In the midst of writing articles that highlight the over-sexualized environment of the University and the world, I am often reminded in the most subtle -- and jarring -- ways of the residual effects of such an environment. Sitting in on a discussion last week with my lovely black sisters of United Sisters, I was reminded of the realities of sexual assault and specifically its effects on black females at the University and beyond.
One female referenced how music pervades the easily penetrated realm of middle school students (and younger) and influences their thoughts about their sexuality and interaction with the opposite sex. She recalled the lyrics of an R. Kelly song, "Yea, let me lick you until you say stop" that resonated with everyone in the room and very likely with many reading this column. The song arrived on the scene when many of us were supposed to be a little too young to be listening to such lyrics.
Now, as I write this column, I am listening to R. Kelly's "Greatest Sex" and wondering how everything -- music, rape issues, articulation and expression of sexuality, television and so on -- plays into the continued reality of today: the rape culture.
Music and television permeate every part of our reality on a daily basis. From jazz to punk to classical to hip hop, sexuality and sex are expressed subtly and even quite overtly in the name of rhythmic poetry. Television provides us with the likes of "Family Guy," a college favorite these days, "Real World," and others. As much as the former is a parody of life in the United States and the latter a supposed illustration of reality in the United States, the constant sexual tension that pervades our minds is an underlying factor in both scripts.
This incessant inundation of sexual images in the United States bewildered the women in the United Sisters group, particularly because many of its manifestations in their lives go unnoticed. It simply isn't uncommon for a female to attend a fraternity party and be constantly and gratuitously touched by other students.
But in some way, the dancing styles supposedly warrant such touching because grinding supposedly requires constant groping. Those with such a misunderstanding may want to ask the female with whom they are dancing to instruct them on how to dance -- you may be surprised to find out that your groping is unwelcome.
This disregard for women as human beings and the subsequent treating of them as property carries a significant historical perspective for black women. The over-sexualized images of black women and black men were quite important to the discussion. Black men were viewed as sexual objects from the minute they touched U.S. soil. They were allowed to mate with black women to produce more slaves and then were sent to play with the cows any other time (as depicted in Toni Morrison's novel Beloved). Black women were viewed as sexual goddesses for controlling the overly sexual black male. Thus, they were raped by their white slave owners.
Today, minorities -- particularly black women -- are the most likely to be targets of sexual assault, particularly rape, according to statistics from the Department of Justice.
As the discussion with my sisters reminded me of the reality of sexual assault in the United States, this column should remind us to be critical of the society in which we live, one that exploits our consumption habits and feeds it with many things -- particularly images and ideas that we accept as real. Sexual assault and rape are a constant reality for all women and requires us to examine what we accept as a simple norm of American life.
Kurt Davis is a Cavalier Daily Health & Sexuality columnist. He can be reached at kurt@cavalierdaily.com
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