Emmanuel College, TSS, Somerset - expert warns of deeper issue behind ‘rape lists’

A psychology expert warns of a deeper societal issue behind the recent spate of “rape list” scandals. FULL DETAILS

Griffith University psychology professor Dr Veya Seekis said identifying the root cause behind the abhorrent lists created by Gold Coast students is crucial to combating the issue.

Dr Seekis’ comments come in the wake of a scandal which emerged this week involving three Gold Coast schools and a shocking list rating female ­students which eventually took on a more sinister tone discussing rape.

“The issue is there are dynamics occurring in our culture of what’s being normalised and accepted for boys,” Dr Seekis said.

Dr Veya Seekis. Picture: Adam Head

“There’s the impact on the girls who are on that list, but it’s also important that we address why boys are creating and developing these attitudes.”

On Monday, Emmanuel College principal Daniel Brown emailed parents regarding a “serious incident” involving a vile list which resulted in the expulsion of three of its year 10 male students.

On Wednesday it was revealed students from two other elite Gold Coast schools, The Southport School (TSS) and Somerset College, had also been implicated in having involvement with the list.

Dr Seekis said we cannot ignore the impact of social media, the internet and pornography on attitudes and how they develop.

“Porn rarely portrays healthy consent, and with that comes this inadvertent teaching of young viewers to conflate sexual attraction with power dynamics,” she said.

“And it’s not just porn – we see movies that are becoming more sexually aggressive in nature, music videos, video games – there are instances where women are portrayed as objects or conquests and this reinforces that unhealthy view about consent and respect.”

Dr Seekis said this leads to “locker room talk” and “peer pressure”.

The Southport School. Picture: Supplied

“Teenagers want to conform to what their peers are doing,” she said.

“So sometimes even if it’s not necessarily what they want to do, they do it because it’s a way of fitting in. It tends to sort of validate their masculinity.

“And we see this from incel groups where young boys and men are drawn to and it normalises this kind of harmful thinking and language.

“There’s a whole lot of things that contribute to the problem of why these boys create these lists.”

Dr Seekis said education on the matter was crucial in aiding young people with the necessary skills and development.

“Schools have really lagged behind on emotional intelligence, developing this within the classroom, helping young people at young age understand emotional intelligence, and with that comes empathy, talking about positive role models, and of course challenging those harmful norms.”

Originally published as Emmanuel College, TSS, Somerset - expert warns of deeper issue behind ‘rape lists’