Against the Slang Use of the Word Rape: A Langtonian-Birdian Reproach
Abstract
A disturbing trend that has surfaced recently in slang language is to use the word
rape in a joking or hyperbolic manner. An example of this is, "I raped that exam!" In
this paper, I argue that such use of the term rape is immoral. I begin by modeling my
case after British philosopher Rae Langton's argument that pornography "silences"
the speech of women in a particular way. I then discuss Alexander Bird's objection to
Langton's notion of "silencing." In the end, I develop a hybrid theory that respects the
cogency of Bird's objection while retaining the spirit of Langton's view. By analyzing
communication in a novel way, I argue that the slang use of the word rape immorally
silences rape victims/survivors, although not in the way Langton's argument would
suggest.
* This article may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault and abuse.
Subject
Pornography
Philosophy
Sexual Violence
Rape
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/72222Type
Article
Citation
Volume IX, December 2014, pp. 10 - 22