Summary:
Why is rape not more common in mainstream stories?
Because
---it’s not as useful/versatile a tool for driving narrative compared to murder, and
---it’s not terribly enjoyable outside of porn
-When rape is shown, why is it so bad?
---because we identify with suffering more than death itself.
---and rape victims tell us that suffering is very real.
---dead guys don’t tell us much.
(Summary here is for clarity. The long version turned out less organised than I had envisioned)
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Long version:
Rape, Murder and depictions in media.
Miscellaneous stuff:
Shinta has pointed, rape/murder in non-serious context exist.
-non-serious rape media include porn and select stories.
-non-serious murder media include John Wick 2 and a plethora of other stuff.
-Serious rape media essentially doesn’t exist aside from documentaries.
-Serious murder media include largely documentaries to tragedy movies (think WW2 movies about Jews).
Driver for media contents include:
-agenda of the producer
-demands from the consumer.
If someone doesn’t want to talk about it, it won’t get made. It people don’t want to watch it, and producers know that, it won’t get made.
Now let’s hit the main issue you have with media depicting rape:
Why does popular media depict so little rape? When it does, why is it so bad? Why is murder more common and more accepted?
Rape as a narrative tool:
Rape for the most part isn’t pleasant to watch outside of porn. It also doesn’t drive a story forward in a way murder does.
Rape vs MC.
When it’s a case of the MC or related parties being raped, it usually serves as a reason for revenge. You can achieve a similar effect by murdering the MC’s family, or have the MC suffer other forms of harassment.
The benefit by avoiding rape as a topic is that the medium ran be rated for a wider audience. Parents don’t have to give sex education to their kids afterwards.
Rape by MC:
Narratives follow this general direction:
-Main characters encounter a problem.
-Main characters take action to resolve the problem.
-????
-Story.
As an action, murder solves problems in ways that rape doesn’t. The MC may be forced to “kill” someone in order to progress with whatever their agenda is (such as staying alive).
I can best express this as “there’s no good reason to rape someone”. You can interrogate, detain, delay or incapacitate someone without raping them. The “raping” part only serves the benefit of the rapist, taking away their moral highground when characters perform necessary evils.
Example:
-I killed him because he was after my life. I had to get that information out of him. I couldn’t let him leave.
-I had(???) to rape him
(The only reason I can think of, is if you’re required to impregnate someone forcefully. That’s pretty niche territory. )
In summary, rape isn’t as versatile or as logical an action for conflict resolution in most narratives. Amongst other reasons (taste etc), that’s why it’s shown less in narratives.
Now when it does happen, why is it so cringe-worthy?
-Well for one, because there is no redeeming factor in the act. (Enter above paragraph about rape being non-essential and only benefiting the rapist).
Rape, murder and suffering.
We’re taught that rape victims suffer physically and mentally from this by survivors. Their suffering, screaming, anguish, fear and helplessness is also what’s depicted on screen. That’s something most viewers can identify with.
Suffering experienced by the dead is difficult to conceptualise, because they’re dead. One can imagine the lost life they could have lived, or estimate the lost economic productivity they could have provided and so forth. But no one really knows what it feels like to have that taken away from you and not be around to watch it. Suffering stops once you’re dead. It’s the living who continue to suffer.
Let’s talk about Game of Thrones for a bit. Ramsay Bolton is a cunt, not because he killed a bunch of people like everyone else in the show, but because he causes suffering by raping and torturing for no reason other than to satisfy his own twisted desires. No one likes Ramsay Bolton.
Finally, I want to talk about mutual intentions.
Rape is pretty one-sided. One person has the upper hand, and takes sexual advantage of whoever they’ve pinned down. It’s never “rape or be raped”.
Murder can result from two people fighting, and one kills the other out of ‘necessity’. That’s excusable from a self defence perspective. When one person has an overwhelming advantage and just wastes innocent people they’re not in conflict with? You can call that a slaughter. (eg mass shooters)
And society doesn’t have anything good to say about them either.
Summary:
-Why is rape not more common in mainstream stories? Because
---it’s not as useful a tool for driving narrative, and
---it’s not terribly enjoyable outside of porn
-When rape is shown, why is it so bad?
---because we identify with suffering more than death itself.
---and rape victims tell us that suffering is very real.
MFauli, if you want to talk about rape being a useful narrative driver, go right ahead. I’m no expert in story writing.
As for whether the suffering from rape is real or not, and whether it compares with dead people, you’ll have to take this up with rape victims and dead people.
Originally Posted by MFauli
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