The Boys Club

Over the past several years sexual assault has become an increasingly popular subject. Whether this is because there is a rise in sexual assault or because it is simply more acceptable to openly discuss the matter, is unclear. Whatever the case, sexual abuse/assault/violence and harassment has exploded into common conversation. A genre deemed ‘Misery Lit’ captures almost exclusively the lives of those who have overcome abuse. The memoir explosion and craze for reading about sexual abuse has mainly made its debut in America. While this could be due to the exploitative nature of America, it could just as easily have formed from our culture of masculinity. Brock Turner is a classic example of the normalization of rape in America. In 2016 the Stanford college student was charged with sexually penetrating an unconscious woman with the intent to rape her behind a dumpster. While he was given six months in jail, he was released after three. When his father spoke out about the case, he described his son’s behavior as: “A steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action.” In order to solve the problem of frequent and seemingly-acceptable sexual assault, our culture must begin with the boys. According to Childrennow.org when 10-17 year olds are asked about men’s roles on television, almost three fourths of boys describe them as “violent”. More than two thirds describe them as “angry”. A Michigan University study found that typical 2-5 year o...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Anger Men's Issues Research Sexuality Students Trauma Violence and Aggression Women's Issues Domestic Violence Gender Human sexual behavior Masculinity Pornography Rape Sexual Abuse Sexual Assault Sexual Trauma Source Type: blogs