The trivialization of rape

Last Wednesday, the Kingsmen, an all male a cappella group at Columbia, advertised their fall preview show with fliers that joked about childhood sexual abuse and misogyny. One of them featured a picture of a Catholic priest with the caption, “Eleven singing boys, you say?” and another one of a female Occupy Wall Street protester, reading, “Occupier? I just met her.” These fliers perpetuate rape culture on campus. Rape culture exists when society creates the conditions in which rape occurs and makes these conditions the standard, so that sexual violence is common and virtually impossible to prevent. Joking statements about sexual assault and sexism contribute to the normalization of sexual assault and sexism. We, as a collective of individuals, are committed to ending rape culture.

Time and again, the Kingsmen have advertised concerts with offensive fliers. In 2009, students involved with Take Back the Night published an op-ed in Spectator critiquing the group’s fliers that made fun of consent. The Kingsmen promised never again to flier with jokes about sexual assault. In 2010, however, the Kingsmen used the same tactics, this time garnering attention from a wider variety of campus organizations and media outlets. Soon after, members of both the Anti-Violence Coalition and the Kingsmen met, and members of the Anti-Violence Coalition concluded that the Kingsmen should seek education on issues regarding sexual violence and restructure their flier-making process. Unfortunately, it is clear that the Kingsmen took neither of these suggestions seriously. Because the Kingsmen fell through on their promises, we decided not to reach out to them for discussion. We decided to act.

Consistently the Kingsmen have said these fliers are “just jokes,” but we believe that the Kingsmen are not in a position to be capitalizing on trauma. Their fliers make clear that they don’t fully respect the gravity of rape and sexual assault. They make jokes about rape to attract audience members and to be provocative, not because they have a vested interest in using jokes to make rape and sexual assault less traumatizing.

In response to those who have insinuated we should be focusing our energies on greater issues, we assert that the disrespect of the Columbia/Morningside Heights communities and trivialization of their trauma is a big issue. We respond to these offenses because actively working to end rape culture is crucial to creating an environment in which everyone can feel safe.

We remind readers that we have never suggested that Kingsmen are rapists. We have simply addressed their behavior and voiced concerns regarding fliers that make Columbia feel unsafe for both survivors and their allies. Admittedly, we prioritize the safety of survivors and their allies over their concerts. The Kingsmen advertise at the expense of their peers and experience minor repercussions—they were not forced to spend a weekend emotionally triggered by this flippant use of a rape joke.

Columbia is not isolated from issues of rape, sexual assault, and relationship violence. The Sexual Violence Response program at Columbia exists because we need one—the Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center and the Men’s Peer Education Program function strictly because sexual violence and sexism are problems here.

This is not an issue of free speech—if it were, the Kingsmen would be debunked as propagating hate speech. This is not an issue reserved for the Catholic church—though the fliers reference the sexual abuse charges made against Catholic priests, we ally ourselves with all survivors regardless of religious affiliation. This is not about “taking a joke”—taking a joke means invalidating our feelings and absolving the Kingsmen of responsibility. Sexual assault transcends gender expression, class, race, sexual orientation, nationality, ability, religion, region, culture, history, political affiliation, etc. Across these divides, fliers like those that the Kingsmen use affect us all. Sexual assault is a human issue. When you engage in behavior that trivializes rape, sexual assault, sexism, racism, and homophobia, and all other forms of oppression, you cultivate a campus that is unsafe for everyone.

Lauren Herold is a Columbia College senior majoring in women’s and gender studies. Amanda Evans is a Barnard College senior majoring in English. Maya Nair Noonan is a Barnard College junior majoring in anthropology. Suzanne Arrington is a Barnard College junior majoring in financial economics. Kia Walton is a Columbia College senior majoring in women’s and gender studies.