I played a rape survivor in a role-playing scenario today.

[montanafan]

We had a mock trial in my Civics class with a male on female rape case. The student jury found the rapist not guilty, even though there was quite a bit of evidence that the victim had not consented and had tried to get away when she was dragged into the rapist's apartment after giving him a ride home from a club.

When questioned about their verdict they said that she should have known better than to be out drinking with a stranger (she was introduced to him by a mutual friend at the club) and then driving him home. They said that because she was partly responsible, they couldn't see sending him to prison for it.

I wonder if the scenario you were involved with had gone to a trial, would people have felt the same way?

 

[MrDudeMan]

where the hell do you do something like this and who do you find that would participate in such a thing? is it verbally or physically acted out? i see no need for something this ridiculous to realize that rape is bad and the rapee must feel horrible for a long time.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: montanafan
We had a mock trial in my Civics class with a male on female rape case. The student jury found the rapist not guilty, even though there was quite a bit of evidence that the victim had not consented and had tried to get away when she was dragged into the rapist's apartment after giving him a ride home from a club.

When questioned about their verdict they said that she should have known better than to be out drinking with a stranger (she was introduced to him by a mutual friend at the club) and then driving him home. They said that because she was partly responsible, they couldn't see sending him to prison for it.

I wonder if the scenario you were involved with had gone to a trial, would people have felt the same way?

I'm not sure.

In either case, I find that verdict to be completely without merit. Rape is one of those crimes where, yes, the individual has the responsibility to take the smart steps, but the final act, the choice to violate someone else, is on the part of the rapist. As much as I may criticise those who do stupid things and put themselves in stupid situations, I cannot allow rapists to be held not culpable.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: montanafan
We had a mock trial in my Civics class with a male on female rape case. The student jury found the rapist not guilty, even though there was quite a bit of evidence that the victim had not consented and had tried to get away when she was dragged into the rapist's apartment after giving him a ride home from a club.

When questioned about their verdict they said that she should have known better than to be out drinking with a stranger (she was introduced to him by a mutual friend at the club) and then driving him home. They said that because she was partly responsible, they couldn't see sending him to prison for it.

I wonder if the scenario you were involved with had gone to a trial, would people have felt the same way?

That reasoning sounds like a derivative of revealing clothing -> rape.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
where the hell do you do something like this and who do you find that would participate in such a thing? is it verbally or physically acted out? i see no need for something this ridiculous to realize that rape is bad and the rapee must feel horrible for a long time.

It's not the rape itself that was the point, it was teaching student employees at my university how to deal with different situations. Rape is one of those situations and so we role-play it.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: montanafan
We had a mock trial in my Civics class with a male on female rape case. The student jury found the rapist not guilty, even though there was quite a bit of evidence that the victim had not consented and had tried to get away when she was dragged into the rapist's apartment after giving him a ride home from a club.

When questioned about their verdict they said that she should have known better than to be out drinking with a stranger (she was introduced to him by a mutual friend at the club) and then driving him home. They said that because she was partly responsible, they couldn't see sending him to prison for it.

I wonder if the scenario you were involved with had gone to a trial, would people have felt the same way?

The students in your class are idiots

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: Orsorum

Originally posted by: montanafan
We had a mock trial in my Civics class with a male on female rape case. The student jury found the rapist not guilty, even though there was quite a bit of evidence that the victim had not consented and had tried to get away when she was dragged into the rapist's apartment after giving him a ride home from a club.

When questioned about their verdict they said that she should have known better than to be out drinking with a stranger (she was introduced to him by a mutual friend at the club) and then driving him home. They said that because she was partly responsible, they couldn't see sending him to prison for it.

I wonder if the scenario you were involved with had gone to a trial, would people have felt the same way?

I'm not sure.

