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From: colucci@eosp1.UUCP (Lisa Colucci)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: rape and violence
Message-ID: <1133@eosp1.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Sep-84 16:37:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: eosp1.1133
Posted: Thu Sep 20 16:37:05 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Sep-84 20:12:24 EDT
Organization: Exxon Office Systems, Princeton, NJ
Lines: 49




I cannot understand that any supposedly intelligent person could 
possibly believe that rape is not a crime of violence.  Whether or
not a weapon is involved is unimportant in the classification of
this crime as one of violence.  

Rape is a crime committed mostly by insecure men.  What better 
way to assert one's 'power' than to totally degrade and humiliate 
another human being?  The fact that many rapists were victims of
child abuse (pointed out in an earlier article) only supports my 
statement.  Children that are abused generally think of themselves
as deserving of their punishment.  They believe they are inferior
to their friends who they believe are not abused, and their siblings
who may not be abused.  They are also very aware of the powerlessness
of their situations.  When they become adults, they are generally 
insecure and still feel somehow inferior to other people.  Some
may try to prove to themselves and others that they are no longer
powerless by raping women and/or abusing children.  Many women who
fight a rapist are killed because the rapist becomes enraged that
he is not in complete control of the woman's body and emotions.
He is gratified by her fear of him and THAT is the main reason people
rape.  The act of sexual abuse, whether penetration or some other 
method, is used for its emotional affect on the victim.  If cutting a
woman's hair were the most fear-provoking attack imaginable, a rapist
would be content to cut hair.  

Also, ihuxe!rainbow (Robert) mentioned that if a woman doesn't fight 
a rapist but instead gives in to save herself from more standard 
physical abuse, then no bodily harm (damage, pain) is inflicted.  
WRONG!  Unless this rapist is kind enough to carry and use K-Y Jelly 
at all times, a great amount of physical pain and damage can and is 
inflicted. (Not that I really  mean that, I'm just mad and being 
sarcastic but :-) was not appropriate at the time.)  Until people
realize the emotional implications of rape for both the victim and
the perptrator, we're far from realizing a means to prevent it.



					Lisa Colucci


Let me say that I have no specific references for any of
the assertions that I have made but have based this article
on information gathered over several years and from many different
sources.