Date Rape Essay Research Paper Date RapeMatt

Date Rape Essay, Research Paper

Date Rape

Matt Barone

November 20, 1996

Craft of Language

MTH 2:30-3:45

When people hear the word “rape” they might imagine a stranger leaping

out from the shadows of a dark alley and attacking someone. Although this is

partly true, most rapes are committed by people who know their victims. When

intercourse is unwanted and forced upon by someone you know, it is known as ?

date rape.? It occurs daily and is prevalent on virtually all college campuses

across the nation and in cities all over the world.

Date rape generally occurs when a man is alone with a woman. Although it

has been reported that men have been raped by women, it is much more common for

a woman to be raped by a man. There are several reasons why date rape might

occur. Sometimes a man thinks that a woman ?owes? him something if he has taken

her out for dinner and a movie or if a woman acts in a friendly manner towards

him. The presence of drugs and alcohol are also a contributing factor to the

occurrence of date rape.

An example of date rape that occurs commonly, especially within a

college campus, is when both the man and women are drunk. In an environment such

as a college or university, parties are commonplace for students. It is a place

where friends can gather, listen to loud music, and get loaded. Typically, a man

will coerce a woman back to his apartment or dorm. This is dangerous for both

parties. The man may think that the woman is leading him on, that if she agrees

to go with him that it is an invitation to have sex. If the female seems to be

enjoying kissing or fooling around with the guy, he may think she is teasing him

if she decides to stop. The man may feel angry or rejected if this happens, and

may want sexual gratification anyway. The result can be rape.

If only the woman is drunk, the man may see this as an opportunity to

take advantage of her because she will most likely be less defensive towards him.

Some men plan the act of rape, and may use alcohol or drugs in order to lesson a

woman’s judgment. In some cases, someone may slip a drug into a women’s drink,

causing her to forget what had happened the night before when she wakes the next

morning. If a woman is intoxicated and has seemingly consented to having sex,

she may feel the next morning that she only acted that way because of the her

condition at the time. In a court of law, the man would be found guilty of rape.

Even if substance use is not involved, another factor is mixed signals

between the man and the woman. If a woman acts in a friendly or outgoing manner

towards a man, he may interpret this as a proposal to have sex. Even if a woman

says ?no,? the man may think that she is playing hard to get, that the ?no?

really means ?yes.? Some men are sexually aroused when a woman struggles, and

may continue in an aggressive no matter what she says to him. This can occur to

people who have just met, those who are dating, or even to people who have known

each other for years.

There is a thin line between what is known as “mutual consent” and “date

rape.” They can be confusingly similar because a women may give consent at the

time, but if she is high or drunk, though, she may find the next day that she

did not want to have sex. It is difficult to say when a woman has given her

consent because in many cases, at least one of the people involved is under the

influence and cannot give genuine consent. When that line is crossed, it is date

rape. Some men feel that just the fact that a woman is alone with him is willing

consent to having sex whether she says ?no? or not. But the fact is that if she

is not sober and in a correct state of mind, she cannot consent to have sex.

There are many contributing factors to the increased date rape that

occurs. Alcohol and drugs obviously play a large role. Some may say that women

wearing loose or revealing attire is an open invite to men. Others say that

pornography desensitizes men to women so that they do not know when a women is

or is not willing to have sex. Men who are sexually frustrated often attempt to

rape women they know because they cannot get sexual contentment any other way.

Whatever the reasons, date rape is a commonly occurring but very

scarcely reported act. It is usually more traumatic to a woman than being raped

by a stranger especially if the woman had known or trusted the man before. Date

rape is a problem that that involves everyone today, men and women. Date rape

prevention programs need to be taught to people everywhere so that women know

how to protect themselves and so men can understand the issue of rape and that

when a woman says ?no,? you must stop. If we can educate ourselves on the

dangers of date rape, we can make the environment in which we live safer for

everyone.