Jessica Bronson recently sent the following letter to the Alligator, an independent newspaper in Florida.
Regarding Friday’s article “Rape rate low, press hype high”: While the media coverage of the recent rapes in Gainesville can be viewed as overly sensational, perhaps there has been too little coverage in the past. Residents shouldn’t live in a state of fear, but anything that brings attention to personal safety and rape prevention is ultimately beneficial.
Even one incidence of rape is too many, and the first defense is awareness and prevention. The article reports that two rapes were by strangers and two were acquaintance rapes. It’s often the first frightening scenario that keeps people awake at night. But the vast majority of rapes reported are acquaintance rapes. By creating a public awareness and discourse, we can seek to diminish the social stigma that keeps many victims from reporting their attacks.
I agree with Jessica Bronson. The melodramatic media tends to over-exaggerate or overemphasize the danger of anything they report, for the sake of ratings. However, in the case of rape, the sensational reporting helps raise awareness about this serious and preventable problem.
Of course, the media fails to follow up their reports on rape with constructive ideas to systemically reduce the prevalence of rape and sexual assault. The media fails to do that, because the media only cares about ratings, which they get by putting the public in non-constructive panics. In addition to the media’s reports, society needs non-governmental organizations which actually works to plan and enact ways to reduce the prevalence of rape and sexual victimization.
We can do that. Society has the ability to drastically and systemically reduce rape and sexual assault. For example, we could stop wasting resources tracking down and jailing people for “victimless crimes”. Then, we could use the saved resources to stop rapists and sexually assailants from victimizing innocent people. We can put these victimizers in jail, and keep them under professional supervision until they are rehabilitated and no longer pose a threat to innocent people.
Get lights on the streets. Get security cameras in the buildings. Get potential victims in self-defense classes. Put an end to rape and sexual assault!
What do you think?
