Rape and Responsibility Essays -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Rape and Responsibility      Ã‚  Ã‚   When I hear the word "rape," I immediately visualize assault, violence, force, and pain. However, today, there are pills slipped into drinks, thus skipping all of the brutality and allowing the attacker to walk away unscathed. But above all of the pills and physical violence, there lies another story that is more commonly heard of today: rape through blame and excuses. What this means is that, more often than not, women wake up from a night of alcohol consumption, drug abuse, or from a situation where they were not strong enough to say "No," and they cry rape. It is because of this frivolous definition of "rape" that women who are actually attacked are finding it harder and harder to present a case for themselves. Now the question of rape has found a new urgency due to a dramatic increase in rape cases on college campuses. Administrators are using terms such as "verbal consent" and "dating codes." These are just two small sections concerning rules for dating due to the dramatic increase in the cases of sexual assault on campus. Claims of rape and sexual assault are on the rise, and most of these cases are false claims.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Many of these mock rape cases occur when a woman is not strong enough to say "No" and understand that her consumption of alcohol and drugs may impair her ability to act wisely. In these cases, the woman has not been raped. Of course, this does not give a man the right to take advantage of a woman when her judgment has been impaired, simply because it may not be defined as a rape case. However, the fact remains that a woman who puts herself in a vulnerable position should bear some of the responsibility for a sexual assault, both in preventing i... ...ape occurs when one partner's words and demands go unanswered by the other. When a woman says "No" in a clear and strong voice, she means "No," there is no other way to define it. The sooner women learn how to use this word and mean it too, the sooner they can save themselves and their male "attackers" a great deal of grief. Along with this goes the understanding that women should not put themselves in a vulnerable position where they can be taken advantage of. If a woman impairs herself by drinking alcohol or using drugs, and then consents to be alone with a man in a dark room, what exactly does she expect?    Sources   Gaitskill, Mary. 1998. "On Not Being a Victim: Sex, Rape, and the Trouble with Following Rules." In: Gilbert Muller (ed.). Here and Now : Current Readings for Writers. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., p. 167-180.