Usually, class discussions remain respectful of delicate topics - and we have tackled many controversial subjects before now, including race discrimination, same-sex marriage, et. al.
However, something about today's discussion about rape bothered me. Despite the fact that our professor reminded us last week that, statistically, at least one person in our class has probably been a victim of rape, I found some of the commentary today to be personally offensive.
I'm not going to go into it in too much detail, but I guess I just wanted to say that I'm surprised. Rape statutes in America are in need of some serious reform, but apparently in the view of some people, a sex act can't be classified as rape unless the woman tries to claw the guy's eyes out to make him stop.
I guess I'd like to think that a woman's consent matters - call me crazy.
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2 comments:
I agree; more often than not, people blame the victims of rape, and a lot of the time, other women have the most harsh reactions. It's like they think if they shut their minds and pretend the whole incident was the victim's fault, then they can go on imagining something like that would never happen to them because, well, they wouldn't be that "stupid."
And, people seem to misunderstand that rape isn't about love; it's about aggression and power.
The whole thing is sickening, and until our society really makes an effort to improve the way it views gender roles, we can't even begin to hope that rape victims will be treated fairly and respectfully.
I agree with you! (And wish you had been in my class.)
I think I expected that a lot of the guys in my class would take the pro-victim reforms a little defensively, although I still think they're overreacting.
The thing that surprised me the most was how women felt - exactly as you described it. Until women are more comfortable in their sexuality, guys are still going to think that "no" might possibly mean "yes."
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