From: slarsen@berlin.helios.nd.edu (susan larsen)
Newsgroups: talk.rape
Subject: Re: What about date rape? (was: Prostitution as a cure...)
Date: 9 Oct 92 18:50:05 GMT
Distribution: talk.rape
Organization: OUC, University of Notre Dame

In article <Bvv50n.LGp@news.udel.edu> don@chester (Don McCoy) writes:
>In article <1992Oct7.145323.18214@news.columbia.edu> dan@cubmol.bio.columbia.edu (Daniel Zabetakis) writes:
>>
>>   What about date rape?
>   ----[a few lines deleted]
>>   In at least some of the date rape cases I hAve heard of, it seems that
>>the situation was one where the attacker very much desired sexual activity,
>>but consent was not forthcoming. It seems to me that these cases could be
>>subject to interference by the proximity of prostitution.
>>
>   ----[rest of article deleted]
>
>	Now let's see:  Your premise is that if these needs were
>satisfied by some acceptable means, then the incidence of sexual
>assault would decrease accordingly.  Your conclusion states that
>prostitution should therefore be legal since that would satisfy
>the needs of many potential rapists.  Did I get that right?
>
>	This seems to be a valid argument (i.e. the conclusion
>would be true *IF* the premise is true).  However, I do not 
>believe that your premise is true.  From what I know about 
>rape, including date rape, it more to do with the intent to do
>violence to another then it has to do with the release of sexual
>tension.  

Allow me to suggest another line of thinking:  If the goal is to 
acquire sex, what are the legals means of doing it?  Marriage 
could be construed as one means, dating as yet another.  Even 
though prostitution occurs in the secret economy, it is not 
considered "acceptable" to mainstream minds.

If a young man pursues dating as a means of acquiring sex 
acceptably and, further, his culture encourages dating as 
a societally-approved means of acquiring sex, I would 
suggest that less thoughtful or less sensitive young men could 
begin to see sex as a pay off or even an entitlement based 
on his "investment" in and expectations of dating.  Inject 
this thinking into the mind of a young man who is not very 
stable or may be suffering from severe lack of self esteem 
and the recipe exists for a nice boy on a date to turn real 
nasty and demanding when his propositions are rejected.  In 
my view, this young man is NOT operating from the same impulses
or enculturation as the "stranger on the street" type of rapist.
Do not take this to mean, though, that I feel that a "date" 
rapist is committing any less of a crime than the street 
rapist.  My argument is that date rape is more readily 
preventable than stranger rape by 1) creating alternate acceptable  
means of acquiring sex; and/or 2) changing attitudes toward  
dating as a vehicle for the acquisition of sex. 

If you accept my premise, then legalizing prostitution would 
create another acceptable means of acquiring sex.  Therefore, 
the instances of date rapes might drop in a society where 
sex can be hired straight out.  I do not believe that stranger 
rapes would decline much, if at all, with legalized prostitution.

Prostitution, though, remains an unacceptable avenue for the 
acquisition of sex for many, many reasons, some of which are 
attributable to blue-nosed attitudes surrounding human sexuality.
Other reasons, more valid to my way of thinking, are rooted in 
questions of gender and female objectification which would make 
legal prostitution economically and politically devastating to 
numerous currently marginalized female populations.  I won't bore you 
with that tangent, though.

So, in the abstract, I think legalized prostitution could serve 
to reduce the frequency of date rape.  Practically speaking, the 
nature of prostitution and the problems inherent with its practice, 
rules out its implementation.  So what is left?  Number 2) of my 
argument:  changing attitudes about the nature of dating.  One 
attitude that could be readily changed is the idea that "Men always 
pay."  By sharing dating costs, there would no longer exist any 
obligation to perform based on monetary considerations.  Given  
this, dating expectations should shift away from sex and more 
toward companionship.  

Any comments?

Sue Larsen
slarsen@berlin.helios.nd.edu
Newsgroups: talk.rape