In the last month, there were 3 violent crimes at Ohio State University. First, two rapes were reported within a week of each other, both occurring at the same location. Then a custodial worker shot two people, killing one, and then turned the gun on himself. Each of these events are horrible, and incredibly sad.
However it seems that the shooting in particular has produced a string of media stints and campus-wide advocacy in a way that has overshadowed the rape reports. The university’s “Emergency Management” service sent out at least four emails the day of the shooting giving detailed updates to students, faculty and staff; inter-campus news reported further daily updates on the situation, advertising support services for anyone involved or who urgently needed it; the undergraduate student government organized a candlelight vigil; and yesterday the university held a “funeral procession” through campus for the man who was killed by the shooter.
What was the university’s response to the rapes, you ask? More than 48 hours after the second incident was officically reported to public authorities, the VP for student life sent an email out to all students which, while sensitively crafted and non-victim-blaming, wrote simply that “…two Ohio State women students have reported that they were victims of sexual assault, in unrelated incidents.” The information anyone would have received before or after this email message was reported in a short segment on local news channels and blurbs in local newspapers.
First of all, I am not criticizing Ohio State’s efforts to support their students and staff or memorialize the victims of the shooting. That event was most certainly tragic, and I would never argue otherwise. What concerns me is the emphasis on the tragedy of murder and the need to address it in multiple accessible, culturally-embodied and public forms while simultaneously using an exclusive (i.e.: a support/news message to students only) band-aid approach to matters of “sexual assault” (note: the absence of speaking “rape”).
What is the message the unviersity is sending? Actually, I think it’s pretty obvious: Murder is more serious, more damaging, and more life-changing than rape. And this isn’t just Ohio State’s view, either. The media jumps on murder cases and the justice system dedicates itself to solving homicides (they top off the felony offense list). Yet rape cases are still one of the most underreported crimes in our society, and even when reported they are not taken with nearly as much gravity (for example, the numerous DNA samples for rape cases that go untested in almost every state). Even on individual levels, I met someone who responded that he doesn’t need to hear about incidents of rape because it’s the equivalent to (no pun intended) “being stabbed”, and then referred to sexual assault as “welcome” in a world where sex might be hard to come by if you’re socially awkward. That person in the same conversation thought that rape was overly emphasized by our media. I can only assume he means in the “be cautious when you’re drunk at a frat party” sense, but even then I believe his view is completely manipulated by the evolution of the media actually using the word “rape” with very little critical investigation as to how rape survivors actually survive, and how the perpetrators are punished.
Again, I’m not trying to argue here that rape is worse than murder. However, it seems to me the way we distinguish between rape and murder comes from a very limited view of life and of bodies. Talk to any rape survivor–though of course talk sensitively and at their level of comfort–and they will tell you how their life has changed. Their bodies may still be alive, their heart still beating, their brains still transmitting messages, their organs still intact, but the quality of their life and the way they live their life has changed. For some, the effects of rape are deeply internalized and might only be apparent in intimate relationship situations. Others become outwardly transformed, unable to trust anyone, unable to keep up any appearance of “normalcy” to their life such as maintaining a career or a family. Every victim experiences their rape in different and immeasurable ways, and it is not uncommon to hear some describe their experience as “dying”.
The way our medical system and our society inform one another I believe is exemplified in this case. Death is classified in our western, allopathic terms–on the basis of terminiation of cardiac and/or neurological function inside the physical body (aka “cardiac death” or “brain death”). The state and insurance companies use medical terminology in laws and contracts, and this informs the limits of what we, as people bound these definitions depending on our privilege/socio-economic status, can classify as “life” and “death”.
To be more concrete, I’ll give an example of what I see all the time where I work. Ohio law states that insurance companies are only allowed to provide coverage for second trimester abortion when proceeding with the pregnancy threatens the “physical or mental well-being of the mother”. Most of the patients I schedule for 2nd trimester procedures are diagnosed with something tragic, like “multiple fetal anomalies inconsistent with life”–as soon as the baby is born, it has little to no chance of survival. Often these kinds of diagnoses can’t be predicted early on in pregnancy, and once they are predicted, surgical abortion is almost always the preferred procedure because it’s quick and not very painful. The cost of the procedure, depending how far along the woman is in pregnancy, starts at around $13,000 if done at a hospital or private practice. Now if we take the case of fetal anomaly, it seems that giving birth to a baby that would almost instantly die would be super damaging to the well-being of the mother. However, when the insurance company says “well-being”, what they really mean to gauge is the threat of physical damage. Nine times out of ten, the insurance company denies the claim, and the woman has to choose between going broke or inducing labor (which is a long and often traumatizing alternative).
So what does this mean, what does this bring us to? Well, in my opinion, I believe we as a society should start thinking more critically and politically about the definitions of “life” and “bodies”, in a way that expands past the edge of our skin, and considers a more holistic view of livelihood or “living”. I realize I’m not this first to propose this (people instantly coming to mind are Socrates, Descartes, and more recently Butler and Haraway). But when it comes to pressing issues dealing with rape culture and reproductive choice, understanding a more complicated view of our bodies that is perhaps more subjective towards individual well-being could provide us with an opening. Maybe we start to talk about what it means for the victim to continue “living” after rape, and we can transform social awareness to trusting women/victims of sexual assault and supporting them in the legal battle against their offenders and the emotional battle against themselves. Maybe instead of campus police only offering a “women’s self defense” class we also see classes geared towards men about violence against women and when consent really is consent. Maybe we start demanding that a safe campus includes anti-oppression training and not just focusing the issue on underage drinking.
Admittedly, I have no idea if this is the answer, and if it is, implementing this cultural/attitudinal reform is another question entirely. For now, I think it’s worth reflecting on what makes life worth living, and how a school administration’s comparatively dismissive response to on-campus rape reports in light of a murder mirror our society’s ignorance of the pervasiveness of rape culture.
UPDATE: some related links…
‘To combat rape on campus, schools should stop keeping it quiet’
‘Seeking Justice for Campus Rapes’
