Did you hear this disturbing rape study?

Question

A while ago a university did a survey asking guys if they'd rape an attractive girl if they were absolutely sure they wouldn't be caught or identified (yeah a hypothetical question). A large percentage said yes. Do you think this study was accurate?(sorry I don't have a link)

@Rio: What do you mean by them being unattractive after......pls explain

Answer 1

Considering the huge number of college women that are raped, mostly by their friends, dates and boyfriends, I see no reason to doubt that study.

No one deserves to be raped. I wouldn't even wish rape on the poster above me (although if I met him in person I might be tempted to castrate him with a rusty razor. If you're going to use it as a weapon, you don't deserve to have it.)

Answer 2

I found some bits of info on the studies online, but the studies don't appear to have been done "a while ago" - more like in the early '80s, nearly 30 years ago. (That's really old for academic research.) But it's interesting and, yes, disturbing.

Here's a documented short essay on a couple of early-'80s studies that yielded the results you mentioned (that some men would rape if they could "get away with it": http://www.dianarussell.com/menrape.html .

And here is a conversation thread by several university professors regarding these studies: http://research.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/assault.html .

The complicated things about rape are that (1) sometimes women don't even _realize_ or want to admit that what's happened to them is rape and can often convince themselves that it wasn't; (2) just letting the sex slide usually seems easier than fighting a dragged-out legal and emotional battle and creating eternal animosity between oneself and the rapist ("It only took him two minutes to get off. I don't want to press charges over two minutes."); (3) women can easily convince themselves that they decided to "let" him do it, especially if the rapist was more manipulative than physically violent or forceful, or was a good friend or someone she sees often.

It's truly a pain to accuse a friend or acquaintance - someone within the woman's social network - of raping her. A high school friend of mine was date-raped by a male friend whom she had trusted, but didn't press charges. Our school was very small; everyone knew each other and their business. He had more friends than she had; he was prouder of the incident than she. Well, you know what happened. Suddenly she had even fewer friends than before.

Once you've called acquaintance rape "rape," you've become the girl who squeals. Others consider it "complaining." It essentially labels a woman; her friends will look at her differently. If sex is "no big deal," then surely one episode of quasi-maybe-but-not-quite rape is "no big deal." Women still internalize a guilt over "putting him in this situation" (as though the rapist cannot be held accountable for his actions at all once his **** is out of his pants, and the woman should "know" that). It's a strange power-reversal (the woman has the power to initiate sex [or not], but no power to stop it once it's "too late") that results in our prevalent "blame the victim" mentality.

In response to the comment above, many women do not kick, scream, and try to run away, but are perhaps making out with a friend and merely say "No, I don't want to go any further. I don't want it right now." And if a man cannot take "no" seriously without the kicking and screaming, he will inevitably beg and plead and attempt to verbally manipulate her.

P.S. In any case, the abovementioned hypothetical situation is still rape. The woman didn't want the sex and said so - "no." And she still won't want the sex while it's happening, or after it's happened, or _ever_. She never _wanted_ it (a person doesn't have to be convinced or manipulated into doing something she wants). A self-respecting and respectful man wouldn't require kicking and screaming, or even a second 'no,' to stop - he wouldn't want sex with someone he knew didn't want or enjoy it. Again, it's called _respect_ (as well, men have a poor understanding of the concept of reciprocal pleasure). If men _respected_ women and their bodies, "close-encounter" rape would be less of a problem - but they don't, and it's truly shameful.

Answer 3

I am really not that surprised at all...it sounds pretty accurate and if it was done again, the numbers would probably be higher. Does that mean that any of these guys WOULD rape a girl even if they though they could get away with it? probably not. I have heard many college guys saying things like "hell yea I'd rape her if i had the chance" but most of the time its dumb guys spitting out bull just because they think it makes them seem cool in front of their friends and a lot of times, all the friends are laughing and agreeing with it. even though they most likely never would. i think it has a lot to do with mob mentality, they do what everyone else is doing and they THINK its making them look cool, even though it really makes them seem like an ***. But rape has been so desensitized and the word is thrown around with guys in a different way then most women see it, we take offense and some of the men joke about it like it is funny. people will say a lot of horrible things to make themselves look better in front of friends, even if it is something horrible and that goes for both of the sexes. so in my opinion, it seems accurate.

Answer 4

I think a lot of these guys, being young college students, are deluding themselves in their imaginations. Could they really, soberly, sustain an erection while being screamed at, punched, resisted, spit on, etc.? Would they be willing to use force, knife, gun?

I hope that only a very small minority of men, sick guys, would really, in actuality, be able to do this. This is fantasy. Fantasy abounds. Some women might even fantasize about being raped, but in actual, real life, they would not put up with it..

Answer 5

I believe that you're talking about the Georgetown University study. It's well-documented. The numbers were disturbing.

Answer 6

Disturbing thought, yet it happens. It happened to me. This guy kept telling me if you got it flaunt it. Something didn't seem right; I kept my distance; this one day I was in the right place at the wrong time and....well, let me add here it would have been impossible to fight back, seeing as I'm only 5'6" and he was around 6'5" and had over 90 lbs on me and we were in the back of a little camper, not much moving room, and scream,well it happened to fast to even think of that.
no I didn't tell because I was playing the field myself.

Answer 7

Scary stuff, but I think we have to look at how the questions were phrased. Likely the wording wasn't "Would you rape a girl if you knew you wouldn't get caught?"

And no one deserves to be raped.

Answer 8

That is absolutely disgusting. I wonder if they'd change their minds once they knew how unattractive THEY'D become after raping a girl?

EDIT: I mean when their fathers come and beat their faces in, as mine would surely do if such a heinous act were perpetrated against me.

Answer 9

hm.....well some men out there really are pervs...but then there are many good men as well. maybe they didnt fully understand the concept of "rape." i bet they just thought that they'd f*ck and attractive girl. but to me this is disturbing...

Answer 10

of course i believe it. every time i think about how many women are raped every day i wonder how many men *wouldn't* rape if given the opportunity... it's very depressing.

that's why i always carry a 4" blade on campus. just try it.