At this point you should have read, thought about, and listened to a sizeable amount of information about the systemic nature of gender-based violence and rape culture.
People often talk about GBV as a private, personal experience — one that stems from our interpersonal relationships and/or individual experience. But as the readings and my lecture indicate, GBV is a systemic problem. For this thread, I’d like you answer: What are some of the reasons gender based violence (GBV) a systemic problem, as opposed to a “personal” or individual experience? Rather than incorporating a specific number of key terms, instead I’m looking for citations/examples from the text (Shaw and Lee) and/or my lecture. (Use “Feitz, GBV Lecture” as your citation).
Please conclude your post with a discussion question.
Possible topics you can explore:
- the connections between various types of GBV
- failure of law enforcement, society, to provide support services and/or advocacy and/or legal consequences for perpetrators
- pervasive nature (and invisibility) of rape culture
- gender ideologies and stereotypes that contribute to GBV
- root causes
- obstacles in educating and/or informing people about GBV
- numbers and statistics
- other observations, insights, etc. from the text, lecture, or real life
If you haven’t listened to my lecture, please go back and do so. I’m looking for evidence that you’ve read, listened, and ENGAGED with ALL of the material. This means using concrete examples from the texts and your own observations.
This is intense material and people often feel uncomfortable talking about it given its deeply personal nature and invisibility. Some men find it especially difficult to talk about — for reasons that I highlight in my lecture. But, gender-based violence affects ALL of us. It’s also pervasive on college campuses — so, let’s be thoughtful, honest, and sensitive as we work through this difficult topic.
