Rape - Blame the Victim
Puma at Past is Prologue has written a thoughtful post on rape and necessity of changing attitudes.
I won't try to paraphrase it here but it's well worth reading. It articulates much of what I've been thinking for some time.
Rape is not the fault of the woman. We don't ask for it. We should be able to walk from a store to our car in safety. We shouldn't have to jump at the sound of footsteps behind us and we should be able to accept a dinner date without worrying about some joker expecting reimbursement in the form of sex.
Anyway, take a look.
I won't try to paraphrase it here but it's well worth reading. It articulates much of what I've been thinking for some time.
Rape is not the fault of the woman. We don't ask for it. We should be able to walk from a store to our car in safety. We shouldn't have to jump at the sound of footsteps behind us and we should be able to accept a dinner date without worrying about some joker expecting reimbursement in the form of sex.
Anyway, take a look.
Labels: granny
posted by Granny @ 6/03/2006 12:56:00 PM
3 Comments:
At Saturday, June 03, 2006 4:34:00 PM ,
Unknown said...
Times are improving since the days Granny and I were young, but much of the old attitude remains. Although women were portrayed as the weaker sex and men the stalwarts of the race, nevertheless men were viewed as creatures helpless in the sway of sexual desires and it was the responsibility of women to avoid at all costs arousing the lusts of men.
If a sexual assault did occur, from stranger rape on the street or home breakins, to date rape or assault by trusted friend or relative, somehow it was the women's fault. What were they wearing or do to incite the uncontrollable passions of the poor, helpless men? (Poor babies, they just couldn't help themselves).
As is frequently done now, rape accusations were countered by claims of consensual sex.
There was an infamous case where a defense attorney tried to thread the eye of a moving needle to "prove" that penetration was impossible on a resisting woman.
As I have commented in the past on this subject, two of my teeny bopper grand daughters were raped in separate incidents. One involved considerable physical injury, with bloody garments plus the testimony of the family gynecologist who had seen the child for a menstrual problem a short time prior to the rape and confirmed her virginality. The defense, who was claiming consensual sex, then countered that it was consensual "rough sex." Rough sex is enjoyed by some people but highly unlikely that a very young teen ager, a virgin just a few short weeks before, would have in such a short time developed an appetite for extreme rough sex. The boy got off, incidentally.
Go figure.
At Saturday, June 03, 2006 4:53:00 PM ,
Unknown said...
Another thing that torques my jaws is when there is mention of a non-virgin woman being raped (single, sexually active woman, widow, divorcee), I have heard men snicker and say, "just one more slice off a cut loaf" as if the incident was merely one more sexual encounter, of no greater significance than one more slice of bread off a sliced loaf.
I have exploded on men sometimes who make such insensitive remarks. Most normal men judge other men's sexual behavior by their own performances with consensual partners, and have no concept of the brutality, terror, shame and degradation a rape victim experiences, even if there is no overt physical injury. Gentlemen, rape is NOT a joyful, pleasurable, loving uniting of two people.
At Sunday, June 04, 2006 8:01:00 PM ,
JBlue said...
I read it and left a (somewhat garbled) comment. It really was good.
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