I found this illustrating a typically incoherent rant about “The Aphrodisiac of the False Rape Claim” on What Men Are Saying About Women, the blog of the infamous MRA double period. Whoever made it needs to stop making Demotivational posters because he doesn’t understand how these posters are supposed to work. Or how to communicate a coherent message to other human beings using language.
When people at the beginning of the thread suggested the poster was about rape, I was all set to respond with, “Oh, that’s not fair. It could be about women’s behavior and achievements in any area; surely MRAs aren’t just constantly thinking about how unfair it is that they don’t get to rape women.”
Then a bunch of MRAs came on to disabuse me of that notion. Thanks, guys.
Anyway… studies of false rape accusations have found pretty consistently that:
a) False accusations of rape are not any more common than false accusations of similar crimes (robbery, battery). In fact, they’re somewhat less common, probably because of the intimate nature of the crime.
b) Women who make false rape accusations do so for the same reasons that people make false accusations of other crimes (to get out of trouble with someone, to deflect attention from a real crime, because they’re mentally ill), and not out of some inherent female evilness.
c) The majority of false rape accusations are against an “unknown assailant,” not a specific person, contrary to the MRA belief that women frequently accuse specific men of rape to get them jailed. This does happen, but it’s uncommon.
d) The vast majority of false accusers back down early in the process, usually before filing a police report. In particular, most accusers will back down when asked to get a medical exam or rape kit; you have to be really dedicated to your story to be willing to undergo an invasive medical procedure for it.
Not that any of this matters, since MRAs only bring up false rape accusations as a way of excusing rape. Again, look at the poster. They’re pissed that they can’t rape women.
There is a lot of projection going on in the comments to my commnet. I was arguing that the picture is not “incoherent.” It conveys what the creator wanted. I even end with the “whether you believe the message or not.” I did not accept the premise. I am not an apologist for the person that wrote it. Furthermore, I have no idea what context it was created for. I don’t know if it was stating that women aren’t treated as men are treated by the criminal justice system, or whatever. Needless to say, I did not argue that women who get raped share responsibility.
Not that any of this matters, since MRAs only bring up false rape accusations as a way of excusing rape. Again, look at the poster. They’re pissed that they can’t rape women.
Sorry but that doesn’t make any sense. I daresay that if that’s what you see in that poster you’re the one with the problem.
@chuckeedee: You said that feminists all hate men, or something to that effect. I am a feminist, I do not hate men, therefore all feminists do not hate men. Some do – for damn good reason, in some cases. They do not have to justify their feeling to me or to you.
So, Johnny- what exactly is the poster referring to, in your opinion?
The fact that women are often viewed as less accountable/responsible than men, which as I said before is actually a result of chivalrous, patriarchal thinking. I’m still curious, however, at the mental contortions required to arrive from “it’s never her fault” to “MRAs just want to rape women”.
johnny b, your comment got stuck in moderation because of the number of links. It’s up now. Since it’s a ways back in the thread, here’s a direct link for anyone who wants to look at it:
http://manboobz.com/2011/08/20/demotivated/comment-page-1/#comment-52558
And while we’re talking about the false rape society, it’s a site than not only exaggerates the number of false rape accusations (and conflates cases of mistaken identity or cases dropped or not proven in court with cases of deliberately false and malicious accusations), but it also argues that rape itself is rare, which is clearly absurd. Take a look at this post:
http://falserapesociety.blogspot.com/2011/02/one-in-four-lie-demolished-once-and-for.html
But Johnny- the poster is posted under the heading “The Aphrodisiac of False Rape Allegations…” Rape is the context into which the author has introjected this image. The author of the blog related the poster’s message directly to rape. Why shouldn’t we?
And while we’re talking about the false rape society, it’s a site than not only exaggerates the number of false rape accusations (and conflates cases of mistaken identity or cases dropped or not proven in court with cases of deliberately false and malicious accusations)
But every case is clearly described and identified as to what it is. I haven’t seen, for example, a case of mistaken identity or mistrial being described as malicious accusations. They mostly just cite articles. The comments are another matter, I’ll grant, but they’re moderated now.
it also argues that rape itself is rare, which is clearly absurd. Take a look at this post:
http://falserapesociety.blogspot.com/2011/02/one-in-four-lie-demolished-once-and-for.html
That’s a pretty interesting read, actually. I’d love to see a rebuttal to it and the articles it cites. What also struck me about it is that the author admits at one point that despite his argument, “rape is too common – one rape is too many”. So much for “it’s all a bunch of MRAs who are pissed off that they can’t rape women”?
