You don't have to be a rapist to contribute to rape culture.
In a recent MTV News video, 10 men sit down to explain what rape culture actually is -- and how their fellow dudes may inadvertently contribute to and benefit from it.
Complaints about the "friend zone" and unsolicited dick pics are but a few ways in which rape culture manifests. These enlightened bros also touch on pathetic pickup artist tactics, like negging, where men use backhanded compliments to manipulate women into going out with them.
"Which one of you sociopaths invented negging?" one man asks, while another suggests that the best way to pick up women is to "treat them like humans, and not just empty vessels for your junk." (A truly revolutionary thought!)
The men in the video also tackle the victim-blaming that often follows when women and men come forward with allegations of sexual assault, as well as the way that our society puts the onus is on women not to be assaulted, rather than teaching men not do the assaulting.
"It's probably the reason only 12 percent of rapes are reported," one dude says, referring to questions survivors often hear, like, "What were you wearing?" and "How much did you drink?" Another dude reminds viewers that many men also suffer the consequences of rape culture, with 11 percent of men saying that they've experienced sexual assault.
In the wake of the Brock Turner trial, recent Vanderbilt sentence and Baylor controversy, the video is a much-needed reminder -- from dudes, to dudes -- that rape culture is a very real thing that has got to go.
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