In either case, I find that verdict to be completely without merit. Rape is one of those crimes where, yes, the individual has the responsibility to take the smart steps, but the final act, the choice to violate someone else, is on the part of the rapist. As much as I may criticise those who do stupid things and put themselves in stupid situations, I cannot allow rapists to be held not culpable.

this isnt completely black and white, even though ill probably get flamed for saying that. if the rapist isnt really forceful, just persuasive, then the rapee should have fought their way out and made it clear it wasnt going to happen. i realize it is probably really scary to be in that position, but my first reaction would be to do something, think later. rape involving pain and physical contact (aside from intercourse) is a different story. if the rapist physically forces the other person to have sex, then they should burn. either way, the rapist is a dirtbag and needs to be kicked in the teeth, but in my first scenario i dont think they should go to prison for life...i dont know what to do with them though.

 

[montanafan]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother

Originally posted by: montanafan
We had a mock trial in my Civics class with a male on female rape case. The student jury found the rapist not guilty, even though there was quite a bit of evidence that the victim had not consented and had tried to get away when she was dragged into the rapist's apartment after giving him a ride home from a club.

When questioned about their verdict they said that she should have known better than to be out drinking with a stranger (she was introduced to him by a mutual friend at the club) and then driving him home. They said that because she was partly responsible, they couldn't see sending him to prison for it.

I wonder if the scenario you were involved with had gone to a trial, would people have felt the same way?

The students in your class are idiots

I was somewhat, but not entirely, surprised by their thinking. These are juniors and seniors in high school and I've heard a lot of similar arguments from this age group in psychology and current events classes when the subject is brought up.

Girls are usually even harder on the female victim than the guys. I try to make them see that it's just a defense mechanism. If a girl can find fault in the victim's behavior, it makes them feel less vulnerable. "That would never happen to me because I would/wouldn't..."

As for the guys, there are a variety of reasons they feel that way. Some only see it as a sex act and not that big a deal even if she didn't want to participate. Then I have to try to get them to see it as an act of violence and violation of a person's most basic rights, as well as the emotional and physical trauma that results for the victim. Usually an analogy of a guy on guy drunken/rape-drug rape helps. Or the analogy of a pedophile seeing the act as only sex when it's not at all. Others see women as some how being responsible/to blame for the man's actions. It's pretty easy to point out the fallacy of that argument.

They're not idiots. They just haven't put that much thought into those sorts of things yet, or heard the different perspectives. That's the point of the exercises.

 

[montanafan]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th

Originally posted by: Orsorum

Originally posted by: montanafan
We had a mock trial in my Civics class with a male on female rape case. The student jury found the rapist not guilty, even though there was quite a bit of evidence that the victim had not consented and had tried to get away when she was dragged into the rapist's apartment after giving him a ride home from a club.

When questioned about their verdict they said that she should have known better than to be out drinking with a stranger (she was introduced to him by a mutual friend at the club) and then driving him home. They said that because she was partly responsible, they couldn't see sending him to prison for it.

I wonder if the scenario you were involved with had gone to a trial, would people have felt the same way?

I'm not sure.

In either case, I find that verdict to be completely without merit. Rape is one of those crimes where, yes, the individual has the responsibility to take the smart steps, but the final act, the choice to violate someone else, is on the part of the rapist. As much as I may criticise those who do stupid things and put themselves in stupid situations, I cannot allow rapists to be held not culpable.

this isnt completely black and white, even though ill probably get flamed for saying that. if the rapist isnt really forceful, just persuasive, then the rapee should have fought their way out and made it clear it wasnt going to happen. i realize it is probably really scary to be in that position, but my first reaction would be to do something, think later. rape involving pain and physical contact (aside from intercourse) is a different story. if the rapist physically forces the other person to have sex, then they should burn. either way, the rapist is a dirtbag and needs to be kicked in the teeth, but in my first scenario i dont think they should go to prison for life...i dont know what to do with them though.

In this particular court case, things were pretty black and white. There was a neighbor who heard a scuffle and yelling at the time of the rape, the police found one of her fingernails embedded in the doorjam, the doctor found physical trauma, and the police report described her as hysterically crying and shaking when they arrived at her home afterwards. The perpetrator did try to explain most of that away as her wanting rough sex though.