Yes, Virginia, there really is a rape culture

During the ongoing frenzy surrounding some American judicial appointment which struck me as Political Porn—and it was Political Porn in the true, etymological sense given that “Pornography” was once used to describe the writing about prostitution which has also been defined as “the unworthy or corrupt use of one's talents for personal or financial gain.”—I thought on ways to get out of the quagmire that social/political debate has become.

And in that I had to consider those who line up on either side of the political/social/gender divides. Those whose heartfelt conviction end up being little more than gasoline on a fire that I believe has been lit to distract us from the more nefarious activities of those who really shape our world. And that is not to detract from the validity of those statements and arguments. But they are just that: deeply held convictions about what should be right and what should be normalized.

What concerns me more about all of this is the widening of the divides between people who have far more in common than their “Masters” would want them to realize.

Central to this current “discussion” is whether or not a man can impose himself on a woman with impunity, and if that woman takes so long in coming forward with her allegations, can they be trusted. Never mind all the chatter about the Clintons and the far-left; they are just there to inflame and distract.

My observations on life, be it what I have seen, heard, or read, would say that not only can someone do that but, if they have the necessary influence, they can get away with it and leave their accuser with insult on top of injury.

However, to claim this is a “Man versus Woman” issue is a contortion and one that is contradicted by the number of women who, because of political alignment, publicly support the particular man in this situation. It also discounts the less highlighted issues of the rape of men which happens whether we want to believe it or not.

“Rape,” which was once defined as "to snatch, to grab, to carry off" and was usually accompanied by “Pillage,” is a much wider issue than the matter of sexual violence. It points to the underlying attitudes that are shared by Patrimonies, Aristocracies, Religions, and all those other gatherings of the powerful.

Without minimizing the brutal and dehumanizing impact of rape in the sexual term, considering it as a tool of power should make it easier for more people to galvanize against it. The current view that only men rape—and that other men condone it—serves only to divide and make conquerable.

However, the suggestion that there is a rape culture is impossible to ignore. Not only that, but it is endorsed and enshrined in many of the Bronze Age texts that many claim are the word of their god. Even the Greek Pantheon celebrated the sexual violence of their gods.

From the beginning, rape and pillage, have been central to the way we treat each other, the other life forms we share the planet with, and even the planet itself—Capitalism being the current glorification of snatching, grabbing, and carrying off.

It is central to how we see ourselves and it is, to my mind, the crux of the problem that we must address if we are to avoid the disastrous future we are all hurtling towards. Rape and pillage have been the cornerstones on which our empires have been built—even unto this day. The subjection of others for the sake of our sacred creeds and manifestos is rape and pillage. The extreme behavior of drunken “boys being boys” is rape and pillage, as is regime change, exploitation, genocide and all the things we endorse our governments to do on our behalf.

The use of force can be expeditious and more profitable, but we have often been warned that what goes around, comes around.  We cannot go on endorsing, by consent or disinterest, the widespread use of violence against women, children, men, and then vent our outrage when it is turned on us. We cannot go on celebrating those who use any form of power and force as a weapon.

We cannot go on arguing along political/social/gender lines. We cannot go on venting our outrage and adding to the bonfires lit to distract us. We cannot go dividing ourselves as “Left” or “Right,” “Male” or “Female.” That only leads to division and a weakening of whatever influence we might have. And switching the “brand” of our political representation may not be enough.

We must condemn all “Rape and Pillage.”