Tweets About Rape A Cause For Concern

Some of the hundreds of football fans who took to the social networking site Twitter to praise the Ravens' crushing opening-day victory over the Pittsburg Steelers went a little too far, according to a group that decries the use of the word “rape” to describe the match.

“Ravens gonna rape the whole league. Eating steak with my family, and watching the ravens rape. Nothing better,” read one tweet.

Another read, “Appropriate term for what the Ravens are doing to Pitt? Rape, yes?” 

Some of the tweets alluded to past rape allegations against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

“Hey Ben, how does it feel to be on the receiving end of a rape for once?” read yet another Ravens fan tweet.

Amanda Cardone, who manages the Twitter account for The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, drew attention to the tweets on her organization’s Twitter feed following the game.

“‘Our Maryland 'rape’ Twitter search has lots of results today; mostly jokes about the #Ravens, #Steelers game. Rape’s not funny,” Cardone wrote.

In an interview, Cardone said this isn’t the first time she’s seen the word used on Twitter in such a context.

“To use the word rape so informally and even jokingly makes light of victims’ experiences,” she said. “I am disappointed and concerned that people would use it in that way.”

She added that the charges made against Roethlisberger are no joking matter.

“The charges are really serious—I just don’t think they should be used as a platform for a joke," she said.

She said use of the word in such a context could negatively impact the way people think about rape survivors.

“I just think that that is clearly winning a football game is not equal to raping somebody,” she noted.

Christine Mallinson, an assistant professor of language, literacy and culture, and a program affiliate assistant professor of gender and women's studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, said use of the word rape in a sports context is a disturbing metaphor.

“In this situation, the meaning of the word 'rape' is being extended from the literal meaning of sexual assault to a more figurative sense, to mean something that is perceived as being aggressive, dominating or violating in some way,” Mallison said in an e-mail. 

“The use of the word ‘rape’ in a sports metaphor may be seen as particularly disturbing because it draws a parallel between a rape, a horrifying event, and a positive athletic outcome–the successful domination of one team or athlete over another,” Mallison wrote.

“There is a lot of linguistic evidence to suggest that the way we talk about social situations can reflect how we think about them.  A victim of rape, for example, might justifiably believe that this type of sports metaphor not only celebrates athletic prowess but also glorifies the act of rape itself.”

For information and guidance on issues that deal with sexual assault, visit mcasa.org.