The internet didn’t create monsters, but it did give them a meeting place
By Shamecca Brown -Granite State News Collaborative
I was scrolling CNN online, just trying to see what was going on in the world and looking for something meaningful to write about, when this story hit me hard. I literally sat there disgusted, thinking, “What the hell is wrong with people?” Because the story was all kinds of disturbing.
As a woman, mother, advocate and someone who works around issues involving trauma and violence, I am beyond disgusted reading reports about what people are calling an online “rape academy.” Not just because sexual violence exists – sadly, women have been fighting this battle forever – but because people are allegedly organizing it, teaching it, sharing it online and normalizing it like it is entertainment.
I’m not going to sugarcoat this article to make people comfortable. There is nothing funny, masculine, edgy or powerful about violating another human being. Nothing.
Women and girls already grow up learning survival before freedom. We are taught to watch our drinks, carry keys between our fingers, stay alert, avoid walking alone, text our friends when we get home, and constantly think three steps ahead just to stay safe. Imagine how exhausting it is to live like that every day.
Now imagine learning there are online spaces where people allegedly share tactics, conversations and content surrounding the abuse and assault of women like it’s some twisted hobby. That is not “locker room talk.” That is not “dark humor.” That is predatory behavior.
As someone who advocates for survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence, I was hit differently by this story, because behind every headline is a real human being whose trust, body, mental health and sense of safety may never fully recover. Survivors already spend years fighting to be believed while carrying shame that never belonged to them in the first place.
Honestly, I am tired of society acting shocked only when stories like this become national headlines.The warning signs have always been there. Women have been speaking. Survivors have been speaking. Advocates have been speaking.
The scariest part about all of this is not just the cruelty – it is the normalization. It is watching people become so desensitized to violence that abuse turns into content, jokes, power or entertainment. Social media has connected the world, but it has also exposed how comfortable some individuals have become publicly expressing hatred, domination and violence toward women.
As a mother, that terrifies me. I think about daughters growing up in this world. I think about young boys learning from online spaces before they learn empathy, accountability and respect. I think about survivors silently sitting in classrooms, workplaces, relationships and homes carrying trauma while society debates whether their pain is “serious enough.”
Rape is not a culture. It is violence. It is abuse. It is trauma. It is life-altering. And the fact that people are bold enough to organize around it online should alarm every single one of us. Because when violence becomes normalized, humanity becomes numb. And I refuse to be numb.
Shamecca Brown is a New Hampshire-based columnist who is family-oriented and passionate about serving underserved communities. These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visitcollaborativenh.org.