But Johnny- the poster is posted under the heading “The Aphrodisiac of False Rape Allegations…” Rape is the context into which the author has introjected this image. The author of the blog related the poster’s message directly to rape. Why shouldn’t we?
Did you just read the word ‘rape’ and then fill in the rest from your imagination instead of actually reading the article? He talks about why women would make false rape accusations. His logic is suspect, sure, but again my question, which remains unanswered – how do you go from that to a statement like Shaenon’s?
Quite easily. In the context of the blog post, it’s clear that the poster thinks that women are responsible for their own rapes, but will make up excuses for why they were raped (which include “voices” and “thuglovers”, code word for black and minority men, who are presumably, teh bAd). At the very least, he believes that women go around making up accusations about rape because they blame society for their problems. The syllogism on this point elludes me, however. Perhaps you can explain?
Given that most male rapists do not believe that coercing sex constitutes rape, but instead make excuses and justify their own actions, it is inevitable that rapists will try to shift blame onto targets and victims. The very act of trying to minimize the suffering of rape victims, to blame victims for rape, or to suggest that rape does not happen very often, smacks very much of the way in which rapists have been shown in scientific research to justify their own actions to themselves. Some data: http://yesmeansyesblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/meet-the-predators/
Also, I’m pretty sure Shaenon was building on weeks worth of posts and discussions with MRA commenters in her assessment, not that single poster.
Sorry… meant to type “of that point” and “eludes”.
“That’s a pretty interesting read, actually. I’d love to see a rebuttal to it and the articles it cites.”
I suppose someone else will come up with a better rebuttal soon enough, but just to get the ball rolling … the article it cites is based entirely on the presumption that someone out there somewhere is saying that one in four female college students is raped every single year she’s in college. He is trying to argue against the notion that 100% of all women who go to college get raped. And he does so successfully — congratulations, sir!
Unfortunately, no one (to my knowledge) has ever made that claim. At best, I can find that a (fairly widely reported) study of 3000 college women in 1982 reported that about 25% responded that they had been either raped or experienced an attempted rape. That gets reduced in shorthand to “One in four college women will be raped,” I know — but never to “One in four college women will be raped every year.”
A more meaningful figure is that about 15% of all women will be raped in their lifetimes. The only problem with using that to argue against the one in four figure is that it doesn’t really put the point across that feminist are big fat lying liars and no one ever gets raped. With one in six*, you still have to stare rape in its ugly eyes and admit that it’s a huge fucking problem.
*And that’s just the women.
Well… question answered, I guess. Men are rapists, there is no such thing as a false accusation, and if you say that there is you’re probably a rapist. Got it.
^ the above post was directed at NF4ever, not Bee.
Johnnyb, who said “men are rapists”? Some men certainly are rapists, and those who are tend to believe that they have done nothing wrong. I know that there are false rape accusations. But according to the meta-analyses I’ve seen, there are nowhere near as many as that site claims.
So after that shit cloud of redundant pseudo-science in which he insisted that women are biologically and culturally compelled to be attracted to, and pursue relationships with, “thugs” (and, as a result, are complicit in their own sexual assault) our good friend chuckeedee finally offers a broad definition of “thug”.
Essentially, any man you think could whip your ass, right? Is that about the gist?
And, of course, completely back tracks on the thesis of his previous, multiple posts:
“Apart from which, I tend to take issue with the idea that women always choose thugs. I’m more inclined to think that women choose whatever idiot comes within their orbit at the right time…”
So if “thug” means just about any man that could beat you up, are we to assume “idiot” means just about any man a woman chooses to be with instead of you?
@David Futrelle
Dave, lets for a moment assume the 1 in 1877 number for rapes is correct. Why in the world would feminists be angry that the number of rapes is so much lower that their laughable number of 1 in 4?
Of course Bee sends us off to the 100% feminist Rainn site with its equally impossible 1 in 6 stat. Keep in mind I know lots and lots of people from mostly a poor backround. How is it that out of all the many women I know, none of them have been raped?
