Representation of Violence from the News Media - Report Example

Name Subject & Code: Instructor: Date: Representation of Violence from the News Media: Case Analysis The modern-day era is persistently surrounded by many forms of media, which influence what the society thinks and relates (Marhia 2-4). However, this does not mean that the public is a passive recipient, whose attitudes, decisions, and lifestyle is shaped by the influences of the media and, therefore, lacks a capacity to engage in critical reflection. Still, the media reflects the prevalent cultural assumptions regarding what should be viewed as being natural, normal, unusual, and inevitable (Phillips 1). The media helps to reinforce these assumptions. This paper examines a case of sexual violence in India, through analysis of media reports. The intention is to show how the media represents sexual violence by applying the concept of power and docile body. An underlying argument guiding this paper is that the media normalises the myths of power and docile body. In which case, while the males have the power to use and improve the females, the females are destined to be submissive to power, abuse and repair. Case Summary In the news article written by Annie Gowen and published by The Washington Post, a judge in India is reported to have overturned an order that had set a rapist free from jail in order to allow him go to a mediation session with his victim. The controversies Gowen (1a) highlights touch on the central concepts of transgression, power, and docile bodies. Gowen reports that Judge Devadass had attempted to show that since the victim was a mother of a child, the rapist could as well marry her since she is an unwed mother, in what he perceives would be a “happy ending.” The media report further indicates how politicians and police have made insensitive remarks regarding sexual violence, by putting the blame on women for dressing up in provocative clothing. Gowen provides another illustration of a judge in Delhi who had alluded to a worrying trend where young women consent to sex and then claim it is rape. In another controversial case, as Gowen (1b) illustrates, a man who had raped a 14-year-old girl had been acquitted, as the girl remained docile and could not fight “like a wild animal” during the rape. The concept of power in sexual violence Foucault views power as a centralised and dominant repressive force one group exerts over another group, which is imposed on the other using some form of physical coercion (Patton 67-9). Conversely, Pelypa (21) views powers as innate in social relationships, human practices, and institutions. The concept of power prevails in the manner in which Gowen’s media report depicts how men use the social justice and other instruments of power to exercise a dominant repressive force and discriminate against women. Sexual violence has disproportionately affected women, despite the fact that men are also subject to sexual assault and rape. Hence, it has been largely depicted by the media as a variant of gender-based violence. Indeed, this is what Gowen (1a) and Gowen (1b) report in their articles by attempting to show how the male judges blamed women for the rape and freed the male perpetrators. This shows that sexual violence is basically a means the media relies on to express patriarchal power, which in turn reflects and generates gender inequalities. At the same time, it depicts sexual violence as a constituent of the continuum of violence against women. Indeed, the continuum theory hypothesises that violence against women and girls are interlinked, and demonstrate patriarchal power relations and the societal gender discrimination (Alden 9). Based on the evidence Gowen provides in the case study, it is clear that sexual violence interconnects significantly with domestic violence since the Media report shows that women are meant to stay at home, get married, and provide men with sexual satisfaction. This is pointed at when Gowen quotes Judge Devadass saying that the victim of rape had a child out of wedlock and since she is nobody’s wife, the offender has to be allowed to meet her during the mediation session and eventually get married. Hence, due to power relations, the media shows that as long as women will continue to be subjugated to men, they shall continue to be at risk of rape while the rapists shall continue to go scot-free. The case study also indicates that sexual violence against women interconnects with other forms of discrimination, such as gender discrimination. In a related media report, also written by Gowen (1b), it is shown how Judge Devadass’ ruling indicates a glance into the patriarchal attitudes that continue to prevail in the male-dominated Indian judiciary. The article expresses antipathy that over two years since a student was gang-raped in India triggering public protect and a call for institutional changes, the judges in the country have continued to make gender-sensitive remarks based on power relations between men and women. Gowen (1b) shows that like other judges in the same school of thought with Judge Devadass, women should submit to male power. For instance, one of the judges insisted that child prostitution is not rape while another judge asserted that women engaged in premarital sex were likely to make claims that they have been raped. In the case published by Rediff.com (1), a high court judge in Kerala acquitted 35 men accused in the Suryanelli gang rape case, arguing the victim had been used in child prostitution, and hence had not been raped. Justice Basant argued that child prostitution is not rape, despite sufficient evidence indicating the 16-year-old victim had been abducted and forcibly taken to different places where more than 35 men raped her for 40 days. In a related case, written by Singh (1), a court in Delhi had passed a judgement freeing the offender, by arguing that premarital sex is not rape, in spite of whether there is a consent or not, particularly when a couple voluntarily elopes to “explore greener pastures of bodily pleasure.” Judge Bhat argues that women tended to fabricate stories of rape to avoid castigation by their parents. The judge further argues that girls should be socially and morally upright and should not get involved in sexual intercourse before they get married properly, and if they do so, they should not complain of rape. This argument is consistent with findings by Heyes (5), who attempts to show that the intervention of the criminal justice systems into “sexual violence would only normalise the practices of power or domination, in this case, male domination over women. To keep up with this position, Heyes (5) supports the need to decriminalize consensual sexual acts, such as between minors and adults. Taking Heyes’s (5) perspective into consideration, it is clear that Judge Bhat’s assumption that child prostitution is not rape is unjustified and tends to cement the idea of male domination over women. Such subjectivity creates a normalizing effect, where the public views sexual violence to be an ordinary way of life (Taylor 88). The concept of docile bodies The concept of docile body prevails in Gowen’s media report. The report depicts the female body as docile body ready to be abused and repaired. In fact, this issue is brought into the realm of discourse regarding how judges reach their decisions on rape victims. Such notions significantly contribute to the idea that women are everlastingly meant to