Dear Bruce,

Allright. Enough of being facitious.
Now to get serious.

As I stated in my earlier post the fear
of rape touches virtually all women,
instilling in them a wariness of male
strangers and an apprehension about
walking alone at night or being in deserted
places and so on. Of course, most women I know
(including myself - and my young nieces)
do take care and behave responsibly.
As do most men I know - towards women.

However lets get rid of a few myths ...

Contrary to popular belief, most rapes are
actually committed by an acquaintance of the
victim not by a stranger - by
a family friend, a neighbour, a teacher,
an employer, an ex-lover, a new dating partner.
Also victims of "date rape" are particularly reluctant
to report the crime, for they are afraid that
other people - including family, friends, and
jurors - will suspect they did something to
"ask for it."

Many people still regard rape as an
expression of unrestrained, impulsive sexual desire.
Research in recent years has proven this view to be
a myth.

Rape is a crime of violence, not of passion. It is a
ritual of power and humiliation. All the evidence
indicates that the sexual aspect of rape is of
secondary importance.

What is of a concern today to most women
is that there still exists an attempt to shift the
responsibility for the control of male advances, to
the female. This line of defense seems to be unique to the
crime of rape. "She was provocatively dressed and was therefore
at fault," et cetera.

It would seem that in this day and age -
that argument should be well and truly out-moded.
But apparently not for some men - who I suspect
are in their twilight years.

Thanks Foxy, I'll attempt to reply in kind.
First, let me point out that I have NOT blamed women for being raped, and I hope I've made my personal opinion of the crime and it's punishment clear enough.
However, I dispute that furphy about rape being motivated by power, that's a conclusion reached by those with a feminist bent. Women in that situation commonly feel powerless, but to then translate that feeling across to mean it's about the power for the assailant is simply wrong, it's shaping your conclusion to satisfy your own feelings, always an error.
I feel that many today DO underestimate the power of sex in the human male, it's an imperative drive that surfaces readily, and with the slightest easing of our civil and/or moral restraints, from whatever cause, well, women pay the price.
Men of lesser intellect and/or with social/mental/emotional disorders are the most common offenders, and in any sort of war the restraints on even ordinary men often fail under the pressure, that's why it's so common in conflict situations.
I don't doubt that there ARE some rapists for whom power is an element of the act but I doubt it's the main driver even then. Only a male can understand the way sexual frustration can warp his emotions and mind, believe me, it's VERY real for us poor sods, add alcohol or such to that tempest and it becomes far worse.
Most of us survive it, our ingrained morality means we won't give in to animalistic urges but it can be a very fine line indeed for many men, one that becomes even finer when confronted by seemingly provocative women. Just like those women, men too can misinterpret situations and signals and once aroused, some few of us lose all control and become rapists, unfortunately.
There are others, truly evil men, and others too, too many to consider every situation so please don't blame me if I seem to be over simplifying or making excuses, as I said, there are NONE!
But there ARE factors, and women themselves are one of them.

You need help mate!

If a woman dresses in a manner designed to be sexually provocative and she succeeds in her endeavours then what has she to complain about?

Obviously it was money well spent.

Thanks for the offer Mikk but I'm fine the way I am.
I may not be as obsequiously PC as some but I AM a realist, and that's stood me in good stead all my life, why should I try to change now?

Dear Bruce,

It's a question of changing attitudes.

We need to treat each other with respect,
and admire nurturant rather than aggressive
traits.

In rape as in other aspects of human behaviour, the
conduct of the individual is influenced by the norms
of the surrounding society.

Some men still see women as actual or potential sexual
property - that is, as sex objects. And many men,
it seems, are convinced that any normal woman will
be flattered by sexual attention in any form.

It's interesting though that lust seems to have remarkably
little to do with rape; a high proportion of rapists are
completely impotent, and many more become sexually
aroused only when they have sufficiently terrified and
debased their victim through verbal and physical abuse.

Rape is also not a result of any lack of alternative
sexual outlets: many rapists are married, many have
other sexual partners, and most could easily afford a
prostitute.

All the evidence indicates that the sexual aspect of rape
is of secondary importance. The primary object seems to
be to humiliate and subjugate the woman, and thus to
bolster the aggressor's feelings of power, superiority,
and masculinity.

We need to change our attitudes in society, I fully agree
with that - but we need to include both sexes in this -
and not only requiring comparatively little self-control by
the men, or expecting only the women to manage the situation.
People do need to be held responsible for their conduct -
and as I stated in my earlier post - blame shifting in
today's society should be - out-moded
and no longer acceptable.