Rape culture vs culture of Holy Purity

By Lance Patrick C. Enad

For a while now, I have noticed mainstream Filipino media adapting themes popular in liberal American mainstream media. Among these are transgenderist and feminist themes. In the past few days, I noticed much talk of rape, rape culture, and modesty (especially in dress). I would agree that in cases of sexual offences, the offender is to be blamed. Yet on top of this assertion, I also find a denial that modesty in clothing (for it is much broader than that), does not affect these cases.

First, this seems to be coming from third wave feminism which views modesty in clothing as a form of misogyny as well as the strong assertion that men are to blame for everything. This movement is a category of postmodernist philosophy which has the feature of not being rational and not in talking terms with the metaphysical principles.

Secondly, it seems to be denial of reality.

Throughout history, women understood that men have certain tendencies that are more in men than in women—propensity to violence and sexual tendencies. While some have done a good job in controlling these tendencies, there are some who have problems with this. Upon this realization, women have taken precautionary measures that prevent cases in which men might act on those tendencies–such as high walls and spiked grills in nunneries, having chaperones, and dressing in a way so that those tendencies would not be stirred.

Yet third wave feminists deny that this makes any difference. The most popular argument is that in some cultures, with different dress codes, rape or sexual assault is not an issue or is non-existent—a fair point; except it lacks evidence. There is no data that suggests that rape or sexual offences do not exist in these cultures. I shall love to see evidence and, if it convinces me, to revise my position. Until then, this does not hold water.

The ideology that modesty is misogyny takes form in negating that modesty (especially in clothing) affects sexual assault. Don’t get me wrong, sexual assault is the crime of the offender and that the victim, even if she was dressing modestly or not, is the victim. Yet it is a denial of reality and common sense to say that immodesty does not affect these.

Take a man having trouble controlling his sexual tendencies. Which is more likely to stir those tendencies, a sexy woman in a bikini caressing him in sensitive parts or a woman in a Carmelite habit who does not even make eye contact, with a spiked grill separating her from the man? Common sense tells us that it does make a difference. Perhaps some individuals would disregard this, then these individuals would have seriously twisted minds. Yet in general, it makes a difference. It is more likely for a man to act on his sexual tendencies when facing a sexy woman in a bikini acting inappropriately than with a woman in a religious habit or modest dress acting reservedly.

Again, the sex offender is the criminal and it is his fault for which he should have the severest penalties. Yet women and children (now that pedophilia is a thing), must take precautions that prevent them from being in such situation.

In the end, we must go to the root of this problem: a culture of impurity. Whether or not rape culture is real or whether it is a myth propagated by liberal media, we can get rid of it or prevent it by promoting a Culture of Holy Purity.