Boston University Humanists Take on Rape Culture
March 3, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From a reader:
Early in February a small group of students at Boston University took a very important and principled stand that is now having reverberations far beyond their campus. After hearing that Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” concert tour had been scheduled for Boston University’s campus at Agganis Arena on March 4, the Humanists of Boston University said no. First in a letter to the BU administration and later in an on-line petition at change.org, the students called on the administration to cancel the concert, refund the ticket money and apologize to the BU community at large for allowing the tour on campus.
In part, their petition read:
“Is this even an issue if it is just one song? Art cannot be understood without its cultural context. One in five women in America experience rape or serious sexual assault in their lifetime, a figure that goes up to one in four during college (cdc.gov). Most of these crimes go unreported, largely because of the shame society places on women who survive sexual assault. Rather than condemn the perpetrator, rape culture leads us to blame the victim. Indeed, the context of “Blurred Lines” is not simply sexily clad women; the context is systematic patriarchy and sexual oppression.”
To date the petition has been signed by over 3,000 people. Members of the BU Humanist Association indicate that the majority of signers are other BU students. And in the face of the BU administration’s ongoing refusal to cancel the tour, student organizers are going ahead with plans to protest at the concert.
It is extremely important to support this stand and more deeply engage with the issues being addressed by these students. In talking about their actions, students in the Humanist Association have been clear in arguing that at certain points, the question of what is morally right and wrong outweighs abstract arguments of freedom of expression. They feel it is morally wrong to allow the concert to go on unchallenged and or to allow the terms of the debate to be left at “if you don’t like it, don’t go.”
It is significant that this protest is not being organized by right-wing Christian fascists—promoting reactionary patriarchal values but by humanist students, who have explicitly linked this rape culture to “systemic patriarchy.” Their stand has been very controversial and touched a deep chord—the BU Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism has opened itself up as a “safe space” for students who want to talk about the personal impact of “rape culture” in their lives. Media commentators have been drawn into taking stands on the students' actions. While some have supported them, others have derided the students for targeting “Blurred Lines”—scoffing that there will probably be thousands of Boston University students in attendance at the concert and, after all, “it is only music.” In one editorial, the BU campus newspaper chided the opposition to the concert as “misguided” and saying student energies should go towards reinforcing the positive steps being taken on the campus addressing sexual violence against women.
Student organizers and supporters have responded by simply arguing that when confronted by the disgusting expression of a rampant culture of rape and degradation of women, people must take a stand. The campus administration is taking a stand by not canceling the concert and the students are taking a stand in opposing it. While going to great lengths to be respectful, the students are drawing a clear line of demarcation and reaching out broadly to encourage others to join them.
Original plans for a small rally at the concert have grown as organizers at BU have been contacted from students from other campuses in the area. One thing is clear—the controversy sparked by their actions has not died down and it has the potential to spread much more broadly in the days to come.
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