Date Rape as a Non-consensual Sexual Activity between People - Essay Example

RAPE No one owes anyone sex. Sex is the expression of a willingness to be known. It has to be a journey into mutual selves by two consenting adults for it to be pleasurable. Rape is an illegal entry into one's physical and mental space. It is an attack on someone's private property without any concern for the dignity of the self of the subdued. Date rape (non-consensual sexual activity between people who know each other) is perhaps even more treacherous than plain rape in the sense that it is performed by an acquaintance and under the pretext of having gained acceptance. Sometimes the victim is coerced or threatened into submission; at times the victim is sedated or under the influence of liquor. Sometimes called 'contact rape' or 'sleep rape', the act is performed with the help of drugs like ketamine, Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and benzodiazepines such as Flunitrazepam ('roofies')1. Keith Burgess-Jackson in a recent book on rape called A Most Detestable Crime: New philosophical Essays on Rape (OUP, 1999) states that rape is such a confounding idea that it is tough to restrain it within a definition. There are too many kinds of it and hence the comprehensiveness of one definition can be measured only by the exclusions it suggests. should it be conceived as forced sex, violent sex, coerced sex, compelled sex, nonconsensual sex, pressured sex, exploited sex, involuntary sex, expropriated sex, objectified sex, unwanted sex, nonmutual sex, or bad sex. Here the philosopher must do more than provide a definition. He or she must formulate a theory a theory of the concept. It may be that no single theory accommodates all of the data, in which case the most we can hope for is a theory that illuminates more than any other2.(4) The idea of date rape adds one more bizarre dimension to this array of human bestiality. In fact, the process of classifying rapes has itself come under scrutiny. Feminists have argued that there has always been a salacious element in the naming and description of this private female trauma. Both men and women were callous enough to excuse such 'aberrations' within the sphere of life. But, of late, things have changed. In an interesting book called Representing Rape: Language and Sexual Consent (Routledge, 2001), Susan Ehrlich argues that continued resistance to male linguistic appropriation have resulted in a new glossary of the female psyche. She says that "when one group holds a monopoly on naming, its bias is embedded in the names it supplies and the names it does not supply. Thus, innovative terms such as sexism, sexual harassment and date rape are said to be significant in that they give a name to the experiences of women. a few years ago they were just called life." (12) Rape is much more prevalent than believed. Social, cultural and even educational factors prevent women from reporting acquaintance rape. Quite often, the victimizer is shrewd enough to convince the victimized that the act was not rape, that it happened because of circumstances, that it was an uncontrollable expression of emotion and so on. Since a majority of the women involved in such cases are credulous or nave, such verbal excuses assume significance too. The result is that date rapes are not as systematically reported as are 'rapes.' This mystifies it; more so because it is common knowledge that any act of forceful sex is not subsumed under the definition of rape. The prevalence rate of acquaintance rapes are often found to be erratic simply because the victims are either ignorant of the crime perpetrated on them or they do not want to add on to the unedifying aftermath (including legal formalities) of an acquaintance rape. In an inspired study called Violence in Dating Relationships: Emerging Social Issues, editors Maureen A Pirog-Good and Jan E.Stets contend that when the victimizer is an acquaintance, women are often reluctant to identify the person let alone label the event as rape3. This is the reason why we do not have authentic statistical data on this social malaise. the prevalence of acquaintance rape among acknowledged victims may differ from the prevalence of acquaintance rape among victims who do not label the event as rape. Among those who do not recognize that a rape has occurred, the assailant is even more likely to be an acquaintance than among those who recognize a rape. Thus much acquaintance rape is unreported and even unacknowledged (170). In fact, date rape is worse than rape because while the latter is a culpable crime, the former still has an aura of 'uncontrollability.' The victimizer could get away with the alibi of himself being a victim of circumstances. When the 'acquaintance' in acquaintance rapes happens to be a lover, friend or cousin, the woman also feels inclined to forget or forgive the act. It must be stressed that such maudlin excuses can only serve to make date rape unidentifiable as well as indefinable while really being a crime of consequence. What are the risk factors associated with date rape There could be many risk factors that women out on a date ought to know. The following have been culled from studies on the topic: continuing acts of dominance of the male partner including payment of all date expenses, intake of diazepam-related drugs, overdose of alcohol, inherent diffidence exhibiting itself in flaunting of machismo, over concern and a willingness to help even when it is not required and jealousy. A strong belief in rape myths could also result in date rape. In an article that appeared in The Journal of Research in 2000, the writer Gloria Cowan talked about these myths in detail. According to her the causes that function as rape myths include female precipitation, male sexuality, and male pathology. Most of the rape myths blame the victim and exonerate the rapist. While female precipitation assumes that woman 'invited' rape, male sexuality assumes that men cannot control their sexual urges and that of male pathology considers the rapist as a 'crazed stranger4. In addition to the prevalence of such myths, there are recent additions too. The advancement in women's rights and status in many parts of the world notwithstanding, the belief that a woman's sexual consent derives