Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site randvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!mhuxn!houxm!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!sdcrdcf!randvax!edhall From: edhall@randvax.UUCP (Ed Hall) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: Only a few nuts rape? Message-ID: <2172@randvax.UUCP> Date: Tue, 4-Dec-84 12:34:14 EST Article-I.D.: randvax.2172 Posted: Tue Dec 4 12:34:14 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 7-Dec-84 02:18:40 EST References: <10011@watmath.UUCP> <45000010@convex.UUCP> Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica Lines: 45 > This figure (if you believe it) agrees with my assertion that rape is > not necessarily motivated by desire to inflict violence upon women. If as > Ken Perlow says, this 35% is composed primarily of "horny guys", then their > motivation is sexual. They want to have sex. They don't want to hurt another > human being. There are many rapists motivated by a desire to do > violence against their victim. But, if the definition of rape is: > > "sexual activity forced upon an unwilling partner" > > then most of these potential rapists are motivated by sexual desire. Let's > hope that the males of the world can be educated to understand that women are > people, not sexual objects to be used against their will. (35% IS scary!) > I think that this education will drastically reduce the incidence of rape. > As for what you do about people oriented toward violence, well, I have no > answers. > Dave Holt Violence, my friend, is still violence, no matter what the reason why. Anyone who rapes *does* want to ``hurt another human being''! Would my denying I want to hurt you make my pushing a knife into your chest any less of a crime? Would it make my knifing you non-violent? How insane would I actually have to be to ``not want to hurt another human being'' and still knife you? Yet you seem to feel that the male attitude you talk about is simply misguided. But rape doesn't cause physical injury the way knifing does, you say. That's not necessarily true, even when you restrict yourself to physical injuries. But the emotional injury from rape can be absolutely life- shattering, with psychological wounds that never heal. I'll admit that sex is a part of rape, as you claim it is. But I think there is a key facet you are ignoring: the rapist is SEXUALLY AROUSED BY VIOLENCE. He isn't just a guy who got a bit too horny and let things get out of control. If he can't think of any non-violent ways of relieving sexual tension, even alone, then maybe he IS out of his mind. As it stands, the rapist is sick, but in a society where his sickness is considered somehow ``normal''. I think you have a bit of insight into the problem: having ``males of the world...understand that woman are people'' certainly would reduce rape as well as injustices of all kind. A first step is eliminating the mythology about rape, letting it be seen for the violence it is. -Ed Hall decvax!randvax!edhall