If one types in the word “rape” in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary search bar, the first definition that is displayed is referring to an herb of the mustard family that yields rapeseed oil. Second to the Old World Crop of the mustard family, that everyone is dying to know the definition of, is rape; the unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim. The classic definition of rape, and the term that most people think of first when hearing the word, is listed second in the dictionary. This is indicative of how rape is perceived, handled, and addressed in our society. Supporting the
Ear rape is a meme that has its origins in an online community and “mimetic hub site that hosts user-generated remixes and parodies of popular culture in the form of multimedia webpages featuring a still image or animated GIF” called YTMND. The term emerged in 2005 with an audio clip of Avril Lavigne singing “Chop Suey”. A user posted the clip and attached the term “Ear Rape” to it. Ear Rape is a term used to define high pitched sounds that are distorted or maid very loud and presented in sound clips or songs via youtube videos or flash videos. The main purpose of these sound clips is to annoy, surprise, and damage the viewer's senses. Since then the “Ear Rape” page has accumulated over 16,800 views and achieved a rating of 3.67 stars out of 5. Urban Dictionary, the Online resource for all things slang, has also latched onto the term. One can see that the real definition of Rape, stated above, is not a term that we would traditionally associate with undesirable singing. Since 2005, the meme has gone viral.
An idea that we have referenced many times in this course is the phrase "do it for the lulz". This is a justification that we associate with trolls and their motives, yet one can see similarities between trolling and creating and spreading Ear Rape sound bytes. Ear Rape is an annoyance to internet users and many qualities of those who spread Ear Rape can be found in the trolling community as well. Ear Rape is nothing without attention, so inciting a response from users is imperative. Common places to find Ear Rape videos are on youtube,4chan, and other sites of that nature. Popular videos to contaminate with sound distortions are recognizable cartoons, such as spongebob, pop culture songs, and other recognizable videos. Like trolls, replication is important to the survival of these inventions and the lulz is the driving factor behind that replication.
The Viral aspect “Ear Rape” supports the idea that memes are a means of communication and as a result, a part of our language. Richard Dawkins first defined memes in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene, as “used to explain the way cultural information spreads” (Dawkins). This terms originated from the Greek word mimeme, meaning imitated thing. The meme’s ability to spread relies on its popularity and reproducibility. We use language to communicate ideas, beliefs, and indicate patterns of behavior, and that is exactly what viral memes do. They spread across media platforms and screens and present themselves to users, waiting to be replicated, only to be sent out into the digital world in a different form, bearing the same message. In this case, the message is to normalize rape. Whether this is the intention of the digital community or not repeated exposure to semi unpleasant memes that are labeled as rape is concerning. The danger comes when the memes are negative and encourage patterns of behavior that desensitize the public to rape. Our language is powerful and memes have become just as powerful.
Ear Rape is a meme that contributes to the “culture of rape” and that has real implications that go beyond Internet entertainment. We live in a society that perpetuates a culture that does not take rape as seriously as it should and the meme “Ear Rape” is an example of how the digital world and our language within that space contributes to that. Rape Culture is defined as “a culture in which dominant cultural ideologies, media images, social practices, and societal institutions support and condone sexual abuse by normalizing, trivializing and eroticizing male violence against women and blaming victims for their own abuse”(Kacmarek). Ear Rape normalizes the term and sets precedent for calling things that are undesirable, rape. This is especially dangerous considering the history of rape and its inability to receive attention. Until recently, rape has not been seen as a “serious” felony. Even today, the arguments that “she asked for it” or that “the way she dresses” are factors in situations of rape. By normalizing rape and using it as a household name in pop-culture memes, “Ear Rape” takes away from the serious implications of rape, such as depression, suicide, and other mental and physical disorders. Rape is an issue that has historically received little attention. Internationally, rape is often not acknowledged and even results in victim shaming or expulsion for communities and families. Issues of sexual assault have serious implications that are seen globally. The meme “Ear Rape” lessens the severity of rape by comparing, for example, Avril Lavigne’s singing to rape. The meme, Ear Rape, exemplifies a society that accepts violence towards women and encourages it through digital replication. Sexual violence is so prevalent through media that its presence has become mainstream and invisible.
While conducting research on what is debated as an epidemic, I came across a lot of opposition to the term “rape culture”. Many people vehemently claim that there is no rape epidemic. Some people even blame feminism for bringing about a culture that is obsessed with accusing people of rape. In an article published by The Blaze, Contributing writer, Matt Walsh holds feminism at fault by stating that, “indeed, you expect feminists to be irrational about this topic because, for them, rape is not so much an actuality as it is an ideology. It might be appropriate to stop calling it Feminism altogether and start calling it Rapism” (Walsh). Yet claims that society does not perpetuate rape look foolish when popular bands such as Guns and Roses have album covers such as the one seen on their “Apetite for Destruction Album” that explicitly depict a rape scene (see figure to the right). This album was released is 1987 and recently recreated and put on display in Las Vegas to promote the band’s performance.