be victims of sexual violence (Foucault 173-8). In doing this, the article appears to warn that the approach of depicting women as docile bodies shows that women are objects that readily submit themselves for use and satisfaction of the fanciful whims of the male perpetrators. In which case, the media shows that women are perceived to be objects. It also implied that the women are inscribed into the prevailing structures of subjectivity (Alcoff 1). As Foucalt argues in his works “Discipline and Punish,” the body is a target of the power. Therefore, women’s docile body can submit to power, be used, and improved subsequently. Indeed, this illustrates what Judge Devadass of the Madras High Court states to rationalise his decision to free the rapist to meet his victim at the meditational session. Judge Devadass knows that the body of the victim was used, and since it has been used, it is useless and needs to be improved by the same offender who abused it. In other words, women bodies are docile bodies that must constantly submit to power, be used and improved. To this end, the modes of controls subjected to women imply coercion in order to control how the female body operates. This imposes docility. In other words, the rapist and the instruments of power, such as the law transform the female body into machinery for exploitation that can be abused, rearranged, and improved (Marhia 5-9). The docility of body, as depicted by Gowen (1a) in the case, also brings to light the rape myths in the criminal justice procedures. Indeed, a large strand of research has examine how rape myths depicted by the media bring about ineffective criminal justice systems, ranging from the manner in which the police handle complaints from the rape victims to how the judges make their ruling. Just like in the case study where Judge Devadass frees the rapist, research evidence has widely showed the low conviction rates and high attrition levels linked to the incidences of myths regarding what should amount to ‘real rape.’ In the case study, the judges engaged in the criminal justice process internalise the myths of the docile female body, which guide their rulings (Gowen 1b). During the stages of legal proceedings, the prejudices and stereotypes play a crucial role in guiding the decision-making processes. In this case, once the judges and the police have internalised that female bodies are docile bodies that wait to be used and repaired when they get married to their offenders, the offenders or perpetrators are freed from all guilt. Indeed, Judge Devadass made his decision based on this assumption. Ultimately, such stereotypical notions of rape negatively affect the rape prosecution in the case study. Ironically, since one of the victims is depicted to have failed to fight the rapist like a ‘wild animal,’ then the alleged rapist stands to be acquitted. Further, the offender is less likely to be mad accountable for the rape since the victim behaved flirtatiously with him before the assault. What this shows is that the media influences the prosecution and the public opinion (Shaw et al. 1; Marcus 387-89). Analysis Summarily, what the concept of power and docile body attempts to show is that the media can be blamed for trivializing sexual violence by putting the blame on the victims of rape rather than condemning the offenders. According to Shaw et al. (1), rape myths are carried on in the media. Putting the blame on the victims due to their inability to fight back is just one example of a multitude of pervasive rape myths that give evidence on the manner in which the media has tended to portray rape (Marcus 387-89). Marhia (5-7) also agrees that the media plays a fundamental role in carrying on the rape myths. This hints to the myth of a “perfect victim,’ which is clearly evident in Gowen’s media report, where Judge Devadass sees the unwed victim as a victim, who should be allowed to marry his offender. It could be reasoned that the claim of the perfect victim that Gowen attempts to show is a myth, as a “perfect” victim does not exist. Indeed, it is for this reason that Gowen illustrate how Judge Devadass freed the victim to attend a meditation session in order to allow him make amends with the victim while anticipating a possible scenario where their bond would be sealed once the offender marries the unwed victim. In which case, while the males have the power, the females are destined to be submissive to power, abuse and repair (Marhia 5). Conclusion The media normalises the myths of power and docile body. While the males have the power, the females are destined to be submissive to power, abuse and repair. The concept of power prevails in the manner in which the Judges use instruments of justice and other instruments of power to exercise dominant repressive force in order to discriminate the female rape victims. The media depicts the female body as docile body ready to be abused and repaired. Here, the media shows that women are everlastingly meant to be victims of sexual violence. Therefore, the media should identify, name and recognise sexual violence as a pervasive social problem anchored in the broad gender inequalities, as well as a component of a continuum of violence against women, which intersects with other types of discrimination. In this respect, if the media depicted sexual violence -- such as rape -- responsibly and considerately, mixing exhaustive, gender-sensitive analysis with attempts to promote public knowledge regarding the realities of rape, the media could play an integral role in the curtailing the vice. Works Cited Alcoff, Linda. "Survivor Discourse: Transgression or Recuperation?" n.d., 14 July 2015, Alden, Amie. "A continuum of violence: A gendered analysis of post conflict ." POLIS Journal 3.1 (2010): 1-35 Foucault, Michel. “The Body of the Condemned,”“Docile Bodies” and “Panopticism,” excerpts from Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Penguin: London, 1991, 170--‐87 Gowen, Annie. "The shocking things Indian judges say about rape." The Washington Post, 9 July 2015 (a). 14 July 2015, Gowen, Annie. "Why an Indian judge thinks rapists should marry their victims." The Washington Post, 9 July 2015 (b). 14 July 2015, Marcus, Sharon. “Fighting Bodies, Fighting Words: A Theory and Politics of Rape Prevention, ” in Feminists Theorize The Political, ed. Judith Butler and Joan W. Scott (New York: Routledge, 1992),385-­‐403 Marhia, Natasha. Just Press reporting and the reality of rape. Eves: London, 2009 Patton, Paul. 'Foucault's Subject of Power,' in Th Later Foucault, ed. Jeremy Moss. Sage: London, 1998, 64--‐77 Phillips, Mark, Fargol Mostofian, Rajeev Jetly, Nazar Puthukudy, Kim Madden, and Mohit Bhandari. "Media coverage of violence against women in India: a systematic study of a high profile rape case." BMC Womens Health 15.3 (2015): 1-3 Pylypa, Jan. "Power and Bodily Practice: Applying the Work of Foucault to an Anthropology of the Body," n.d., 14 July 2015, Rediff.com. "Suryanelli rape case: Former HC judge lands in controversy" 9 Feb 2015. 14 July 2015, Shaw, Sophia, Ellen Nye, Joanna Jamel and Heather Flowe. "Online only article: The print media and rape." The British Psychological Society, 22.1 (2009): 1-4 Singh, Smriti. "Judge's rape remark insensitive: Delhi high court." The Times of India, 7 Jan 2014. 17 Jly 2015, Taylor, Dianna. "Resisting the Subject: A Feminist-Foucauldian Approach to Countering Sexual Violence." Foucault Studies 16.1 (2013): 88-103 Read More

