//OPINION


Students have the power to end this


BY LEELA GOSHORN leelagoshorn@csdecatur.net


things that you know are directed at you. And all of the low cut shirts, tutoring sessions and not-so-accidental brush-up- against-yous are not helping. So now you’re at a party, and she’s had a bit to drink, and of course, she’s still playing those little games. As the night goes on, she’s getting tipsy. At some point, she’s barely responsive. Your buddies are egging you on, so the next step is... Leave her alone. Better yet, wake her


T


up. Te smartest thing to do would be to take her somewhere safe – like home to her parents. According to the FBI, the most common


rape victim is a white female under the age of 18. Her average perpetrator is a white male over 18 years-old. Fifty-seven percent of the time, she knows him. High schoolers can get pretty rough – but


assault isn’t a casual act. Shooting someone isn’t either. And you wouldn’t charge into your friend’s house while he was sleeping, kick and bruise him, rip him apart from between him legs and then take their prized possessions, would you? In Georgia, an act of rape is punishable by


imprisonment for life without parole or by death. And by Georgia law as well as federal law, rape is defined as any forced sexual inter- course with a woman by a man – regardless


49 CARPE DIEM • DECEMBER 2011


here’s this girl. She’s been flirting with you for weeks. She keeps doing all these


of the victim’s dress or state of mind. Tat’s right, it’s gender specific. Te International Association of Chiefs


of Police (IACP) has a problem with that. Te reality is that rape occurs in many other ways than just between a man and a woman. children are raped by their relatives, men are raped by men and both men and women are raped by strangers. Men and women alike are even raped by their partners. If there isn’t verbal consent, it can be hard to tell if both parties are willing. Regardless of the situation, rape is a


violation. Being overpowered and invaded by someone is traumatizing. High schoolers must not diminish this. American literature teacher Chris Parizo hears the word “rape” coming out of Decatur students’ mouths constantly. “As a teacher, I hear that word being used and de-powered on a regular basis, and that’s kind of scary,” he said. People may argue that the word has been


transformed into having a new, less offensive meaning; however, the definition has not changed and neither has the act. Using the word “rape” in a joke not only makes victims uncomfortable, but it also makes the word seem casual – and if “rape” becomes casual, then it’s going to happen more often and with less remorse. “It has become an Internet and video


game term for beating somebody,” Parizo said. “It’s so radically different than what’s occurring with the N-word in the English language. Te N-word is being adopted by


the African American community – but the word ‘rape’ is still used as a way of overpower- ing somebody else.… It is a disgusting crime. When the isolated event occurs, it’s shocking and numbing at the same time.” Rape can be an act of passion that is dis-


placed. In other occurrences, it is an act of hatred or domination. It has been used as a form of genocide. In the Rwanda genocide of 1994, Tutsi women were raped as an at- tempt to eliminate their race. It has often been followed with murder – in 2006, four American men raped a 14-year-old girl in Mahmoudiya, Iraq, and then killed her and her family. Among teenagers just like us, this kind of


brutality is being turned into a joke. Students at Decatur have a lot of power.


You have the power to make victims ashamed and silent – but you also have the power to keep your shameful comments to yourself and to notice how the atmosphere changes. If you encourage victims to speak up, you can actually protect any future victims. Tis isn’t just girls who have been drinking too much. It is your little brother or sister, boyfriend or girlfriend and potentially even yourself. n


Join the conversation at 3ten.org.


Illustration by Leela Goshorn


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