Vocabulary Primer

What follows is a vocabulary-based reference for Roxane Gay’s recently published “Still With the Scarlet Letters.” You can read that piece here.

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Definitions of Key Terms:

Rape:

a) The crime of forcing another person to engage in sexual acts, especially sexual intercourse, without their will and consent.

b) The wanton destruction and spoiling of a place or area.

c) The stalks and skins of grapes left after winemaking.

See also: Types of Sexual Violence

Consensual Sex:

a) Sexual activity where two (or more) people of sound mind and body mutually consent to engage in sexual acts, regardless of the acts taking place whether they be missionary sex, reverse cowgirl sex, a back alley blow job, suspension bondage, CBT, or violent sex where a woman consents to allowing a man to use physical force and intimidation during the act of sexual intercourse.

Slut Shaming:

a) The act of publicly or privately shaming a woman for being sexual, acknowledging her sexuality, having multiple sexual partners, and/or engaging in sexual practices deemed outside of societal norms. For further reading, please see this FAQ.

Projection:

a) a psychological defense mechanism where a person subconsciously denies his or her own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, usually to other people. Thus, projection involves imagining or projecting the belief that others originate those feelings.

Incorrect usage of the word “rape”:

ABC News Headline: Writer Stages Her Own Rape

Daily Mail Headline: Journalist stages her OWN rape to cure trauma of witnessing sex attack on woman in Haiti.

Journalist Mac McClelland Simulates Own Rape To Combat Her PTSD

Corollary definitions:

Fact checking:

a) The practice of examining factual assertions, usually intended for publication in a periodical, to determine their veracity and correctness.

Reading comprehension:

b) The ability to understand writing by correctly processing the meaning