This shows that sexual violence is basically a means the media relies on to express patriarchal power, which in turn reflects and generates gender inequalities. At the same time, it depicts sexual violence as a constituent of the continuum of violence against women. Indeed, the continuum theory hypothesises that violence against women and girls are interlinked, and demonstrate patriarchal power relations and the societal gender discrimination (Alden 9). Based on the evidence Gowen provides in the case study, it is clear that sexual violence interconnects significantly with domestic violence since the Media report shows that women are meant to stay at home, get married, and provide men with sexual satisfaction.

This is pointed at when Gowen quotes Judge Devadass saying that the victim of rape had a child out of wedlock and since she is nobody’s wife, the offender has to be allowed to meet her during the mediation session and eventually get married. Hence, due to power relations, the media shows that as long as women will continue to be subjugated to men, they shall continue to be at risk of rape while the rapists shall continue to go scot-free. The case study also indicates that sexual violence against women interconnects with other forms of discrimination, such as gender discrimination.

In a related media report, also written by Gowen (1b), it is shown how Judge Devadass’ ruling indicates a glance into the patriarchal attitudes that continue to prevail in the male-dominated Indian judiciary. The article expresses antipathy that over two years since a student was gang-raped in India triggering public protect and a call for institutional changes, the judges in the country have continued to make gender-sensitive remarks based on power relations between men and women. Gowen (1b) shows that like other judges in the same school of thought with Judge Devadass, women should submit to male power.

For instance, one of the judges insisted that child prostitution is not rape while another judge asserted that women engaged in premarital sex were likely to make claims that they have been raped. In the case published by Rediff.com (1), a high court judge in Kerala acquitted 35 men accused in the Suryanelli gang rape case, arguing the victim had been used in child prostitution, and hence had not been raped. Justice Basant argued that child prostitution is not rape, despite sufficient evidence indicating the 16-year-old victim had been abducted and forcibly taken to different places where more than 35 men raped her for 40 days.

In a related case, written by Singh (1), a court in Delhi had passed a judgement freeing the offender, by arguing that premarital sex is not rape, in spite of whether there is a consent or not, particularly when a couple voluntarily elopes to “explore greener pastures of bodily pleasure.” Judge Bhat argues that women tended to fabricate stories of rape to avoid castigation by their parents. The judge further argues that girls should be socially and morally upright and should not get involved in sexual intercourse before they get married properly, and if they do so, they should not complain of rape.

This argument is consistent with findings by Heyes (5), who attempts to show that the intervention of the criminal justice systems into “sexual violence would only normalise the practices of power or domination, in this case, male domination over women. To keep up with this position, Heyes (5) supports the need to decriminalize consensual sexual acts, such as between minors and adults. Taking Heyes’s (5) perspective into consideration, it is clear that Judge Bhat’s assumption that child prostitution is not rape is unjustified and tends to cement the idea of male domination over women.

Such subjectivity creates a normalizing effect, where the public views sexual violence to be an ordinary way of life (Taylor 88). The concept of docile bodies The concept of docile body prevails in Gowen’s media report. The report depicts the female body as docile body ready to be abused and repaired.

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