Newsgroups: soc.women,talk.rape
From: flaps@dgp.toronto.edu (Alan J Rosenthal)
Subject: Re: Lioness method (monthly)
Distribution: na
Date: 5 Sep 92 21:58:34 GMT

The following statements in this article are just as incorrect as they were
last month.  I don't know much about self-defense because I don't have to; I
agree with the tactic of teaching women self-defense (although I cannot verify
the accuracy of the information presented).  However, I think a number of
statements in the original article are wrong and harmful.  Some of them are
simply counterfactual.  The following complaints are presented to attempt to
reduce the harm that posting that article here could potentially cause.

>	If you believe that you cannot injure another human being,
>this training is NOT for you. If you believe that is proper to
>STOP a violent criminal to save yourself and others, it is.

It is wrong to insinuate that all women who are reluctant to kill are
perpetuating rape.

>	When a rape begins, there is no one there but you and the
>rapist. When it ends, there is still no one there but you and the
>rapist.

This is not always true.  If it happened in a crowded area, this does not mean
it wasn't rape.

>When it ends, you will be dead;

This is not always true.  If you live through it, this does not mean it wasn't
rape.  Actually, the falsehood of this statement can be verified by the fact
that approximately equal numbers of women and men are still with us.

>or alive, but physically and emotionally shattered, probably permanently.

Often there are no lasting physical side-effects.  If all it takes to restore
you to your previous physical state is a shower (or nothing at all), this does
not mean you weren't raped.

It is often possible for rape survivors to "get better" and return to a normal
life.  First of all, if you're not absolutely emotionally shattered, this
doesn't mean it wasn't rape; and second of all, don't kill yourself -- with
work you can get better.

>RAPISTS DON'T USE CONDOMS.

This is not always true.  If he used a condom, this does not mean you weren't
raped.

>	You MUST make your decision HERE and NOW.

You can do whatever the fuck you want.  Don't let this man browbeat you into
dealing with the issue of rape in a way you're not prepared to do.

>Frank was born into a violent family. He grew up watching his
>mother being beaten by his father, and being beaten himself by
>both of them.
etc, etc, etc.

Rapists are everywhere.  There are rapists of all social classes and family
histories.  And the subsequent statement about a criminal record is completely
misleading.  Many rapists are otherwise quite law-abiding.

>NEVER SCREAM; HIGH TONES INDICATE FEAR. ROAR AT HIM, INDICATING RAGE.

I'm not sure about this advice.  The only case I know about of a would-be
victim managing to avoid being raped involved her screaming.  This caused the
attacker to alternate attention between covering her mouth (to stop the
screaming) and dragging her off the road; he found he could not do both
simultaneously.  The result was that it took him a long time to get her off the
road, and that during this time she got a lot of screaming in.  Someone shouted
from a nearby window something to the effect of you'd better leave her alone
and I'm calling the police, and the attacker fled.