Rape Culture
So, today, for the first time, I heard about a rape case. I mean, I have read many accounts, have heard of people cautioning us about these happenings, but it just never felt as real as it did to me today. I do know it happens, I do know it is real, just that it suddenly felt so much nearer than I thought it was.We were having this business club meeting when half way through, one of our group members read an SMS from her roommate that said that her roommate's friend was raped. There was an American in our group so we asked her some questions about how things work around here and it was like as if it was kind of normal to happen. Like no one exclaimed "What?!" or "Stop kidding, it's not funny." It was just "Oh shit."
And one of the things Danielle (I think that's how you spell her name) explained to us was that everyone here knows not to walk alone (bad example right here, I know) and that these things happen to anyone - boy, girl, big-sized, or petite (in her words, even if you are sumo-sized, you still can be a victim). She also said that Buffalo, and especially Amherst (where I'm staying) is counted as one of the safest cities in the state and maybe even entire country and yet these things still happen.
The girl who received the SMS was a China Chinese and she was like: China is so much safer than here.
I mean, we have to admit it. China has some bad points that many Singaporeans like to point out on - be it that they are loud and rude, or that cut queues and take too many samples. Yes, but you have to say that she is right that. China is safer than it is here in those terms.
It just doesn't make sense to me, you know? Such an established nation, who claims to be the best one around, and these things happens as part of a normality. Underground sex-trafficking has very little information (duh) but yet, when I did some reading around, many pointed back to this very nation. What is it that they are doing wrong that other nations are doing right?
Labels: buffalo, trigger warning, tw: rape, USA
Obviously in construction at the moment... or maybe forever because I'm lazy like this ;)
Visit Montana, Yellowstone National Park