automatically from an intimate heterosexual relationship continues to persist. Marriage is looked upon as an indication of irrevocable consent to sexual relations. A woman's right to say no even to her husband is yet to be legally acknowledged. The belief that it was the 'intimacy' of the relationship that led to the sexual advancement still holds good resulting in a reduced punishment for the perpetrator5. Although there is no gainsaying the fact that date rape could be an 'occupational hazard' of a person in love (men also can be date raped), it can be rather safely surmised that the act is often the consequence of a lack of common sense, navet, blind trust or an abnormal desire to adventure away life. One risk factor that does not normally figure in surveys is communication about sex. It is generally believed that while women want a relationship, men only want to bed them. This disposition results in a communication that could lead to sex, forced or otherwise. Women might want to reinforce relationship through cuddling or petting gestures (feminine behavioral cues) which could be misunderstood as invitation to sex by men. The difference in disposition is a crucial factor in date rape. Unfortunately, there are many people who believe that date rape is invited rather than perpetrated. 'Common sense as self-defense' should block attempts to choose the location of the date arbitrarily. A woman's willingness to go to any place could be misconstrued as endorsement of the libidinal interest. Thus, a movie is a safer bet than an apartment. Whatever be the attraction, one should learn to say 'No' and to mean it when in danger of being belittled. Jan E. Stets lists factors like reticent nature, allowing male domination, submissiveness and endorsement of traditional attitudes as other risk factors that might induce date rape. While a rape is a frontal attack, date rape is often a trap. And unlike rape by an unknown person, date rape is seen by many as far less often an act of power and control, and more as 'out- of - control lust' by many people6. Although legal systems all over the world have taken this crime into cognizance, it would be wiser to avoid secluded places, spending time with people who make you feel uneasy, being impulsive and being nice and vulnerable. It would be even better to arm oneself with the knowledge of how to deliver a kick or two in areas that really hurt 7. Sharon Jackson whose book Who is Watching Your Drink became a best seller was interviewed by Chuck Harder on www.ourmedia.org. She said that the prospects of making/buying drugs that could induce sleep or make your legs 'feel like rubber' were quite high now8. The gravity of the situation increases when we realize that the victimizer might even pose as a man performing a rescue act because after the date rape he could drop back the victim in her apartment and 'help' her get out of the car. The victim, meanwhile, would be totally confused under the effect of the drug and when she puts the pieces back together, feelings of guilt, confusion, fear and anxiety might take over and prevent her from divulging the details. Ms. Jackson made it clear that date rape was more dangerous than actual rape simply because the chances of identifying the rapist were much more. The conclusion that one ought to arrive at is that people, especially teenagers would do better to stay away from questionable parties or raves, strangers pretending to be friends, elders pretending to be mentors and even friends of the opposite sex who are especially aggressive. Perhaps, one of the most intriguing aspects concerning date rape is that in many of its definitions, the word 'intercourse' is associated with it. This itself is ample proof of the failure to conceptualize date rape. The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971, vol. 1, p. 1461) refers to intercourse as "Communication to and fro between countries, etc.; mutual dealings between the inhabitants of different localities." The term incorporates an ideal or norm of mutuality (as opposed to unilaterality), which presupposes communication rather than dictation. One can see this in the fact that nobody calls robbery "commercial intercourse." Robbery is not intercourse at all. It is a corruption, betrayal, or mockery of intercourse. Rape, be it of any sort, is neither mutual nor a form of (sic) communication whereas sexual intercourse is communication, or mutual dealing. Conceiving of rape as sexual intercourse is therefore oxymoronic: both communicative and dictated; both mutual and unilateral. A new theory or a conceptual model highlighting the problems and the gravity of this unique crime (the only one that can be done under the pretext of friendship) has to be evolved. Date rape is a threat that could haunt any young person. As such, it demands the attention of not governments but also social organizations that show concern for the dignity of the individual. In a brochure brought out by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the advice given to the date rape victim reads as follows. "(If you have been drugged) get to safe place and call someone you can trust. Some sexual predators who drug their victim(s) will later try to "help" them in order to get him/her to a place where they can rape them. Consider getting medical attention as soon as possible.9" This is indicative of the confusion and a clear lack of empathy that ought to be associated with this heinous crime. References 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_rape 2. Keith Burgess-Jackson. A Most Detestable Crime: New Philosophical Essays on Rape. London: Oxford University Press, 1999. 3. Pirog-Good, Maureen A and Jan E. Stets (Eds.). Violence in Dating Relationships: Emerging Social Issues. London: Praeger, 1989. 4. Gloria Cowan. Beliefs About the Causes of Four Types of Rapes. A Journal of Research, Vol.49, 2000. 5. Sarah Ben-David and Ofra Schneider. Rape Perceptions, Gender Role Attitudes and Vicim-Perpetrator Acquaintance. A Journal of Research, Vol.53, 2005. 6. http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/date_rape.html 7. http://www.aest.org.uk/survivors/female/date%20rape.html 8. http://www.ourmedia.org/node/45059 (Interview) 9. http://www.gov.nf.ca/vpi/brochure/DateRapeDrug.pdf ____________________ Read More