What Is the Sex Crimes Paradox? Corey Rayburn Yung at the Radcliffe Institute

TL;DR

Corey Rayburn Yung discusses sex, consent, and sexual violence as subjects distorted by unhealthy cultural and legal dialogue. He argues that abstract, legalistic language can obscure the real and specific nature of sexual violence, while examples involving virginity, sex education, revenge porn, and withdrawing consent reveal broader dysfunction. Read on to understand his terminology, goals, and reasons for encouraging more honest conversations.

Transcript

• Well, thank you, Meredith. And thank you all for coming here on a rainy day and thank you to Radcliffe. This has been an incredible opportunity to be a fellow here so far, and I can't believe I still have so many months left. It's amazing, and I'm really looking forward to the chance to share my current work in progress with you all tonight and t... Read More

Key Insights

• 💼 Society struggles with the paradox of denying the existence of sexual violence while also panicking and overreacting to certain cases.
• 🔉 Cultural narratives and media portrayals of sexual violence contribute to societal beliefs and attitudes.
• 💼 False reporting of sexual violence is sensationalized and can overshadow the prevalence and impact of real cases.
• 👨‍⚖️ Denial and panic surrounding sexual violence can further harm survivors and discourage reporting and justice-seeking.
• 🖐️ Pornography and the internet play a role in shaping societal perceptions of sex and consent.
• ✊ The media has the power to perpetuate harmful narratives and misconceptions about sexual violence.
• 😀 Movements addressing sexual violence face significant backlash and resistance in society.

Questions & Answers

Q: What does Corey Rayburn Yung say about sex, consent, and sexual violence?

Corey Rayburn Yung says society's failure to have a healthy dialogue about sex, consent, and sexual violence creates cultural and legal dysfunction. He argues that these subjects should be discussed in real and specific terms instead of being reduced to dry, abstract, or legalistic language.

Q: What is the sex crimes paradox discussed by Corey Rayburn Yung?

The paradox is that sexual violence is one of the worst things people can do to each other, yet public discussion of it is often dysfunctional. Yung connects that dysfunction to the ways society talks about sex, consent, victims, and sexual violence.

Q: Why does Yung use the word victim instead of survivor?

Yung uses the word victim to reconnect people who have been raped with people who experience other violent or horrific crimes. He acknowledges that communities and activist groups differ over whether to use victim, survivor, or victim-survivor.

Q: Why does Yung avoid purely academic or legalistic language?

Yung believes academics, particularly legal academics, can abstract away from how people actually discuss sex and sexual violence. He uses explicit terms, colloquialisms, profanity, and some humor because the experiences being described are real and specific.

Q: What are Yung's two goals for the presentation?

His first goal is to examine sexual violence issues that receive too little discussion and to challenge rhetoric that offers more breadth than depth. His larger goal is to encourage people to discuss these issues and question behavior that does not respect consent and autonomy.

Q: What example does Yung give about withdrawing consent during sex?

Yung says North Carolina had recently changed its law so that a person could withdraw consent during sex. Before that change, he says, consent could not legally be withdrawn once it had been given.

Q: How does Yung connect sex education with TikTok?

Yung cites a news story claiming that sex education is so poor that teenagers are turning to TikTok. He uses the example, which included a banana and a condom, to illustrate broader social defects surrounding sex education.

Q: What examples does Yung use to show how sex and sexual violence appear in the news?

He mentions TI accompanying his daughter to gynecological appointments to check whether her hymen was intact, connecting it to ideas about virginity, innocence, and child sexuality. He also refers to Katie Hill, revenge porn advocacy, poor sex education, and North Carolina's former rule against withdrawing consent during sex.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Sexual violence is one of the worst crimes that humans can commit against each other, yet society often fails to have a healthy dialogue about it.

• There is a discrepancy between how sexual violence is perceived and how it is actually addressed, with many cases of rape and assault being ignored or mishandled by police departments.

• The media plays a role in perpetuating harmful narratives about consent and sexual violence through movies, TV shows, and music.

• False reporting of sexual violence is often overemphasized by the media, while real cases may go unnoticed or downplayed.

• Pornography and the internet have shaped sexual scripts and attitudes towards consent, further contributing to the paradoxical perception of sexual violence.