Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.5 $; site uiucdcsp Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcsp!seefromline From: jha@uiucdcsp.Uiuc.ARPA Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: Rape (A Solution) Message-ID: <18200010@uiucdcsp> Date: Tue, 16-Jul-85 01:27:00 EDT Article-I.D.: uiucdcsp.18200010 Posted: Tue Jul 16 01:27:00 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 03:22:50 EDT References: <25100002@smu> Lines: 29 Nf-ID: #R:smu:25100002:uiucdcsp:18200010:000:1416 Nf-From: uiucdcsp.Uiuc.ARPA!jha Jul 16 00:27:00 1985 While I appreciate every effort being made to solve the problem of rape and other street crimes, I can't accept this one. And here is why: Just when you thought 1984 was over and it was safe to go out again, Big Brother strikes University Park No :-), this is serious. Video cameras on street corners is just the beginning. A lot, if not most, of rapes occur in homes, often victim's own. That could lead to video cameras being installed in homes, and I shudder to think of what could happen next. How much personal freedom and privacy can we give away in exchange for (hopefully) better protection? If air travel can be used as an analogy, I have to conclude that no matter how much we give away, we never get enough protection. I don't mean to sound negative, nor do I mean to discourage those who are looking for viable solutions to the problem of rape, but I have to say that this solution is too expensive (and I'm not talking dollars and cents here). I wish I could offer some constructive ideas, but I have none at the moment. I don't know what goes into the making of a rapist, so I can't suggest any social changes to prevent that. In the short-term there is the need to thwart the attempts of already- made rapists. A non-fatal weapon (something that paralyzes the victim temporarily, but does not kill or disable permanently) may be a woman's best defense. Other suggestions are welcome. Manoj K. Jha