So you may have seen the story yesterday about the University of Vermont fraternity that was suspended for sending out a charming little survey that allegedly asked, among other things, “If you could rape someone, who would it be?” (FWIW, the frat now says it was the work of an individual frat member, not the chapter.)
Reading about this incident, I’m guessing that you probably didn’t ask yourself: “I wonder how the guys at the False Rape Society will use this news to push their own agenda?” Heck, I didn’t even think to ask myself that question. But while doing the rounds of the MRA blogs I’ve discovered the answer to that question, and here it is: FRS head honcho Pierce Harlan described the survey as “perhaps a poke at feminism’s fascination with rape,” then denounced it as “indefensible,” then ranted about the evils of false rape accusations. I guess that isn’t really shocking at all.
First, Harlan offered this take on the “who would you rape” question:
I assume the survey was sick humor, a crude satire of the fratboy culture, and perhaps a poke at feminism’s fascination with rape.
Yes, because any time men make rape jokes it’s probably because, you know, feminism, and its wacky obsession with rape.
Then Harlan went on to suggest that rape was no laughing matter – especially when it comes to rape that doesn’t happen:
Whatever it was intended to be, ultimately it is indefensible, because trivializing the word “rape” is no laughing matter, whether it’s a joke about the rape of male prisoners, or the fantasy “rape” of women, or a false rape claim intended to get a guy in, or a woman out of, trouble.
Well, that was quick. Let’s not talk about the trivialization of real rape. Let’s talk about the epidemic of “false rape accusations” that Harlan has convinced himself is the real problem here.
With nary a pause, Harlan moved on to complain about hypothetical feminists making a big deal out of this survey instead of joining him on his crusade:
There most certainly will be an outcry in the feminist blogosphere over this isolated incident
This what incident?
and it will be cited as proof positive to support the myth that ours is a “rape culture.”
Yeah, I wonder why casual jokes about rape would possibly be considered as part of “rape culture.”
A “rape culture,” of course, not only would tolerate but would condone such a puerile survey. Our society does neither. The only “rape” jokes our society condones concerns prison rape — and that’s because society actually encourages prison rape as a sort of “added bonus” punishment for any hapless male who lands in prison. It is ironic that actual prison rape does not garner the outrage that this this sick fratboy humor is generating. Go figure.
This from a guy who doesn’t seem to have ever even bothered to mention the leading anti-prison rape organization, Just Detention, on his web site. (See here for more on the issue on Man Boobz.) Though he does offer three links on his main page to information about the statute of limitation for rape charges, in case anyone reading is worried about getting caught being falsely accused for something they did didn’t do a long time ago.
Meanwhile,rape jokes — and not just prison rape jokes — are everywhere. Harlan, I assume you are at least somewhat familiar with a little site called Reddit, where people not only laugh at rape jokes – they laugh at actual rape!
Meanwhile, in the comments on Harlan’s article, some False Rape Society readers don’t even bother to pretend that the “rape survey” bothers them. According to the commenter called “bad,”
We should be celebrating young men who stand up against misandry. We should be celebrating the frat that said “no means yes” and we should be celebrating the frat that created this survey, if it’s a real story.
An anonymous commenter takes it a step further:
I do not condemn this action,
in fact, I wish I’d thought of it.
It is a brilliant and very appropriate response to the way young men are being treated by college campuses.
When the answer to “who would you like to treat like a rapist” is “all college men”, I think that asking them who they’d like to rape is more than fair.
But it is Harlan’s response to these comments that is the most revealing:
By the way, I read the reaction of Bad and others as a natural backlash … against the unconscionable PC culture of misandry on campus. I happen to disagree with those who suggest this was acceptable, but their remarks should not be construed as evidence that we live in a “rape culture.” Like Steve, I read their comments more as an affirmation that we live in a false rape culture–a culture that more and more men are finding intolerable.
I, on the other hand, doubt that these young men have the first clue about misandry, feminism, or how colleges run roughshod over the rights of young men. I am always amazed when we hear from falsely accused people who “had not idea this goes on.” My guess is they were just being being “funny.” I would, frankly, love to find out I am wrong, and that not only would they never call for a woman to be actually raped, but that this was a protest against the pendulum swinging too far. In that case, I am still not sure I could find it acceptable but it would initiate an entirely different dialogue.
So the survey is “indefensible,” yet a totally understandable reaction to, and protest against, an “unconscionable PC culture of misandry.”
Got it.
EDITED TO ADD: Harlan has written a response, of sorts, to this post. It is a bit — what’s the word I’m looking for here? — zany.
“Sodomy isn’t hetrosexual rape.”
Men never, ever rape women up the ass.
“You can ‘want’ any particular man but unless you sexually arouse him no sex can take place.”
Damn, NWOslave can’t conceive of someone getting hard and then saying “No, this is a bad idea”. I can think of lots of instances where you can be turned on and yet it would be a very bad idea to actually act on it (your co-worker! your teacher! that time when neither of you have a condom!)
Also, NWOslave would rather be raped than aroused. o.o
I honestly don’t understand the way NWOslave’s mind works. He’d honestly rather be raped than aroused and not raped?
Well that was…horrifying. Can we talk about kitties now?
