3.2: B. Myths and Realities

B. Myths and Realities

To assess students’ current level of knowledge, give them the quiz found in Attachment J, then discuss the following.

Begin covering this section by discussing what a myth is, perhaps defining it on the board. Then ask the class, individually or in groups, to compose a list of myths associated with sexual assault. Discuss the realities afterward. Have students write about which myths they had held (or even continue to hold) as realities, and which they had known were purely myths. What accounts for their assumptions? Have them reflect on the differing powers of personal experience, anecdotal evidence, and statistics. This may offer an excellent opportunity to discuss the importance and differences of both quantitative and qualitative research.

MYTH #1: Rapists are unknown strangers who jump out of the shadows.

REALITY: Six out of 10 rape or sexual assault victims stated the offender was an intimate, other relative, friend or acquaintance (U.S. Department of Justice). In fact, 83% of college women know their attacker (Community Violence Intervention Center).

MYTH #2: Rape is about sexual urges one cannot control.

REALITY: Rape is a crime of violence and not motivated by sexual desire. Rapists are motivated by the sadistic pleasure they derive and their need to control, dominate, hurt, degrade, and/or humiliate the victim.

A possible analogous story for this follows: Two teens are having sex in one teen's bedroom and the front door slams closed. The teens are hot and heavy, in fact they are in the act. Dad/Mom starts stomping up the stairs to the bedroom, shouting, "Who's in there with you! What are you doing?" Do you think the teens will be able to stop in the middle of the sex act or will they be unable to control themselves? Stopping and grabbing their clothes is an option. Continuing on is a choice one or both makes.

MYTH #3: The victim brought it on her/himself by a) dressing the way s/he did, b) acting the way s/he did, c) being where s/he was, d) looking the way s/he was, e) engaging in certain activities before the assault.

REALITY: No one "asks" to be sexually assaulted. There is an assumption regarding this myth that the power of preventing the crime is in the victim's hands. The power of COMMITTING the crime is in the perpetrator's hands, not the victim's.

Engage the class in a discussion about commonly held misconceptions about a man’s right to sex if he paid for an expensive dinner (at what dollar value does the woman “owe” the man?) or if she dresses seductively (what type of dress is seductive and what does that signal?). You might also lead a discussion about scoring and how it devalues women by treating them like objects of conquest.

MYTH #4: It was not rape because she did not resist.

REALITY: It is common for rape survivors to indicate that they feared for their lives and were immobilized by that fear.

MYTH #5: Men cannot be sexually assaulted.

REALITY: Both males and females can be raped by both men or women assailants.

MYTH #6: It is not sexual assault if there is no penetration of the vagina or anus.

REALITY: The definition of sexual assault is ANY sexual contact without consent or when it is impossible for the victim to give consent. (See previous definitions.)

MYTH #7: Sexual assault only happens to certain types of people.

REALITY: Sexual assault happens to people from every race, gender, religious background, sexual orientation, and economic class. It happens to infants, the elderly, people who are married and single, the strong and the weak. There is no telling whom a predator will choose as a victim.

MYTH #8: You can spot a sexual assailant.

REALITY: Just as victims come from all walks of life, so do assailants.

MYTH #9: A lot of victims cry "rape" when it never happened.

REALITY: Victims are no more likely to make false reports about rape than individuals who falsely report other felonies. Only about 2-8% of all rape and related sex charges are determined to be false (Jerin & Moriarity 1998).

MYTH #10: A real survivor will appear hysterical after the attack.

REALITY: There may be many stages that a woman will go through after the assault, including a phase during which the survivor will appear to be very much in control of her emotions. This is a normal coping mechanism for many, though not all.

MYTH #11: I live in a small rural community with a low crime rate; therefore, I don't have to worry.

REALITY: Sexual assault occurs in every environment: the city, the suburbs, small towns and rural areas. Also, it is estimated that only one in 10 rapes are ever reported (North Dakota Prevention Resource Center).

Discussion/Essay Topic: How do classism, racism, and/or sexism figure into these myths? What is the role of patriarchy in perpetuating them? A good piece for discussion is Susan Griffin's essay, "Rape, the All American Crime" (1971). If you want to really provoke conversation have students read "Fraternities and Rape on Campus," by Patricia Yancy Martin & Robert A. Hummer in Gender & Society, Vol. 3, No. 4, Dec. 1989.