Grace and the Socialization of Sexualized Violence
Listening to a 19 year old playing video games, I was shocked to hear frequent use of the word "rape." "He raped me," "I'm gonna rape that (blank),"I'm raping you" ...
Since when did it become acceptable to joke about rape?
This boy, apparently, has plenty of company. Psychologists from Middlesex University and the University of Surrey conduced a study that discovered, when presented with descriptions of women taken from men’s magazines, and comments about women made by convicted rapists, most people could not distinguish the source of the quotes. The apparent normalization of violent sexism is pretty upsetting. Researching into the affects of music and video games amplifies our concern. So what can be done?
We can't change the whole of society. But we can influence our 'circle' beginning with our kids.
Talk to your kids. In an informal setting, such as while tossing a ball around or doing a chore together, invite conversation by asking open ended questions like "have you ever noticed how women are portrayed in video games" and "what do you think of...." Try not to 'lecture' but listen and direct. The idea is that waking up the mind to what really is "normal" allows for greater empathy - with empathy and compassion comes change. Like tossing a stone into a lake, our circles move outward, bumping into other circles, rendering change for the good!
And it all starts with a simple conversation.
Since when did it become acceptable to joke about rape?
This boy, apparently, has plenty of company. Psychologists from Middlesex University and the University of Surrey conduced a study that discovered, when presented with descriptions of women taken from men’s magazines, and comments about women made by convicted rapists, most people could not distinguish the source of the quotes. The apparent normalization of violent sexism is pretty upsetting. Researching into the affects of music and video games amplifies our concern. So what can be done?
We can't change the whole of society. But we can influence our 'circle' beginning with our kids.
Talk to your kids. In an informal setting, such as while tossing a ball around or doing a chore together, invite conversation by asking open ended questions like "have you ever noticed how women are portrayed in video games" and "what do you think of...." Try not to 'lecture' but listen and direct. The idea is that waking up the mind to what really is "normal" allows for greater empathy - with empathy and compassion comes change. Like tossing a stone into a lake, our circles move outward, bumping into other circles, rendering change for the good!
And it all starts with a simple conversation.
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