Even if one cannot see our culture as a culture that is unjust towards women and sexually exploiting them, one must acknowledge the importance of the digital world in our real culture. The fact that one informs the other, shows how important it is to examine the proliferation of memes that take away from real life social justice issues.
Susan Blackmore argues that memes are a form of information waiting to be replicated. In her article, she states that “the information that gets copied is called the replicator-and this idea is demonstrated in memes that go viral-they are bits of information that either succeed in getting copied, or do not” (Blackmore). These bits of information that are going viral are also targeting a vulnerable demographic. The replication and consequently the success of “Ear Rape”, has the possibility of reaching a vulnerable audience. The audience of this viral phrase that is attached to many memes and video distortions is a younger demographic. If young women who are the audience, whether intended or not, are exposed to memes that make a joke of rape they may not view rape as a serious issue, or worse, they may feel discouraged to report rape if they encounter sexual assault. The target demographic of “Ear Rape” directly coincides with the ages of which most rapes occur. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sex Offenses and Offenders, 44% of sexual assault of rape victims are under the age of 18 and 80% are under the age of 30 (Rainn). This is especially concerning because memes are popular in this same demographic. By normalizing rape among an audience that is most susceptible to dealing with issues of rape or encountering rape themselves, the meme is taking away from the validity of the action.
Google Trends indicates that the term has been on a steady increase in popularity since 2005 to 2015 and is projected to increase in coming years as one can see in the figure below (see figure below). So why is this a meme that has be legitimized and confirmed by popular websites and society gained so much attention that it has gone viral? One explanation can be seen in looking at the phenomena on the most basic level. The term is often applied to a high pitched or distorted sound byte attached to a meme, which most people do not want, but find it forced on them. I think that the term was coined due to the simple fact that the user identified common similarities, such as force, lack of consent, and displeasure, between these sound bytes and rape, and came up with the phrase “Ear Rape” to convey this. After the word association was coined, people accepted the language and replicated it. The digital world has solidified memes as a part of our language, and as a result, there are implications of our language that we must be weary of. “Ear Rape” is a negative meme that carries over from our digital language and means of communication into our live interactions and potentially has negative social implications that are a result of the normalization of the word rape.
lack of attention and justice that cases of r ape receive, historically and currently, are insensitive memes such as “Ear Rape”. “Ear Rape” is a viral term that has spread across the digital world that encourages the dissociation of rape to the true definition of the act and the serious repercussions for those involved. Ear rape is a meme that has its origins in an online community and “mimetic hub site that hosts user-generated remixes and parodies of popular culture in the form of multimedia webpages featuring a still image or animated GIF” called YTMND. The term emerged in 2005 with an audio clip of Avril Lavigne singing “Chop Suey”. A user posted the clip and attached the term “Ear Rape” to it. Ear Rape is a term used to define high pitched sounds that are distorted or maid very loud and presented in sound clips or songs via youtube videos or flash videos. The main purpose of these sound clips is to annoy, surprise, and damage the viewer's senses. Since then the “Ear Rape” page has accumulated over 16,800 views and achieved a rating of 3.67 stars out of 5. Urban Dictionary, the Online resource for all things slang, has also latched onto the term. One can see that the real definition of Rape, stated above, is not a term that we would traditionally associate with undesirable singing. Since 2005, the meme has gone viral.
An idea that we have referenced many times in this course is the phrase "do it for the lulz". This is a justification that we associate with trolls and their motives, yet one can see similarities between trolling and creating and spreading Ear Rape sound bytes. Ear Rape is an annoyance to internet users and many qualities of those who spread Ear Rape can be found in the trolling community as well. Ear Rape is nothing without attention, so inciting a response from users is imperative. Common places to find Ear Rape videos are on youtube,4chan, and other sites of that nature. Popular videos to contaminate with sound distortions are recognizable cartoons, such as spongebob, pop culture songs, and other recognizable videos. Like trolls, replication is important to the survival of these inventions and the lulz is the driving factor behind that replication.
The Viral aspect “Ear Rape” supports the idea that memes are a means of communication and as a result, a part of our language. Richard Dawkins first defined memes in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene, as “used to explain the way cultural information spreads” (Dawkins). This terms originated from the Greek word mimeme, meaning imitated thing. The meme’s ability to spread relies on its popularity and reproducibility. We use language to communicate ideas, beliefs, and indicate patterns of behavior, and that is exactly what viral memes do. They spread across media platforms and screens and present themselves to users, waiting to be replicated, only to be sent out into the digital world in a different form, bearing the same message. In this case, the message is to normalize rape. Whether this is the intention of the digital community or not repeated exposure to semi unpleasant memes that are labeled as rape is concerning. The danger comes when the memes are negative and encourage patterns of behavior that desensitize the public to rape. Our language is powerful and memes have become just as powerful.
