tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867160950111094028.post2527410314293455730..comments2024-03-25T05:33:58.699-04:00Comments on Gizmo's Reviews: *Gizmos Reviews Presents* Rape, A Discussion By A SurvivorShelley Romanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13940356110721649786noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867160950111094028.post-34566631212239651882013-10-17T13:14:15.027-04:002013-10-17T13:14:15.027-04:00Our culture's representation of rape is defini...Our culture's representation of rape is definitely skewed and while I don't appreciate seeing it in films and reading about it in books, I don't feel that because it's being used in these forms that it always mean they're advocating rape. It just needs to be represented fairly and I feel that it's often incorrectly. I applaud you for voicing your opinion though, there's nothing wrong with that and you should never feel you should keep quiet about something you feel so strongly about.<br /><a href="http://www.fortheloveofwords.net/" rel="nofollow">Bonnie @ For the Love of Words</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08964968798310433317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867160950111094028.post-57805964582957724822013-10-15T15:58:35.627-04:002013-10-15T15:58:35.627-04:00I'm a survivor of childhood abuse that include...I'm a survivor of childhood abuse that includes molestation. I suffer from PTSD and there are definitely triggers that can send me spiraling. A few times I've had them activated by a book, television show, or film.<br /><br />That being said, I don't shy away from violence in my horror novels. That does include rape. As someone who has worked with support group to help survivors, etc, I know the value of shedding a light on the truth of abuse. When I wrote The Tale of the Vampire Bride I included rape on purpose because I wanted my readers to be vastly uncomfortable with the premise that men can do whatever they wish when "married" to a woman. The acceptance of marital rape is a big issue worldwide. I also wanted people to be angry when the other vampire women regarded this as "okay." Lady Glynis is angered by her treatment and fights to free herself from her abuser, which is no easy task. I poured a lot of research into her development, even reading about Stockholm Syndrome. I've had survivors tell me how much they love Glynis because she does fight back.<br /><br />That being said, I have a serious problem with how the media uses rape as a plot device to usually bring down a strong woman so that she has to lean on the male hero, or as a device to make the male character the hero as he gets revenge for the sake of a woman. Oftentimes I feel these portrayals are salacious and lazy writing.<br /><br />We''re so brainwashed as a society we don't even realize that what we believe is wrong. Sometimes a book, movie, or television show sheds the light of truth on a subject matter and helps people break free.<br /><br />Example:<br />I know someone who saw Sleeping With The Enemy years ago and broke down sobbing in the theater. It wasn't until she saw that movie that she realized she was a victim of domestic violence.<br /><br />Fiction can be a teaching tool.<br /><br />A rape scene was recently shown in American Horror Story Coven. It involved a date rape drug. It was very hard for me to watch because I was slipped a drug while in NYC years ago and my husband (who was my bestie at the time) saved me from the guy who was trying to lure me away. I thought the scene was scarily accurate in how it portrayed the girl's disorientation and how EASY it was to drug her and rape her. One minute I was having a conversation with someone, the next I was in a world gone mad and couldn't even walk on my own. If not for my friends that night, who knows what would have happened. There was no slut-shamming involved in the scene either. It just showed how callous and horrible this sort of situation actually is. I really hope it opened some people's eyes.<br /><br />I suppose my point is that writing a rape scene doesn't make you an advocate of rape. Each book/tv show/film should be judged individually. I HATE our present rape culture, but I think we should discuss why it's wrong. If it takes a book/film/show to open someone's eyes, then I'm all for it.<br /><br />And I totally respect your opinion and salute you for standing up as a survivor. You're amazing. Never forget that.<br /><br />RhiannonRhiannon Fraterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04884113621201620171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867160950111094028.post-51485444555898992962013-10-15T09:57:53.115-04:002013-10-15T09:57:53.115-04:00Thanks for sharing your story. *hugs*Thanks for sharing your story. *hugs*ahz1https://www.blogger.com/profile/11505896406100655284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1867160950111094028.post-68411547265139175442013-10-14T23:20:51.629-04:002013-10-14T23:20:51.629-04:00I'm glad you wrote this post! In my review tod...I'm glad you wrote this post! In my review today I mentioned how I hate seeing rape as simply a plot device. But really, I hate seeing it at all, and I always get quite anxious when it comes up. Too many authors, especially in NA, are using it to make their books edgy or intense, and it makes me really uncomfortable. Rape is not entertainment.<br /><br />I was raped when I was 15, and 8 years later, I'm still not over it. Most days I'm fine, but I do still have nightmares from time to time, usually around the time I finish a book that involves it. Several of those books I'd have never picked up if I knew what I was getting into, so I wish authors could put a trigger warning, instead of leaving it as a "surprise twist" or whatever.Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13631988902905292014noreply@blogger.com