is no point in being naïve about why women have had such a difficult time convincing men to make violence against women a men’s issue. In spite of significant social change in recent decades, men continue to grow up with and are socialized into a deeply misogynistic, male-dominated culture, where violence against women—from the subtle to the homicidal—is disturbingly common. It’s normal. And precisely because the mistreatment of women is such a pervasive characteristic of our patriarchal culture, most men, to a greater or lesser extent, have played a role in its perpetuation. This gives us a strong incentive to avert our eyes.
Katz, Jackson. The Macho Paradox (p. 8). Sourcebooks. Kindle Edition.
As the batterer-intervention counselor Lundy Bancroft observes in his deeply insightful book Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men, many men who batter have internalized cultural beliefs about manhood that legitimize — in their own minds — their controlling and abusive behaviors. These beliefs did not appear out of thin air. These men are not from some other planet.
Katz, Jackson. The Macho Paradox (p. 33). Sourcebooks. Kindle Edition.
I believe that men who are silent in the face of other men’s violence — whether the silence is intentional or not — are complicit in the perpetration of that violence. We’re not guilty because we’re men. We’re responsible — because we’re men — either for speaking out or for not speaking out about other men’s violence.
Katz, Jackson. The Macho Paradox (p. 30). Sourcebooks. Kindle Edition.
