Last month, a group of Yale fraternity pledges strolled the campus yelling pro-rape chants of “no means yes” and “yes means anal.”
You might think this rally was tasteless but not an especially big deal. It certainly hasn’t made a lot of headlines ― and that is exactly the problem.
Unless there are tangible victims, most people have taken to turning a blind eye to this mindset. We should be focusing on the causes of this twisted mentality just as much as the outcome. Prevention is the key to reducing the amount of victims.
The fact that this was done on a college campus is even more disturbing. Date rape is becoming more prevalent at universities. Shouting pro-rape remarks, even in jest, is damaging to preventing rapes among students.
This particular Yale fraternity has made controversial statements in the past in an attempt to be “edgy.” This included putting up a picture of pop singer Rihanna’s battered and bruised face with the slogan “I’d Hit That” underneath the photo.
Domestic violence and rape aren’t funny and joking about it isn’t edgy. Forcing sex on a woman is one of the most heinous and cruel acts a human can do. Trivializing crimes against women is heartless. Yet, Yale hasn’t taken any significant disciplinary action against the fraternity, such as shutting them down or, at the very least, putting the members on probation.
A college is supposed to be a place of growth and learning, but it appears that these frat boys are living in the past when this kind of disgusting pro-rape mentality ruled many brotherhoods.
It’s not fair to put this image on other fraternities. NSU’s fraternities do great things for the school and the community. But it’s old stereotypes like these that make me cringe.
What’s next? T-shirts that read “Boys will be boys?” Bumper stickers that proclaim “She was asking for it?” When is society going to hold men like those in the Yale fraternity responsible for their actions? It should be a crime to promote the sexual assault of women, even as a joke. The fact that they think it’s a joke should be punishable. Free speech is important, but not at the cost of the safety of the women on college campuses.
