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Sunday, August 12, 2007

CHRONICLES OF RAPE-SURVIVOR'S STORIES




Men Against Rape (V)

The premise: That no man of good conscience would willingly and recklessly force himself upon another person for reasons of sex, power or control. This series is intended to raise awareness and sensitivity.


Without the need for poll taking it can be said that the vast majority of men are of good conscience that fit the above description. We regard our role, when interacting with women to be one of respect, and if necessary that of protector.

We acknowledge that males commit most of the serious crimes against property and persons. Most violence is male driven, and wars are generally the initiative of men. That does not mean that women are totally exempt.

Specifically, with regard to rape, the law defines the term as the penetration of another’s bodily orifice without consent, and that normally is a male driven action. However, in these modern times some interesting variations on that theme are turning up. We are beginning to hear of rich and powerful women who are turning the tables on the men whom they control. Such men may be employees, or even husbands who made the mistake of marrying her for her money.

If such a woman coerces sex on demand and causes a man to perform as a trained seal, can it be rape? In my opinion, most probably not, in a legal sense as it lacks the penetration criteria, but sexual harassment most probably would be a better description.

Decent men are very careful in their intimate relations with their partners. We cannot imagine anything so revolting as to have one’s very humanity violently taken. We wouldn’t very much like it were it to happen to us, and so the thought of doing it to someone else is quite simply repugnant.

We also have our mothers, daughters, and all other female relations to think about. We can’t go about abusing other people’s female relatives without expecting that the same could happen to ours. This is the doctrine of fairness at work. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

From a self-preservation standpoint, we should wish for a world without rape, because where there are actual rapes occurring, there will also be incidents of false claims of rape. To be a man so accused is to be caught in an absolute nightmare situation. Effectively, your life as you knew it, is over. You can never have it back, even if you can prove that the thing of which you stand charged simply never happened.

In the United States of America there is the on-going case of three students of Duke University, of Raleigh, North Carolina, who were accused by an “exotic dancer” of having participated in raping her at a party at a home where she was hired to dance.

It may be that some sexual activity took place there, but in trying to determine whom her attackers were she pointed out three individuals who evidence indicates were not even there at the time of the alleged rape. For over a year they were named and shamed, while her identity was kept secret. Finally, the justice system declared that not only were they “Not Guilty” but that they were absolutely Innocent. Charges against them should never have been brought in the first place. However, for many people, that is not good enough to redeem their good names. They still believe the accusation, because that is what they want to believe.

When a woman vindictively, deliberately and falsely brings a charge of rape, she will certainly make trouble for her victim, but she also does her entire sisterhood a grave disservice. Unfortunately there have been far too many incidents of just such behaviour, and it is this that puts the real victim of rape through such a tortuous process.

There is a remedy open to men who have been falsely accused. They have the right upon discharge from the case to sue their accuser for damages. Even in conservative societies actual damages will be substantial. In the United States they have something that is called “Punitive Damages” that can be added to the assessment for actual damages, and are intended as pure punishment for having acted so recklessly in the first place.

For men against rape, this is quite simply a moral issue. It falls on the wrong side of the ledger, alongside such things as robbery, housebreaking, theft, murder, and offences against children. These are legally and morally wrong. Even if we could do these things and get away with our crimes, we would have to live with our conscience, and that would be, quite simply, unacceptable.

So, if you commit the crime of deliberate, intentional or reckless rape, you must leave the fraternity of decent men forever. You are a weakling, a loser and an embarrassment to the male gender and an outcast. No decent man may fraternize with you ever again, for we are known by our friends.

Finally, rape is no way to treat a lady!

Next: What have we learned?

Copyright © 2007 Eugene Carmichael