Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site randvax.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sdcrdcf!randvax!edhall From: edhall@randvax.ARPA (Ed Hall) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: Nothing ever happens to people unless they want it to Message-ID: <1676@randvax.ARPA> Date: Thu, 9-Feb-84 22:58:32 EST Article-I.D.: randvax.1676 Posted: Thu Feb 9 22:58:32 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 15-Feb-84 05:37:34 EST References: <6452@watdaisy.UUCP>, <901@ut-sally.UUCP> Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica Lines: 41 ------------------------ I don't think Sophie needs to back down from her statement implying that many men are potential rapists. From what I've seen it's very hard to blame most women for worrying about this, at least in the backs of their minds. I'm going to have to dig through old copies of the LA Times to find the reference (which I'll then post), but there have been studies in which 1/3rd of a male college-aged population said they might rape if they could be assured of not getting caught. (As if the victim wouldn't notice...) Even if this figure seems a bit high, I suspect that there are few women who have done much dating who haven't felt at least once that they might be in immediate danger of being raped. Of course, in talking about it later they might hedge by saying that their date was being a `bit too aggressive', or `wouldn't take ``no'' for an answer'. Such male behavior is considered `normal' in many circles. We've sexualized violence in our culture; the evidence for this is so pervasive that a lot of people deny that there could be anything wrong with it. (Television, cinema, magazines, popular music--any mass media--shows our preoccupation with this.) Sex is often seen as a form of aggression. And some of the more hostile men among us rape as a result. Others beat wives or girlfriends. Not a majority, by any means, but probably a good 10-15%. (References will be supplied for this, too--and there are a lot.) No, John Quarterman, I don't think that just because women have raped men in the past means that they should be equally worried (or unworried, as you claim) as men. The chance of a woman making a violent sexual assault on me isn't much greater than that of my getting struck by lightning. But the odds of a woman getting raped in her lifetime is variously put at from 1 out of 10 to 1 out of 3, on the average. Here in LA the figure is almost 1 out of 2. (Once again, I'll provide references in a followup.) -Ed Hall decvax!randvax!edhall