Rapists and human rights

[Gooberlx2]

I'm reading a paper right now about Rape:

Randy Thornbill and Graig T. Palmer, Why Men Rape
published by: The New York Academy of Sciences, Jan/Feb 2000

It challenges a mainstream social theory that "rape is motivated not by lust, but by the urge to control and dominate." (asserted by Susan brownmiller in 1975). The paper states, "All men feel sexual desire, the theory goes, but not all men rape. Rape is viewed as an unnatural behavior that has nothing to do with sex..."

Instead, it looks at rape through an evolutionary point of view. (without excusing the rapists of their behavior, mind you)...and goes on to talk about rape as a reproductive behavior and whatnot.

I haven't read the whole paper yet, but it already brought a question to my mind. Would it be within the rights of a society to take away the reproductive abilities of the rapist? Thereby a) possibly reducing the desire/will of the rapist to actually rape, and b) eliminating his/her genes from the gene pool. For all I know, this may already happen in some countries, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't in the USA.

Personally, I think that it is within the right of a society/justice system to do so. I feel that the rapist forfeits his/her rights once the act is commited. Even if it was decided to be a "semi-natural act" (based on that persons genetic history and social background, and as such that person's human rights shouldn't be taken away) the society is within the right. Hurricanes and Tornadoes (an example used in the paper as well) are obvious Natural Disasters that are unwanted by humans. Therefore we do what we can to protect ourselves from them and prevent future damage. I'd say most rape victims do not welcome rape. Since any one individual in a society could be a victim, that society has the same right to want to protect itself and prevent future rapes.

Any comments are welcome (except flame), I though this was sort of an interesting topic.

 

[Gooberlx2]

bump, I didn't think it was that bad of a topic....

 

[b0mbrman]

Will give you a bump for now and respond in ten minutes time

 

[Gooberlx2]

bizump

 

[UglyCasanova]

No, it's not that bad of a topic. I was just to lazy to reply, but I guess I will. If someone rapes someone else, then they should get their reproductive organs snipped off. You do the crime, you can do the time.



<< It challenges a mainstream social theory that "rape is motivated not by lust, but by the urge to control and dominate." (asserted by Susan brownmiller in 1975). The paper states, "All men feel sexual desire, the theory goes, but not all men rape. Rape is viewed as an unnatural behavior that has nothing to do with sex..." >>



In comment to this, I don't really think that rape is motivated by the urge to control and dominate. I haven't really looked into this, so I am just going on what I know, but I only assume that the key factor in rape is lust. It sounds like that domination theory is just another excuse to say that men are inherently these overpowering brutes who are only interested in sex, while women are these delicate creatures of perfection who are the victims here. I have never raped anyone, nor do I plan to, so I don't know the true motives.

 

[Chaotic42]

I believe that rapists should be castrated, forced to make a public appology, and made to work 20 hours of community service a week for the rest of their lives.

I really think they should all be hanged in public, but it isn't really acceptable.

 

[Swag1138]

Ill take The rapists for 100 Pat.

 

[vi edit]

Here's a problem - most rapes don't even end with the man reaching climax, so pregnancies resulting from it are rare.

Also, since many rapes are not initiated because of lust, but by domination and control, lobbing off a sexual organ really is illogical.

And, while we are on the subject of preventing people from passing on bad genes, why not chemically castrate the mentally handicapped, murderers, alcoholics, and pedophiles? I mean, they are all burdens and bad for society right?

 

[PistachioByAzul]

Wouldn't castrating rapists only create a different kind of monster?

rape is motivated not by lust, but by the urge to control and dominate

In men, I think those two are tied together. Seems like what stops all men from committing the act are social and concious inhibitions, otherwise I think the phsyical desire is there lying dormant.

 

[UglyCasanova]

<< And, while we are on the subject of preventing people from passing on bad genes, why not chemically castrate the mentally handicapped, murderers, alcoholics, and pedophiles? I mean, they are all burdens and bad for society right? >>



Do you really carry a rape gene? If someone's father was a rapist, will they get the bad gene and be destined for rape?

 

[vi edit]

<< In men, I think those two are tied together. Seems like what stops all men from committing the act are social and concious inhibitions, otherwise I think the phsyical desire is there lying dormant. >>



Now you are getting somewhere.

Watch what happens when you castrate a bull or nueter a dog. They chill out.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Watch what happens when you castrate a bull or nueter a dog. They chill out.

Well yeah, that's the point.

Here's a problem - most rapes don't even end with the man reaching climax, so pregnancies resulting from it are rare.

Also, since many rapes are not initiated because of lust, but by domination and control, lobbing off a sexual organ really is illogical.

Like I said, I hadn't had a chance to read the whole paper so I don't even know if they address your first comment. BUT, they did note one common trait to all rapes (chidren, family, single women), and that is sexual arousel. Even if the argument of gene control doesn't hold. Couldn't an argument of "taking away the instrument" be brought up?

Do you really carry a rape gene? If someone's father was a rapist, will they get the bad gene and be destined for rape?

There isn't one "rape gene", but there is genetic tendency towards violent crimes (such as rape) in some individuals, just as there is in alchoholism, cancer, and other inheritable diseases. (social or otherwise)

 

[Gooberlx2]

bump 'cause I'm curious what b0mbrman had to say...if he/she was still going to say something

 

[Rallispec]

rapists suck.
they deserve any human rights or anything. it has got to be one of the worst crimes ever.

interesting read though.

 

[exp]

This paper is kind of old news actually...I remember the big uproar it caused when first released. My thoughts: Just because something is "natural" does *not* necessarily mean that it is acceptable/excusable/understandable behavior in any way whatsoever. We are human...we have the capacity to oppose our genetic predispositions and move in new directions. It is this remarkable ability to adapt that seperates us from other organisms. I don't give two sh*ts about rapists' motivations...their explanations mean even less to me than those of murderers. They failed to exercise even a modicum of self-control and human decency. Try 'em, fry'em and move on.