Christie Menna
http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/09/19/dear-facebook-rape-is-no-joke/
This blog discusses how Facebook, the largest social networking site out there, is failing to take the concept of rape seriously, which therefore creates a detrimental problem for all women, especially the ones who experience this trauma. I chose this article because in class we have discussed the importance of women speaking up, being heard, and taken seriously such as in the documentary "Raging Grannies." The blog explains how certain Facebook pages are being created that encourage rape, such as “Riding your girlfriend softly, 'cause you don’t want to wake her up” and “You know she’s playing hard to get when you’re chasing her down an alleyway.” There have been numerous complaints about these pages, but they have still not been taken down. Even if these pages are meant to be "funny", they are talking about rape, and rape is rape. There is nothing funny about rape. Think about the women who were actually raped and are seeing these pages on Facebook. This would make those women feel as if what happened to them did not even matter, that it was something that people simply mock and forget about and do not take seriously. Women who are raped and feel that their rape will not be taken seriously are fearful to speak out about what happened to them. By poking fun at rape on Facebook, it is inhibiting the chance that victims will speak out and rapist will be caught. The blog explains: "Hundreds of Facebook users have reported the pages as Terms of Service violations, and a petition at Change.org demanding their removal has received over 130,000 signatures. But Facebook has yet to take action." A change definitely needs to be made so that this serious subject will be taken seriously.
