Rape: Small Word, Long Sentence
Posted by charliegrrl on May 22, 2007
Manchester Police and St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre have teamed up to produce an ad campaign against rape to be televised on local tv in Manchester.
Rape: Small Word, Long Sentence
May 22, 2007 at 8:23 pm
The man in the first video looks sad. Why? Is it because he’s in prison?
May 22, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Yeah he is in prison, it shows it at the end- is it not obvious cos I thought it was?
May 22, 2007 at 9:34 pm
I think its obvious he’s in prison. Pity most rapists don’t end up there esp ones who are seen kissing and drinking with the girl beforehand!
I wonder how many people will watch that and still think its her fault for drinking with him, kissing him, and then going outside with him?!
Im glad its addressing the drinking in clubs issue though as sooo many people have poor attitudes towards this scenario of rape.
May 22, 2007 at 9:41 pm
p.s anyone know where I could get the music - pref the female singing or was the music made just for the ad?
May 22, 2007 at 10:11 pm
It’s obvious he’s in prison, yes. I was getting at the way the clip portrays rape as bad because it can put men in prison. I don’t like the way the ad implies that he made a mistake (he is sad and regretting his ‘mistake’).
May 22, 2007 at 10:27 pm
I think the message intended is prison is a consequence of rape, hence rape, short word long sentence. So trying to put men off by saying they will be convicted. But by saying that, that sounds bad- that prison should put men off raping- cos men should be so horrified by rape of women because of the violation to the woman, not what will happen to him as a consequence.
But if it discourages men from thinking that just because he is drunk and so is the woman, that he can rape her with no consequences, then that’s good.
May 23, 2007 at 5:17 am
Yeah, I agree. “Don’t rape women because you’ll go to jail” isn’t really tackling the root of the problem (which would involve “Don’t rape women because they’re people”), but it’s a start, even if he probably wouldn’t be convicted in reality.
It’s also good that they set it at a social function and had them dancing and kissing beforehand, because it’s important for people to understand that it’s rape as soon as she withdraws consent, and “she led him on” isn’t an excuse.
May 23, 2007 at 9:20 pm
I’m so glad that the victim actually wasn’t portrayed in a short skirt, or even low cut top.
I was struck by the ‘dont rape cuz you’ll end up in jail’ and the ‘this guy is sad cuz he’s behind bars’, rather than the ‘dont rape cuz it will hurt and damage the victim’ and ‘this guy is sad because he can’t live with what he did to the woman who has fooled into being interested in him at the bar’. But like you say Charlie - if it discourages more people from rape then the end justifies the means I guess!
It’s good that their is an initiative out their at least, and good that they are showing the event from both sides.
May 27, 2007 at 12:12 pm
I agree Charlie rape is not a ‘mistake’ made by men it is a violation of women’s rights. Given that women are always presumed to consent to any sexual activity unless they can categorically prove otherwise, putting accountability on men is a start. Perhaps Manchester Police will show other scenarios such as a woman and man engaging in touching each other and then the scenario changes to one wherein the man ignores the woman’s request to stop and it is made crystal clear the man has committed rape not ‘misinterpreted the woman’s demands.’ Dominant sexual scripts still hold women accountable for men’s sexual behaviour and actions. Which is why it is so difficult to change this belief. Women still not have the right to express their sexuality without the very real danger this will be perceived as a ‘green light’ for the man to pursue his own sexual agenda because the woman supposedly ‘led him on.’
June 2, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Eck. I have mixed responses as well. Men who rape women shouldn’t be sorry because they get caught, or they get sent to jail. If anything they should be sorry for ruining the womans life. They should be distressed at the fact that if that woman gets PTSD, or if she becommes afraid to get drunk anymore, if she becommes afraid to walk around alone anymore, if she feels she can’t trust her judgement regarding men (friends, family?) of the opposite sex etc. it will have been his, and soley his fault.
Furthermore: While these are the reasons he should feel upset, his feeling upset doesn’t feel like it should be the focus. He’s not the one who has to go through all the above mentioned things.
I mean, I hope that this really does stop potential rapists, but…
I don’t like the way it’s done.