WHO'S TO BLAME FOR RAPE? PART 2

This follow-on to an earlier brief post is also something of a response to a thread over at the home of ever-so-polite, reasoned discussion, Larvatus Prodeo. The Larvatus Prodeo post is in reponse to a Guardian article that reports:

One in three people believes that women who behave flirtatiously are at least partially responsible if they are raped, a report published today reveals. A similar number think that women are partially or wholly responsible for being raped if they are drunk, and more than a quarter believe women are responsible if they wear sexy or revealing clothing.

The thrust of blogger Kate's post is as follows:

Newsflash. A woman is never responsible for being raped. Not one little bit. The responsibility for rape lies with the rapist. It doesn't matter what a woman wears, what she drinks, if she flirts with a man or not: if a man forces her to have sex against her will, it's RAPE. There are no extenuating circumstances. Consent is the only circumstance that matters.

Those commenters not toeing the politically correct line are treated to an attack that makes Tim Blair's allegedly rabid rabble seem tame by comparison:

Boy have I walked into the swamp of fucking morons this evening. What started off as an interesting article by Kate, with enough starting points for valid discussion, has been sidetracked off by the same fuckwits whose only answer to society’s disgraceful attittude to women and victims of sexual assault, is to say “aw but gee this bloke was wrongly accused, ain’t the woman a skanky ho”.

Fucking ridiculous bollocks from the usual knuckle dragging bellends that find it impossible to separate the ego from the gender.

Anyway, I do agree with Kate's notion that a woman can never be blamed for being raped. Rape can never be justified or excused. That said, there is no doubt in my mind that provocative dress or behaviour, or both, have contributed to women being raped or sexually assaulted. After all, sexy dress and behaviour are meant to arouse. Unfortunately, some men, in some situations, will be unable or unwilling to control themselves once aroused: they will respond inappropriately. This does not mean, however, that such inappropraite actions are ever justified or to be excused.

It does seem a bit odd that the lefties at Larvatus Prodeo absolve all women of all responsibility for all rapes when mostly they'd subscribe to the "root causes" provocation theory. You know, that even if the US didn't deserve to be attacked on 9/11, the attack was certainly understandable in light of the US's perceived provocations.

I also wonder how lefties would apportion responsibility if a digital camera – or some other valuable and desirable item – I left in plain view in an unlocked car were to be stolen. Am I to blame for the theft? Certainly not. Did I act irresponsibly, contributing to the theft? Yes.

Unfortunately, far too many people in the increasingly permissive west react inappropriately when provoked. It is, at least in part, a lefty inspired lack of personal responsibility thing.

Update: Nora Charles's comment – cross-posted at Larvatus Prodeo – has enlivened the discussion at LP and the lefties aren't happy. Boo hoo.

There's also this from Nora.