Roscop:

I would like to enquire about certain points in your "argument". Some of my major concerns have already been addressed by doubleaa and so I will not repeat them here. You can be assured I wholeheartedly agree with his words.

I do, however, wish to ask for an elaboration about the third paragraph of your last post. As I read your comment, you claim that Ms. Lewinsky falsely accused President Clinton of sexual contact. Now I will fully admit that I might be misunderstanding your words, mainly due to their lacking a coherent thought. Assuming, though, that I understand you, I would love to hear an explanation of how your propose Ms. Lewinsky was able to gain physical access to one of the most protected people in the world, sexually arouse him, and bring him to ejaculation against his will, so she might later claim they engaged in sexual conduct... Perhaps the white house chief of staff, the first lady, the secret service and the senate were all involved in a massive impeachment conspiracy plan that was aborted at the last minute. Yes, that makes much more sense. It's all clear to me now... I bet Ms. Funnell was involved as well.

Although your input is lacklustre at it's best, thank you for it, Roscop. It reminds me that we should always consider every side to every argument, but not every person who opens his/her mouth.

Take care, and be sure to lock your doors so no one can break in and steal your semen while you sleep.

-mcd

Charmayne has indeed been around: “…who’s educating these young boys…there are girls who like this type of thing…if they are going to sleep with a couple of their mates...they are delusional…The girls are um…like…into alcohol a lot earlier…they are naïve…I probably didn’t drink a lot at all...it hit me quite badly…I couldn’t stand up properly..”

On the ABC TV 4 Corner’s program put to air last night there was an interview with Charmayne, who discusses, inter alia, “sexting”. I would say for the most part this woman really speaks the truth. Interesting though is what these women get up to when they are away from their partners and children. It was a pity 4 Corner’s was not able to show CCTV footage of the party of four leaving the Sapphire nightclub in Sydney or of them arriving at the hotel where they were staying.

Looking closely at Charmayne’s demeanour it would seem she doesn’t realise that she was raped...probably had her drinks spiked too. Maybe a vicarious trauma sufferer at the NSW Rape Crisis Centre should ring Charmayne and induce some trauma into her and explain the financial benefits that can result from being a traumatised rape victim. They could point out what the NZ lass is now receiving. A single mum can always do with a bit of extra cash.

It is good to see the lads are wising up to the possibility of the girls crying “rape” and videos are being used. “…they are getting savvy...they are getting smart”.

Interview with Charmayne : http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2009/20090511_footy/090511_palavi_hi.asx

Nina, thank you for your honest and forthright explanation in response to my question. If there was a bit more such willingness to engage honestly on OLO and elsewhere, rather than the usual suspects' refusal to even contemplate questions asked of them, there'd be much less conflict, I suspect.

While I understand your position, I think, I don't completely accept it, for a couple of reasons.

The first is that you have made your assault a specific and central part of your public "image" for want of a better word. You've discussed it widely, here and elsewhere, and I suspect you've gained some prestige in some circles because of that outspokenness. By doing so, you've made your personal experience into a public matter and public matters are legitimate subjects for questioning and skepticism.

The second is that you want the message to be spread that if attacked, women should fight back, as you did. Your authority is based on your experience, which means that, if the experience didn't exist or was not as claimed, you have less claim to that authority. OTOH, if you can say to people "look, this is what happened to me, but I still came out on top", surely your authority on the subject can only be enhanced?

Just some food for thought.

ninaf:"The other thing is that even if I did provide them, Roscop would probably just say they were photoshopped."

I don't agree with this justification at all. We live in a world in which images are manipulated routinely and most such manipulations are easily uncovered. If he was to make such a claim it would be easily debunked.

More importantly, you're a journalist. Would you accept a politician or public servant or a corporation or an individual in the news refusing to release images of a significant event that they claim backs their position simply because the Opposition would be likely to say they were dodgy? I'd be very surprised if you would.

Nonetheless, it's your decision to make. I suspect that the questions won't go away.

Roscop raises some excellent well thought out issues.
Now I’m sure he won’t mind providing your birth certificate, will you Roscop? You know, to prove you didn’t crawl out from under a rock.

Spiked Online has a rather interesting article on Rape Surveys,

"This story has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel: it gets everything upside down. Far from rape being hushed up, there is actually far too much awareness-raising about the subject - of which this survey is a prime example. Rape is a very serious crime, but today it is also becoming a moral crusade"
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/520/

it goes onto say-

" Ruth Hall, from Women Against Rape, was quoted as saying that the court system ‘[blames] the woman for what happened to her and [holds] her accountable’ (3). In fact, if anything the opposite is true."

Anti

I accept your criticisms though we may have to agree to disagree on this point. If a politian was raped or sexually assaulted I don't think anyone would expect him or her to provide photos taken on the night or pap smear results etc. It is a highly personal and traumatising experience and there has to be a level of respect for the victims already violated sense of privacy. I also think that blood and male DNA is the most compelling evidence that I can offer.

You are right that my position would be strengthened if I made all the evidence publically availiable, but I have to consider the cost to myself. I find the photos extraordinarily upsetting and do not feel comfortable even thinking about them, let alone sharing them with others.

As I said we may have to agree to disagree... though as always, I appreciate debate.