Some problems with rape as a "linguistic act"

In this post I want to flesh out the implications of Marcus' statement that rape is a "linguistic act". According to Marcus one way to understand rape as a linguistic act "is to highlight the presence of speech in rape"(389). After reading this statement it makes me wonder about all of the rapes that occur without the presence of speech. I am particularly thinking of the rape of unconscious women, Deaf women, or women who do not speak the same language as their perpetrator. Marcus’ claim that rape is a linguistic fact dismisses the occurrence of rape against these women. Her theory does not consider rape against women who cannot verbally communicate with their perpetrator thereby contributing to their de-legitimation within scholarship and understandings of rape. One less obvious danger against these women within Marcus’ discussion of rape is her discussion of the need for women to verbally or physically combat their perpetrator to stop the rape script.

            I think that beyond placing the responsibility to not get raped on the victims, Marcus does not take into consideration the different levels of access one has to violence and speaking out. By this I mean that it is specifically women such as the ones Marcus already dismissed by arguing rape is a linguistic act that are most marginalized in society and have the least potential to physically or verbally attack their rapist. Deaf or immigrant women who may not have the same possibility to verbally resist their rapist also have less access to physical violence. As marginalized persons whose reports of rape are rarely believed, or who may have uncertain status within Canada may then be much less able to resort to physical resistance.

            One other problem I have with this piece is that it argues that women should resist behaving in typically feminine ways, such as responding to rape with passivity, to take on more masculine characteristics of violence. I think this argument that women should fight is dangerous in that it elevates masculine characteristics of violence within society. At the same time, on perhaps a level that is harder to realize, it elevates the able-bodied. Passivity is a characteristic connected to femininity and disability. In arguing that women should be active to stop their rape carries with it ableist assumptions that everyone has the same ability to physically or verbally resist and argues that passivity is not a valid response.