Ear Rape is a meme that contributes to the “culture of rape” and that has real implications that go beyond Internet entertainment. We live in a society that perpetuates a culture that does not take rape as seriously as it should and the meme “Ear Rape” is an example of how the digital world and our language within that space contributes to that. Rape Culture is defined as “a culture in which dominant cultural ideologies, media images, social practices, and societal institutions support and condone sexual abuse by normalizing, trivializing and eroticizing male violence against women and blaming victims for their own abuse”(Kacmarek). Ear Rape normalizes the term and sets precedent for calling things that are undesirable, rape. This is especially dangerous considering the history of rape and its inability to receive attention. Until recently, rape has not been seen as a “serious” felony. Even today, the arguments that “she asked for it” or that “the way she dresses” are factors in situations of rape. By normalizing rape and using it as a household name in pop-culture memes, “Ear Rape” takes away from the serious implications of rape, such as depression, suicide, and other mental and physical disorders. Rape is an issue that has historically received little attention. Internationally, rape is often not acknowledged and even results in victim shaming or expulsion for communities and families. Issues of sexual assault have serious implications that are seen globally. The meme “Ear Rape” lessens the severity of rape by comparing, for example, Avril Lavigne’s singing to rape. The meme, Ear Rape, exemplifies a society that accepts violence towards women and encourages it through digital replication. Sexual violence is so prevalent through media that its presence has become mainstream and invisible.
While conducting research on what is debated as an epidemic, I came across a lot of opposition to the term “rape culture”. Many people vehemently claim that there is no rape epidemic. Some people even blame feminism for bringing about a culture that is obsessed with accusing people of rape. In an article published by The Blaze, Contributing writer, Matt Walsh holds feminism at fault by stating that, “indeed, you expect feminists to be irrational about this topic because, for them, rape is not so much an actuality as it is an ideology. It might be appropriate to stop calling it Feminism altogether and start calling it Rapism” (Walsh). Yet claims that society does not perpetuate rape look foolish when popular bands such as Guns and Roses have album covers such as the one seen on their “Apetite for Destruction Album” that explicitly depict a rape scene (see figure to the right). This album was released is 1987 and recently recreated and put on display in Las Vegas to promote the band’s performance.
Even if one cannot see our culture as a culture that is unjust towards women and sexually exploiting them, one must acknowledge the importance of the digital world in our real culture. The fact that one informs the other, shows how important it is to examine the proliferation of memes that take away from real life social justice issues.
Susan Blackmore argues that memes are a form of information waiting to be replicated. In her article, she states that “the information that gets copied is called the replicator-and this idea is demonstrated in memes that go viral-they are bits of information that either succeed in getting copied, or do not” (Blackmore). These bits of information that are going viral are also targeting a vulnerable demographic. The replication and consequently the success of “Ear Rape”, has the possibility of reaching a vulnerable audience. The audience of this viral phrase that is attached to many memes and video distortions is a younger demographic. If young women who are the audience, whether intended or not, are exposed to memes that make a joke of rape they may not view rape as a serious issue, or worse, they may feel discouraged to report rape if they encounter sexual assault. The target demographic of “Ear Rape” directly coincides with the ages of which most rapes occur. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sex Offenses and Offenders, 44% of sexual assault of rape victims are under the age of 18 and 80% are under the age of 30 (Rainn). This is especially concerning because memes are popular in this same demographic. By normalizing rape among an audience that is most susceptible to dealing with issues of rape or encountering rape themselves, the meme is taking away from the validity of the action.
Google Trends indicates that the term has been on a steady increase in popularity since 2005 to 2015 and is projected to increase in coming years as one can see in the figure below (see figure below). So why is this a meme that has be legitimized and confirmed by popular websites and society gained so much attention that it has gone viral? One explanation can be seen in looking at the phenomena on the most basic level. The term is often applied to a high pitched or distorted sound byte attached to a meme, which most people do not want, but find it forced on them. I think that the term was coined due to the simple fact that the user identified common similarities, such as force, lack of consent, and displeasure, between these sound bytes and rape, and came up with the phrase “Ear Rape” to convey this. After the word association was coined, people accepted the language and replicated it. The digital world has solidified memes as a part of our language, and as a result, there are implications of our language that we must be weary of. “Ear Rape” is a negative meme that carries over from our digital language and means of communication into our live interactions and potentially has negative social implications that are a result of the normalization of the word rape.
References
Blackmore, Susan. “The Power of Memes”. Scientific American. 2000
“Ear Rape.” Know your Meme News. Web. 28 April 2015 http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ear-rape
Kacmarek, Julia. “Rape Culture is: Know it When you See it. The Huffington Post.com. 1 June 2013. 28 April 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julia-kacmarek/rape-culture-is_b_3368577.html
Walsh, Matt. “Rape Culture Doesn’t Exist and There is No Rape Epidemic. The Blaze. 9 December 2014.Web. 27 April 2015.http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/rape-culture-doesnt-exist-and-there-is-no-rape-epidemic/
“Who are the Victims RAINN, Rape Abuse and Incest National Network. “Whoare the Victims?” Web. 27 April 2015. https://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-victims