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From: rainbow@ihuxe.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: violence
Message-ID: <848@ihuxe.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Sep-84 18:20:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxe.848
Posted: Wed Sep 19 18:20:27 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Sep-84 09:43:12 EDT
Sender: rainbow@ihuxe.UUCP
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
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Rape is not a crime of violence in the standard case. Next you're
going to be telling me pick-pocketing is a crime of violence. Or purse
snatching. Or robbery. While all of the above can be accompanied with
a crime of violence(you know, guns, weapons, beatings, etc), they 
generally are not. A rapist tends to flee when met with strong 
resistance(ie screams, struggles, etc) to avoid the violence. A person
wanting to commit an act of violence has a lot of options other than going
via the rape route which may not satisy that need if the victim is submissive.
Rape is a sex crime. Nothing more or less by itself. Rape is a method
chosen by a person wanting to commit a sex crime. Their motivation is 
different in most cases from those wanting violence(though I admit at times
there is overlap).

Now, if you can convince me that bodily harm is a direct result of rape,
then I'll classify rape as a crime of violence. But then you're saying that
all "the ladies of the night" are masochists or sadists. I doubt that. Just
because one is an unwilling participant as opposed to volunteering
does not make the act a crime of violence.

However it is all probably a matter of definition. If you are stopped by a
big hefty guy in the middle of the night all alone who grabs your purse or
wallet or belongings and you let him, I don't call this a crime of violence.
Just because of the fear factor that there might be an act of violence
makes no difference. This is understood when the guy is charged with 
robbery(I believe there is a even a differentiation in the charge with 
regard to whether or not there was a weapon involved). It seems to me
rape is or should be no different. We all know what is involved in a rape.
It has its own classification. To me a crime of violence covers the broad 
range of possible non-discript physical abuse. However I won't argue with
anyone who removes the fine line between rape and physical abuse.

Robert