Women's Reactions to Rape

My two cents...

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Yes, I don't mean to single rape out; violence against women is epidemic.

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Which is why it's staggering to me that the only response from women, it seems, is to improve how we counsel victims.

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I definitely agree. It stuns me sometimes how little is done in Ireland to prevent this kind of violence - people seem to have blinkers on half the time. In my secondary school (high school - sort of) the principal decided to start running self-defence classes for any students who wanted them at lunchtime, only to get hundreds of letters in the mail from angry parents who, and I quote, "didn't want their daughters to learn that kind of thing". It was like not telling them about vaccines in the hope that they'd never get measles!

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I don't mean to offer guns as a panacea, but there is a reason that we don't use swords anymore as a method of personal protection. That reason is the avalibility of superior weapons called "guns."

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Not an option here, and I'm thankful for it. I maintain that guns do more harm than good. I think martial arts are far more effective - closer to hand, as it were - and come without so much risk of actually killing someone. You're certainly not going to hurt yourself! I highly recommend kung fu; it's a good, fluid self-defence style, and great exercise.The Rock Hound

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I started this thread to find out why, so far, they've been choosing not to when the evidence seems to suggest that they should.

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Perhaps it's a cultural thing. It's not "ladylike" to go to self-defense classes and learn the best way to break a man's leg in three places.I think I've said it before, but it's a bit like not telling people about vaccines in the hope that they'll never get sick. It's that kind of preconceived notion that the modern world should do away with as soon as possible.The Rock Hound

Unfortunately I have to agree with both sides here. I feel that men's attitudes to rape need to be changed - that they know they can't get away with it, that women should be treated with respect, and so on. Socitey as a whole needs to be more responsible in the way it portrays both sexes. I particularly dislike the constant portrayal of women in magazines as ornaments to be looked at and played with - it only encourages the mindset that all women should be treated like that in men, and the mindset of oneupmanship in women and girls (and in this case I dislike it because it causes women to hate their own bodies).However, I still agree with Crashfrog that women should know how to defend themselves. The proper training can be applied to any threatening situation, not just rape - consider the response of a woman to being mugged, for example. This is not similar to a drug-rape where no effective defense can be mounted; the knowledge of how to disarm and disable an attacker is suddenly very relevant.I find as well that the good exercise obtained from martial arts training goes a long way towards making women feel better about themselves, thus its benefit is two-fold.The Rockhound

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"Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do."