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bleh. What I used to tell people who'd say they really couldn't stop is what would you do if your mom walked in.

That said, the criminal system isn't particularly good at dealing with date rape. Most of the time there isn't enough evidence for prosecution. Very often the only evidence is the statement of the accuser. Given that the standard defense is that it was consensual, what this amounts to is only a single eyewitness statement that a crime took place. You can't, or at least shouldn't be able to prosecute on that basis. (If you're having difficulty with this, imagine reporting that you saw your neighbour killing someone. The police will investigate, but if they find no evidence beyond your statement they'll drop the case. It doesn't matter how credible you are, that there is no reason for you to lie, nor the character or past acts of your neighbour.)

So in practice the way of dealing with it has to be education. Not just about date rape per se, but the whole common male mindset about sex of which date rape is only the extreme manifestation. Way too many men in this (and other) societies see sex as something they're getting out of women, rather than as a very nice mutual exchange of giving and getting pleasure.

by MarekNYC on Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 at 05:18:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
What I used to tell people who'd say they really couldn't stop is what would you do if your mom walked in.

Classic, Marek, thank you. <grin>

A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Sep 3rd, 2008 at 06:07:33 AM EST
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