Don’t Blame My Vagina : How “Slut Shaming” Legtimizes Rape
Editor’s Note : The views expressed below are not my own. Karen Lloyd (@Mz_Karizma) makes her debut on Veritas dealing with the issue of rape and the unfortunate perception that sometimes it is the woman’s fault. Read. Comment. Enjoy.
What did my vagina ever do to you? Yes I know my short skirt titillates your senses but that’s no invitation for sex. There is no invitation until and unless I explicitly engage you for those purposes. I am not inviting you for sex when I am skimpily dressed nor when I accept an invitation to your house after a date.
Slut shaming is the act of calling a woman a slut because of how she acts, what she wears and her choice and number of sexual partners. This is socially dangerous as it leads to the legitimization and acceptance of sexual offenses against women. It is much easier to see rape as acceptable when we deem the victim as ‘loose’.
Slut. Whore. Harlot. She called it on herself.
Hear The Children’s Cry
“Something in the heart of most human beings simply cannot abide pain inflicted on the innocent, especially children. Even broken men serving in the worst correctional facilities will often first take out their rage on those who have caused suffering to children. Even in a world of relative morality, causing harm to a child is still considered absolutely wrong. Period.” – The Shack, by W.M Paul Young.
“A Yah So Nice” Nuh Nice At All : Rape Lyrics Disturbing
Rape is a serious issue and must never be trivialised. Homosexuals have sex because they choose to, a woman has no choice in being raped. Tonight on Twitter, I came across the lyrics of a popular dancehall song which has been making the rounds on local airwaves. The song, titled “A Yah Suh Nice”, contains a line where the artiste declares “Before mi tun a battyman, mi wudda tun a raper”. I find the lyrics deeply troubling, not only because the artiste has poor grammar (I’m not aware that “raper” is a word), but because of the alarming message. I wish to share my thoughts on this.
Rihanna’s “Man Down” : The Jamaican Reality
Bajan born sensation Rihanna has finally released the much anticipated video for her single “Man Down”. The video, shot in Portland Jamaica, has been the subject of some amount of criticism. Individuals have complained that it is a negative portrayal of Jamaican life and the culture. I’m compelled to lend my humble opinion to the debate.
There comes a time when those of us who lead comfortable lives in our gated communities, and who seldom venture beyond Half Way Tree or Liguanea must come to the realisation that there is so much more to the Jamaican society. There are garrisons, ghettos and slums. There are rapists, murderers and dons. There are people what are deading befront dem fambily, befront dem madder and dem bredder. There are pit latrines and areas with no electricity or piped water. There are shacks, board houses and rampant poverty. In fact, 20% of the population live below the poverty line; that’s some 540,000 people. This is the Jamaican reality for so many. And according to STATIN and the PIOJ, the vast majority of this country is rural. Not urban. Not “UPT”. Rural.
Mr. Editor
GRASSROOTS JAMAICA 