Part of the mission of The Auburn Plainsman is to be a forum for students, faculty and community members to engage in public discourse through our Opinion page.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, The Auburn Plainsman Editorial Staff asked the following question on Facebook and Twitter to seek readers’ opinions to accompany an editorial will be published on Thursday, Oct. 29, that will condemn the culture of victim blaming that does exist in American society today:
"WHAT DO YOU THINK? What are your thoughts regarding sexual assault? Should victims, which are most often female, feel a sense of responsibility if they are assaulted?"
Many readers were offended that The Plainsman would ask such a question.
The question was phrased incorrectly and did not accurately convey the Editorial Staff's thoughts on sexual assault and victim blaming. In fact, The Editorial Staff apologizes to anyone who was triggered, offended or upset by the question's wording.
The question was rephrased to “WHAT DO YOU THINK? What are your thoughts regarding sexual assault? Do you think it's right that society blames victims?”
Some readers were still upset the question was even being asked.
But the sad fact is there is a significant portion of society that does blame the survivor of sexual assault. Of course, no one will admit they blame the victim, but when an AU Alert is issued, there are always those who shift blame. Under the veil of anonymity in online forums such as Reddit or Yik Yak, there are always those who push the theory that “she was asking for it,” or worse, voiced out loud in private spaces.
One in five women and one in 16 men are sexual assaulted in college, according to National Sexual Violence Resource Center. That means based off of current enrollment numbers, 3,566 students attending class have been or will be sexually assaulted before they graduate. But only 28 sexual assaults have been reported to Auburn University in the last four years, according to the University Department of Public Safety.
That is appalling.
People don’t come forward for many personal reasons, but one of those reasons is the fear they will be blamed for one of the most traumatic things that will ever happened to them. The only way to change this is to change the culture, and change can only happen through public discourse and awareness.
That is why we asked the question. We should have worded it better, but we believe that we must bring this topic into the light through engagement with you, our readers.
Again we regret the question offended anyone, but believe the conversation must happen in public to put an end to a culture that allows sexual assault to occur.
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