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Is Rape Culture Getting Worse?

It is problematic enough to have a society that continuously blames women for their own rape, but now we have judges who work to embed this rape culture into law.

“If only you didn’t get drunk…If only you didn’t wear that short skirt…If only you didn’t dance so provocatively.” If you are familiar with these expressions, chances are, you understand—at a minimum—the power of living in a society that promotes rape culture.

But if you think rape culture and victim-blaming has reached an all-time high, think again. As Dahlia Lithwick eloquently stated in a recent Slate article, “when it’s the easy cases that start to make bad law, it’s really time to worry.” If we have learned anything from a recent Montana decision that epitomized rape culture and victim blaming, it’s that we should be worried.

The above excerpt was originally published in Role/Reboot. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Preston Mitchum

Policy Analyst