Topic > Toxic Masculinity and Rape Culture: A Connection

IndexThe Endless Spread of Toxic MasculinityFinal ThoughtsWorks CitedThe harmful term otherwise known as toxic masculinity refers to the norms that govern not only men, but also women and the entire society; When talking about toxic masculinity, the goal is not to offend men, but to bring attention to the negative aspects of socially constructed masculinity and the harmful impacts they can cause. To shed light on the harmful impacts of toxic masculinity, this argumentative essay aims to discuss sexual assault, domestic violence, and substance abuse as consequences of toxic masculinity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhen looking at toxic masculinity, the focus is specifically on how men are socialized into traditional male gender roles, whether their emotions are restricted, whether socialized expectations are dominant, and other similar implications that have effects” toxic” which include, but are not limited to, sexual assault, domestic violence and substance abuse. Predictably, many feminists have pointed out a possible link between toxic masculinity and rape forming something known as “rape culture.” In her book Transforming a Rape Culture, Emilie Buchwald explains that a rape culture is created when society as a whole begins to, in some sense, support and normalize sexual violence. In her book she specifically defines rape culture as “a complex set of beliefs that encourage male sexual aggression and support violence against women. It's a society where violence is seen as sexy and sexuality as violent." In rape culture, women are the main target of physical and emotional terrorism and it is seen as something normal and expected. Indeed, within a rape culture, sexual violence as a whole is seen as inevitable. With this information the question emerges as to whether or not toxic masculinity is what perpetuates rape culture within the diverse societies in which it is found. The Endless Spread of Toxic Masculinity Today we can see implications of toxic masculinity almost everywhere in a country like the United States of America. America; college campuses are filled with misogynistic slang and fraternities that take part in significantly sexist activities. Even at elite Ivy League universities like Yale, incidents that normalize sexual violence against women are not necessarily rare. A little over a year ago, members of a Yale fraternity chanted outside a freshman women's dorm: "No means yes, yes means anal!" and "My name is Jack, I'm a necrophiliac, I fuck dead women and fill them with my sperm." and this is not the only experience of misogynistic events that the university has experienced. Lindsay Beyerstein explains in her article, ““No Means Yes, Yes Means Anal” Frat Banned From Yale” that some students and alumni at the university had felt that these incidents had led to the creation of a “hostile sexual environment” – something that we can reasonably interpret as a form of rape culture that is maintained at the university through actions that support core ideals of toxic masculinity by emphasizing men's ability to have physical dominance over women. This article has strength in its credibility due to the fact that the author is an award-winning investigative journalist, someone who has no personal interests or biases when writing on this topic; the article contains nothing but facts about the accident with theYale fraternity and the opinions of people in the Yale community who may have been affected. Even American politics today falls under the influence of toxic masculinity. In an article titled “The Party of Unrepentant Misogyny,” commentator Jill Filipovic elaborates on the idea that conservatism is more evident as President Trump, who was recorded talking about grabbing women by their genitals, lives in the White House area and governs as the face of the country, while the more female-populated party known as the Liberals continually sanctions involvement in sexual harassment, such as when they returned Harvey Weinstein's donations. Although the author of this article has well-articulated arguments and uses justifiable examples to support them, a bias in her writing would not be surprising; the entire article, in a sense, rails against conservatism and the Republican party as a whole and does nothing but praise the left. A high-impact representation of toxic masculinity also occurs through language. Some everyday sayings are deeply rooted in sexism and gender norms that support the idea that the objectification of women is anything but harmful and that manhood is drastically more important, such as the phrase "brothers before bitches " - a common saying among today's teenagers. . Other idioms can also downplay the effects of rape, such as how most players say "I just raped you" rather than "I just beat you." When looking for more local implications of toxic masculinity that have a correlation with the creation of a rape culture, the United States criminal justice system should surprise no one. According to data from the Ministry of Justice in 2008, only 38% of rape cases resulted in a rape conviction. Plea bargaining – when both parties in a criminal court case come together to form an agreement outside of trial – has led to men accused of rape being able to plead guilty to a lesser crime and therefore spend less time in prison, facing the repercussions . , than they would if they were actually accused of the rape they committed. Rachel Williams, a writer for the Guardian, explains in her article “Fewer rape convictions as bargaining prevails, report suggests” that doing so creates the idea that rape is acceptable and will not have serious repercussions when it is committed. It also quotes Ruth Hall, of Women Against Rape, who says that "The rapist will be confirmed in his belief that he can get away with rape and is more likely to do it again." global pandemic which, although improving, is still a problem that we must all try to find a solution to. A multitude of patriarchal countries are known to oppose ending gender-based violence because it would constitute a violation of their traditional, cultural and religious customs. It would be entirely justified to say that these same customs are also based on toxic masculinity, considering that they promote male superiority and do nothing but objectify women, making it clear that they are nothing more than what men make of them. Look to countries like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan as prominent examples of toxic masculinity that is culturally ingrained and has led to the nation becoming a rape culture. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Personalize essayFinal thoughtsA possible solution to this would be the creation of more masculine identities. What is meant by this is to do something to eliminate the social expectation of men to be dominant, to be deprived