Although I am a full supporter of the right to free speech and freedom of the press, there are instances when indecency and inappropriateness of printed material crosses the line'one of which is a particular discussion of rape.
Rape is never to be trivialized or glorified for any purpose'even for the sake of art. Yet the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Post, an independent student newspaper, violated this unspoken ethical code in November by publishing a graphically disturbing photo essay entitled 'Bedtime Stories.' Created from the 'guilt ridden sexual desire of getting raped' of recent graduate Sara DeKeuster, the former photo editor for the publication was depicted as being followed, attacked and sexually assaulted in a parking garage.
I normally view sexuality with a 'to each their own' sentiment, but the actual desire to be raped induces utter disgust and mild nausea. While each person has a right to express their sexuality in whichever way they desire, this sordid 'artistic' display crosses the line of respect for others. By making a rape into a staged occurrence and printing it in a free publication, DeKeuster and her editor Diego Costa disrespected all victims of sexual violence. Their message could not be further from their intended 'exploration of age-old repressed female sexuality in its attempt to strip itself of social and feminist constraints.'
The only constraints this sickening piece threw off were ethical. Excuse me for being yet another bleeding-heart feminist, but these audacious editors failed to comprehend the physical and emotional pain a victim of sexual assault experiences not only during and after the attack but also after viewing this photo essay. Depicting rape in the manner of one's sexual fantasy brought to life through celluloid and ink is a slap in the face to all victims. It is as disturbing as printing a photo essay on a morbid desire to die in a terrorist attack and distributing it to 9/11 survivors.
'Bedtime Stories' only reverts to the centuries-old conception that a female secretly desires to be objectified, stripped of her dignity and forced into brutal sexual intercourse. The adverse reaction to the photo essay is not a 'superficial understanding of art,' as the creators describe. Rather, the essay is a superficial understanding of the victimization that comes from rape.
It was a grave mistake to publish 'Bedtime Stories,' and though the university can take no action against the independent paper, the Post should take internal disciplinary measures on the editors whose lapsed judgment allowed this repulsiveness to be printed. Still, the free office space which the UWM Post receives from UWM should not be jeopardized due to the indiscretion of a few. It would be a mistake for the university to chastise the members of the UWM Post who had no hand in the publication of the photo essay by taking away their work space.
While proactive attention to the sensitive issue of rape is imperative, why did it take the publication of a staged rape photo essay to prompt UW-Milwaukee to form a coalition to fight violence against women? It is ridiculous that such efforts were organized only after a fictional piece raised public outcry. Why did the UW-Milwaukee campus not explode with anger and action after a real sexual crime last year, when a girl was dragged into bushes and attacked by five classmates?
Let this be a lesson for our campus. Let us not be as blind to sexual violence as our fellow collegians to the east. Let us preemptively advocate an end to the horrors of rape.