Spear, I think to NWOslave’s mind, arousal is rape. Since men can’t be penetrated, that’s the only way they can be raped!
Even the basic premise that a woman would need to arouse a man before raping him is faulty. NWO, I think you greatly overestimate the effort needed for a man to become erect. It does not always take sexual arousal dammit.
@Spearhafoc
You’re a liar, without a fucking doubt. I can guaruntee if a women burst into your house right now, sexually aroused you and jumped your bones. You’d be whistling, “I’m lookin over a four leaf clover that overlooked before!”
———
@KristinMH
Must truth always = misogyny?
Let’s see if I have this straight:
No man hardly ever gets to have sex. Therefore, no men are ever raped.
Women dressing up to attract men never results in having sex.
Therefore, a woman marching around in sexy clothes is assaulting a man.
NWOslave, why did you get so worked up over that video of women tearing that guy’s clothes off? They were just HELPING him to get off!
“And unless you sexually arouse him, good old PIV sex ain’t gonna happen. A womans ability to sexually arouse a man is her sexuality. You can “want” any particular man but unless you sexually arouse him no sex can take place.”
You’re the only one limiting sex to PIV. Mouthes, fingers and toys are considered viable alternative to penis.
Particularly when none of the persons having sex has a penis.
Being naked in front of a man is not a woman’s sexuality.
Also, viagra can help sometimes.
All this speaking about women arousing men reminds me of a chapter in a asimov book. I can’t even remind the title specifically, but it goes something like that:
The man (a genius mathematician, though it’s not relevant) goes back to the town he grew in. It’s a very poor town, and women are dressed with the clothe equivalent of shapeless potato bags. His thoughts go something like that: “how can these men be aroused by these women? Oh right, these clothes can be taken off quite quickly”
Which is why, in countries where burqa is mandatory, rape still happen and husbands still manage to father kids.
Luckily nature works exactly the opposite of ideology. If it didn’t we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Humans would’ve died out long ago following the dogma of ideology.
I have Asperger’s. A rather strong case of it, in fact. I don’t like being touched, at least not without a lot of care being taken. If someone touched me against my will, and continued to do so despite my objections, it would drive me to a state of pure panic. I would be unable to fucking breathe. I don’t care how much my dick may like it, I would not. I can assure you of that.
Repeat after me: All. People. Are. Not. You.
NWO, do you you have any concept whatsoever of how sex is supposed to work? I mean, your average ordinary sex between boyfriend and girlfriend or whatnot?
“She appears in front of him wearing clothes and then he tackles her” is… not quite it.
No, wait, I left out some stuff.
No man hardly ever gets to have sex. Therefore, no men are ever raped.
Women dressing up to attract men never results in having sex.
Therefore, a woman marching around in sexy clothes is assaulting a man.
HOWEVER!
It’s natural for women to arouse men just by being. If they didn’t, the human race would die out from lack of reproduction.
Therefore, women are being jerks by wearing sexually arousing clothing… wait, what?
Therefore, women who assault a man by ripping his clothes off are just helping him!
Wait, that’s even worse. Maybe I need to start over again?
NWO, let me get that straight. For the record.
If the girls, or one of them, has had sex (PIV) with the boy after which is depicted in the video, it would be okay?
LOL @ Spearhafoc the male leg shaver. 😛
Yeah, anyway, NWO! Are you mad because the girls sexually assaulted that boy or are you mad because they didn’t end up raping him? Would it have been ok for them to rip his clothes off if they then had made the kid have sex with them?
The idea that NWO just told an Aspie that he would be very happy being touched against his will just made me shudder. Congrats, Slavey, I thought I was more or less immune to being disgusted by you by now.
@Kyrie
“His thoughts go something like that: “how can these men be aroused by these women? Oh right, these clothes can be taken off quite quickly”
As oppossed to modern day society where the clothes are already mostly removed or skin tight. Sexual irresponsibilty.
No one as of yet has answered my question. Here it is. One more time.
If women couldn’t arouse a man, how could women reproduce without the aid of modern technology?
Holly: also, men and women never have buttsex. Because that’s gay.
NWOslave: the dude would think of England.
There are societies where women do not walk around with any skin showing, or even any shape. You’re an engineer of sorts, right, Slavey? There should be plenty of job opportunities for you in Saudi, you should check it out.
@CassandraSays
Are women in Saudi oppressed because they can’t act sexually irresponsible?
Shit, NWO, how DID people have sex before the invention of the tube top and miniskirt?
Sneak into the bedroom where two dudes are doing it and steal the ejaculate resulting from the buttsex.. Then it’s just a matter of a simple turkey baster.
There. We’ve solved the problems of your wacky science fiction dystopia.
NWO: No one’s arguing that women can’t arouse men. We are arguing that women’s sexuality is not entirely reduced to their ability to arouse men, as I quite graphically described earlier.
Also, there are all KINDS of nonreproductive sex out there, many of which do not require a hard penis.
Alsoalso, HOLY SHIT YOU ARE SUCH A MISANDRIST YOU JUST DENIED THE EXISTENCE OF MALE RAPE SURVIVORS AND TOLD AN ASPIE HE WOULD ENJOY BEING RAPED.
Don’t ever call yourself an activist for men’s rights again. I am ashamed to share a planet, much less a cause, with you.