Just the fact that my extended family of aunts, cousins, ect. plus all my friends and their wives, sisters, moms, ect, encompasses loads of women and none of them were raped is a statistical impossibility.
Just for the sake of arguement, say I know 1200 women, @ 1 in 6 that’d be 200, @ 1 in 4 that’d be 300. It just isn’t true. Seriously, anyone who believes either of these stats has quite literally lost their fucking minds.
Do a little survey of your own. Walk into any dept. store, bank, bar, or really anywhere. Just ask any 6 women if they’ve been raped, if they all say no, one of them is a liar. Feminism is a lie.
Slaveman: Is it possible that one or two of your aunts, cousins, friends, friends’ female relatives just hasn’t shared the fact that she’s been raped with you?
From what I’ve seen, I can’t imagine you’re at the top of anyone’s list for “sharing.”
As I’ve said, I was raped. I’ll share that on anonymous web sites, with friends who bring up the subject first, and with boyfriends occasionally over the years. When it happened, I shared it with my three best friends. I’ve never told my parents or sister about it, let alone my cousins or niece or boyfriend’s friends.
Out of women I’ve talked to about rape, nearly 100 percent have been raped.
And if a random dude walked up to me in a department store, bank, or bar and asked me if I’ve been raped, I’d probably freak out.
You really are a moron, Slaveman, aren’t you? I’m sorry.
Only if you are projecting (i.e., divulging the terms according to which you, and you alone, interpret the world).
@Owlsave
One of the many reasons your a moron is you don’t know the difference between a statistical improbability and statistical impossibility. Further more, that is not how surveys are done. Your statement is at best a guess, and I doubt you attempting a random sample survey via asking people at a department store if they’ve been raped would ever hold up to the fairly simple rigors of intelligent information gathering.
@Chuck
“We know this because they tell us. “Men are pigs”, “men are bastards”, “men are stupid”, “the oppressive patriarchy”, and so on. It’s pure projection. What feminist women are doing is describing their preference for men.”
Oh, look, your projecting too! (i.e., divulging the terms according to which you, and you alone, interpret the world). See, MRA’s hurt men. I can use the projecting defense on anything!
What if Bee walked anywhere, muttered the question real quietly to herself, and then answered in the affirmative?
…Or did I just blow your mind? Goddamn I do stats so good. 😀
Most of my female friends who have been raped haven’t told many people, because they’re afraid of being disbelieved or shamed.
“Man sentenced to life in prison after committing murder because of false rape allegation”
I knew you were a dishonest piece of MRA shit from the start, but I didn’t know you were this dishonest. SHe testified it was false in court, never brought a case around, and he went to jail entirely for murder. She did not cooperate, so a rape case would NEVER have gotten far at all.
“Couple booked for abetting suicide of Dalit youth”
0 evidence given that this is a false rape accusation to begin with.
“http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2011/07/26/18472816.html”
If true, so? Nothing seems to have resulted aside from the investigation itself; the police caught her, as frequently happens with people who level false accusations of anything else.
“To rid him of alcoholism, family accuses man of raping daughter”
You know, I’ve noticed a good 50% or more of False Rape Society jackassery comes from India. Even if they’re all actually accurate, doesn’t that tell you that *MAYBE* India is disproportionately problematic and that the problem isn’t really some epidemic in the USA? I’m slightly surprised that India’s so disproportionately hard on men in anything, actually; they still have a deeply sexist religion and this is the country that brought the world Sati. Hm….
Anyway, they admitted it in court; sucks he went to jail at all, but no prison, no serious fowl aside from lost wages. Sucks that it happened, and I’d rather it didn’t, though.
“Woman makes false assault claim because man wanted her to leave the apartment, gets caught on camera”
She didn’t even get to the rape kit stage, so…. don’t care.
“Man kills himself after woman accuses him of rape”
Not actually evidence of falsehood.
Sorry but that doesn’t make any sense. I daresay that if that’s what you see in that poster you’re the one with the problem.
I have a lot of problems. In this specific case, my problem is that I’m no longer interested in playing along with the cutesy “It’s not that I want to rape women, necessarily, I just think it’s unfair that rape is treated as a crime and women are taken semi-seriously when they report it to the police” game.
This game gets played constantly on feminist sites that get MRA trolls, and I’m bored with it. I’m not playing nice with rape apologists anymore.
Nice work ignoring everything substantial in my post, by the way.