not getting it ***possibly triggering***

So, I'm doing research on IMDB. It's not pleasant work to begin with, as I am looking up films that feature rapes. I'm compiling a list for a fairly large project that will become public knowledge soon.

And, of course, just having to type r-a-p-e is triggering for me... much less reading about it for hours. But I'm okay.

So I cautiously decided to do a search on the forums, and I've found some informative threads, and nothing too harmful.

But I also found this post, in a thread on "most disturbing rape scenes" (just names of movies, no descriptions, so fairly safe):

"The most disturbing rapes in movies are male rapes. Therefore I felt sick during the Pulp Fiction rape scene and American History X."

*breathing*

Tell me. Tell me why male rape is more disturbing than female rape.

Because rape happens to women all the time?

Because it's a plot twist, a distraction, entertainment?

Because rape of women is common?

Accepted?

Expected?

Because 9 out of every 10 rape victims are women?

Because men aren't raped nearly as frequently, or commonly, or publicly, or cinematically as women?

Because men don't have vaginas? Because women, or vaginas, are for violating?

Or is it just (and oh, yes, I use that facetiously) because you are so used to seeing women brutalized on screen over and over again? And because you are so used to hearing about it and reading about it in real life?

I agree that depictions of male rape are disturbing. I find them incredibly traumatizing. But the rape scenes in Pulp Fiction and American History X were no more disturbing than the rape scenes in The Accused or Higher Learning.

It's distressing to feel that someone is implying that male rape is somehow worse than female rape. As I read on, this guy has only listed movies with male rapes as offensive. It's as if even the most violent depiction of female rape hasn't registered with him.

Pulp Fiction is certainly not more disturbing than the thought that people in our society are inured to the fact that someone is raped every two minutes in this country. That statistic is what is disturbing.

** Stats gathered from RAINN. If you disagree with me, that's cool, tell me - just try not to yell or be cruel about it. After my last rape-post fiasco (over which I lost at least one real-life friend), I'm super-sensitive.