It is quite shocking that rape is so widespread all over the world. It is actually more widespread than initially believed. Common knowledge does not state that 1 in 5 women reported being raped at some point in their lives and that 1 in 20 women experienced some form of sexual violence from 2011 to 2012. (CDC. 2012.) Women do not they are the only ones who have suffered sexual violence and rape, 1 in 71 men said they had suffered rape in their lifetime. (CDC. 2012.) These are very real cases and should be taken very seriously, however, more often than not, these cases become the "butt of the joke" and there are no efforts to make changes within society in order to prevent rape and sexual violence. Raising awareness and educating the public about sexual violence and rape are the solutions, but what prevents this from happening is rape culture and rape myths. Rape culture and rape myths, along with the media, are the causes of the serious lack of awareness and education about rape and sexual violence within North American society. To understand why rape and sexual violence have such a prevalence in North America, it is necessary to have an understanding of rape culture and rape myths. Ryan (2011.) states that “rape myths can offer comfort to women and men because they allow them to distance themselves and their behavior from the possibility of being a victim or perpetrator of rape.” (p. 775). In daily life, everyone has experienced the rape myth both aurally and through self-vocalization. Some examples of rape myths are: "only bad girls get raped", "any healthy woman can resist a rapist if she wants to", "women ask for it", "women cry rape" only when they have been ji. .. ... middle of paper ...... of their lives” (Rhalek. 2013.) but what about the survivors? They are four times more likely to consider suicide, 3 times more likely to develop depression, six times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress, thirteen times more likely to abuse alcohol, and twenty-six times more likely to abuse drugs. (RAINN. 2009.) If the ubiquitous media isn't tasked with protecting these victims, who really is? Certainly not talk show hosts, as they will often present sexual assault and rape as a personal problem of the victim. (Ullman. 2010.) People who are part of the media, whether they are anchors, actors, journalists or news anchors, are still part of the ever-present media. The media contributes to the spread of rape myths that create the ubiquitous mindset of rape culture. (Ullman. 2010., Meyer. 2010., Lee et al. 2011., Burt. 1980., O'Hara. 2012., Rhalek. 2013.)