I like to complain, a lot. So much, in fact, that if I got a euro for every time I ranted about something, I'd have enough money to go on a cruise, at least twice a year. Salty is my middle name, so if your food is ever lacking that sodium chloride...
(Special mention to Mardra for bringing this to my attention.)
(Warning: if you haven't noticed from the title, this rant will be discussing rape in Wattpad fics. Read at your own risk.)
Sorpresa, putas.
I've ranted about romanticised abuse so I think it's time for me to rant about a branch of this, namely sexual abuse, or even more specifically, rape. It's nerve-wracking to see how so many people on this site can take traumatising real-life events and turn them into 'romantic love stories'. In actual fact, I find it pretty disturbing, especially when the majority of authors are young, teenage girls.
But before we start talking, let's lay down a rock-hard definition:
According to Wikipedia (and other sources), rape is defined as "a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration perpetrated against a person without that person's consent."
I've underlined "without that person's consent" because I think "consent" deserves to be defined as well, since a lot of people tend to be a little confused about what exactly is and isn't consent.
Instead of hitting you with a bunch of vague definitions, I've decided to include a video which, simplistically, describes exactly what consent is. It has been criticised for being a little too simple with its analogies. For example, it leaves out consent with regards to someone who is drunk/intoxicated. If a person does not have full control of their brain/body, their "yes" cannot be considered consent, since they aren't aware of what they're doing.
Here it is. It's called Tea Consent, and it does have some swearing at the beginning (but so does the rest of this book, so tough luck).
Now that I've gotten those two definitions out the way, I think it's time for me to start this shit properly.
*clears throat*
It really pisses me off when rape is portrayed as something romantic in a story. Just take a look at the title of this rant—this is a real title of a real fanfic here on Wattpad. I shit you not. Don't believe me? Search for it yourself.
Why the fuck are people so obsessed with stories like this? Where the MC gets raped by some guy, has his babies, and then they live happily ever after? Where teenage girls dream of getting raped by an entire fucking boyband? Words do not even begin to describe how messed up that is!!!
There's also the misconception that a person is raped, more often than not, when they're walking home alone at night, like the Wattpader who mentioned this rant illustrated in an imaginary scenario:
"I walked down the quiet alley as suddenly, a tall drunken man pulled me in a dark corner. Oh my god, I thought. He started getting naked but its okay. He was handsome."
(What kind of fucked up shit is that? A woman who is about to get RAPED does NOT think about the man's looks, she does NOT plan a future with him, and DOES NOT want to have ANYTHING TO DO WITH HIM AFTERWARDS. Yet, there are ENTIRE stories revolved around this messed up fantasy!!)
But, unsurprisingly, not every rapist out there is a creepy guy in a trenchcoat that roams the night, searching for his victim in the alleyways:
Almost 4/5 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.
Meaning, that around 82% of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a non-stranger (taken from the RAINN [Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network] official website). Why does this happen? Because a lot of these pieces of shit, scum of the Earth, human-cockroaches are usually SOMEONE YOU KNOW.
It can be your father, your brother, your uncle, your neighbour, your friend, your classmate. These people get away with doing such horrific things because they know that the victim is usually too frightened to speak up about it, because either people don't believe them, or they felt like they brought it upon themselves.
Because society has taught us if a woman flirts, wears provocative clothing, had a little too much to drink, rejects the advances of a 'nice guy', then she was asking for it. Society is more afraid of the consequences a 'rape claim' will have on the perpetrator, and not on the way it has damaged the victim, for the rest of their lives. In fact, if you haven't noticed, the law always seems to work in the best interests of the rapist, and not the victim.
A person you know could've experienced molestation/sexual assault and you may not even be aware of it. This is a heavy burden to carry on one's shoulders, and it is often so because people who've experienced this feel 'tainted'. Because someone has violated their bodies, they now feel like they're worthless, and are often made to feel like that, if this secret is ever to surface.
I also want to make it very clear that not only women can be victims of rape—men can be victims of rape as well, and their experiences are often overlooked for that exact reason. Rape is rape, no matter what your gender or sexual orientation is.
But I've asked this before, and I'll ask it again.
WHY ARE SO MANY TEENS WRITING ABOUT RAPE LIKE IT'S A GOOD THING???
LIKE IT'S THE BEGINNING OF A WONDERFUL LOVE STORY???
WHAT'S SO ROMANTIC ABOUT SOMEONE ASSAULTING YOU??
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Not only that! But they go on to narrate how a woman giving birth to a rapist's child is a magical experience! Like hey, this baby is a reflection of all the pain, humiliation, and suffering you've made me go through, how exciting! And, oh look, the father, the man who has practically ruined my life, is here to hold my hand the whole way!
Oh hey and guess what? That kind of content goes against Wattpad's official guidelines:
"The following sexual content is not allowed on Wattpad, and will be removed:
[...]
Stories encouraging or promoting non-consensual sex
Non-consensual sex includes rape, sexual assault, kidnapping for sexual purposes, or sexual slavery, regardless of whether the character or their guardian "voluntarily" accepts such conduct."
There are tons of books out there that have millions of reads with this kind of content, and there are people who show their approval by commenting and voting.
Unless rape is portrayed correctly, then it shouldn't be portrayed at all.
I've lost all faith in humanity. Someone get me the fuck out of here and onto another planet.
🍟🍟🍟
Is there something that you're itching to complain about, but have the good sense not to do so on a public forum? I can do it for you! Feel free to PM me with the topic you want me to rant about, and I won't think twice before adding it here. I'll be waiting!
