Feministing.com Writer Zerlina Maxwell Addresses Rape Culture

On Sept. 25, Connecticut College Women’s Center welcomed Zerlina Maxwell to campus for a presentation that filled the Ernst Common Room. Maxwell, a political analyst and writer, for such websites as Feministing and Ebony, delivered a speech entitled “Rape Culture: Power, Privilege and Patriarchy.” Maxwell is a frequent political correspondent on a number of television programs. Her experience on /Hannity/, a political program hosted by conservative Sean Hannity of Fox News network, served as the basis for her presentation.

Maxwell began her presentation by defining rape culture, which, she argues, is far too prevalent in our society. She said that in rape culture, rape and sexual violence are common and are normalized, tolerated and even condoned by the attitudes and practices of the media and the general population. Maxwell cited numerous examples of rape culture, including Rick Ross’s verse in Rocko’s song “U.O.E.N.O,” which references drugging and date raping a woman, and reactions to the Steubenville trial, in which two 16-year-old football players were convicted for raping an intoxicated peer. Maxwell asserts that this prevalence of rape culture in all of the media we consume influences the ways in which we go about the world.

The reality of these statements is reflected in our national assault statistics. As Maxwell cited, one in four women will experience some form of sexual assault in college, one in five women will experience sexual assault over the course of their lifetime and one in six men will experience sexual assault during their lifetime as well. Alarmingly, 97% of rapists never spend a day in jail for their crimes, in part because over half of all rapes are never reported.

Maxwell appeared on /Hannity/ in March of this year to debate whether or not carrying a weapon can help prevent rape. Hannity, a proponent of carrying guns for protection argued that women can prevent rape by being armed. Herself a survivor of sexual assault, Maxwell said, “Don’t put it on me to prevent the rape” meaning that that women should not be the ones carrying the burden of crimes being done to them. Rather, she argues, we need to focus on the root of the problem stating, “I think we should be telling men not to rape women, and start the conversation there, with prevention.”

Connecticut College is blessed to have strong sexual assault prevention and support programs, but Maxwell argues that this is not enough to end rape culture. She argues that people – especially men – are learning about sexual assault too late in life. Shayne Kinsella ’15 echoed this sentiment declaring, “The importance of a regular, comprehensive, wide-reaching approach to changing the perspective and behavior of young boys cannot be overstated.” In an article she wrote for Ebony shortly after her debate on /Hannity/, Maxwell lists five ways in which to train boys how not to be rapists. To list:

1) Teach young men about legal consent.
2) Teach young men to see women’s humanity, instead of seeing them as sexual objects for male pleasure.
3) Teach young men how to express healthy masculinity.
4) Teach young men to believe women and girls who come forward.
5) Teach males about bystander intervention.

To achieve these, Maxwell recommends including rape culture as a topic in sex education for middle and high school students. By educating teenagers about the emotional aspects of sex alongside the physical components, we can help them understand what consent is and why it is important for all persons involved. Alongside this, teenagers can learn about bystander intervention, including telling an adult or helping someone leave a situation. This can be critical during teenage years, and would certainly be useful information upon entering the adult world.
Maxwell’s personal experience with death and rape threats that followed her debate with Hannity helped convince her about the need for consistent and effective vocalization against rape culture. When asked what advice she would give to students on how to help defeat rape culture in everyday life, she had one main suggestion: be a vocal, public ally. “Public support expressed by the privileged for historically oppressed groups…is critical,” she argued. The support she received after her sexual assault, as well as the threats post-Hannity, was critical for her moving forward. She believes that by continuing to speak in public forums that she can serve as an ally, and hopes that students will as well.

Olivia Dufour ’16 left the talk inspired by Maxwell’s explanation that “being activists can be tiring and frustrating, but that structural change in society is an ongoing process.” Attendees left the talk hopeful that change is in the works, armed with new confidence to be public allies and to encourage others to do the same.