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From: rene@tove.UUCP (Rene Steiner)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Re: Only a few nuts rape?
Message-ID: <62@tove.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 10:35:45 EST
Article-I.D.: tove.62
Posted: Mon Dec  3 10:35:45 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 05:05:33 EST
References: <10011@watmath.UUCP> <136@ihu1m.UUCP>, <10054@watmath.UUCP> <8162@watarts.UUCP> <63@timeinc.UUCP>
Organization: U of Maryland, Laboratory for Parallel Computation, C.P., MD
Lines: 38

> > Sometimes I think that [desire to rape] is built in genetically.
>It might have value
> > from an evolutionary viewpoint.
> 
> Bullsh*t, I hope. Genetically? That assumption removes blame from each
> and every one of us, whether we're offenders or not. I don't believe
> it. I hope it isn't true. How could it possibly have had value in our
> dim beginnings?
> 

While I don't believe this is appropriate to apply to humans, it is
true that there is evidence that there might be evolutionary benefit
IN SOME SPECIES of animals (the ones I read about were deer and
ducks). It works this way: some males are not allowed to mate in the
normal cycle (one stag to a herd, I'm not sure how ducks work). It may
be of personal evolutionary benefit for the loner to rape a female
while the male who won the right to mate her isn't looking (perhaps
mating with some other female); after all, he may get her pregnant,
whereas otherwise, he wouldn't have any chance to pass on his genes.

Now, as I said above, I don't think this can be applied to humans: I
doubt that the purpose of rape is to make babies (although it
sometimes has that result), humans are NOT deer or ducks, and it is
not only "loners" who rape. This may be an explanation for the
capacity to rape. This does NOT in any way "excuse" rape. I
firmly believe that people are responsible for their own actions,
whatever component is contributed by evolution (yes, there are many
types of mental illness with physical causes, but that's a different
subject). To paraphrase (since I don't remember the exact wording) a
(relatively) well-known philosopher: we still have teeth and nails,
but we don't bite and scratch much these days.

			- rene

-- 
rene@tove

My opinions are my own, and no one can take them away from me!!!