History of Feminism

YoungDemCA

(5,714 posts) Tue Sep 30, 2014, 02:19 PM Sep 2014

On the "promotion of casual sex among young people encourages sexual assault" meme....

I've heard this explanation for why sexual assault is so prevalent on college campuses articulated by several commentators, particularly conservatives. The implication is that casual sex in and of itself is to blame for high incidences of rape and other assaults on women.

What is conveniently whitewashed in this explanation are the unequal power relations between men and women in all relationships-not just casual sexual partnerships. The idea that being in a committed relationship or marriage will magically make men respect women simply does not bear out when you consider the amount of sexual, physical, emotional, and psychological abuse that actually occurs in committed relationships-including marriages.

The real issue is this: there are a non-negligible number of men who feel entitled to have sex with any woman they want, regardless of the woman's feelings or if there's any chemistry between them (or in some cases, if the woman even knows the man exists). Unfortunately for these men's sense of entitlement (but fortunately for everyone else) the days of female sexual agency and autonomy controlled by men are over, and you can thank feminists for that. Yet some jealous, resentful, misogynistic men apparently haven't gotten the memo that women can and should have the freedom to choose their sexual partners-which also must mean that they can choose who they do not want to have sex with.

-My $0.02.

4 replies

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On the "promotion of casual sex among young people encourages sexual assault" meme.... (Original Post) YoungDemCA Sep 2014 OP

Some people still believe that women and children are property to do with what they want. Dont call me Shirley Sep 2014 #1

I agree completely. F4lconF16 Sep 2014 #2

"Every one of the rapists had a huge ego and treated women like shit. Coincidence? Maybe not." YoungDemCA Sep 2014 #3

Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2014 #4

Dont call me Shirley

(10,998 posts)

1. Some people still believe that women and children are property to do with what they want.

Reply to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Tue Sep 30, 2014, 03:04 PM

Sep 2014

The addiction to entitlement thinking is hard to give up, it makes people feel special and powerful.

F4lconF16

(3,747 posts)

2. I agree completely.

Reply to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Tue Sep 30, 2014, 03:14 PM

Sep 2014

There is no connection between a person's decision to engage in consensual, casual sex and another person's decision to rape.

The real problem is attitudes that treat women as pleasure objects instead of people. When you look at a person as less than human (not even an animal--I've seen men give more respect to a dog than women), you believe that women were put here for you, that you deserve to have what you want from them. This attitude manifests itself in major ways like assault and in relatively minor ways like catcalls and everyday objectification. Put together, there is a culture of violence and dehumanization so that men feel that raping someone is acceptable.

This also strikes me as akin to victim-blaming. Don't blame the victim for the decision to have sex with someone--blame the person who assaulted her.

One last thing: of the (college) assaults I've talked with victims (friends) about, all of them were not casual encounters. They were in a committed relationship. Every one of the rapists had a huge ego and treated women like shit. Coincidence? Maybe not.

YoungDemCA

(5,714 posts)

3. "Every one of the rapists had a huge ego and treated women like shit. Coincidence? Maybe not."

Reply to F4lconF16 (Reply #2)

Tue Sep 30, 2014, 04:59 PM

Sep 2014

Well said.

Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

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