Half of what you think you know about rape is wrong, the problem is you don’t know which half.” – Marc MacYoung

  There is an old Firesign Theater album titled “Everything You Know is Wrong.” There’s also a John Wannamaker quote “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I just don’t know which half.” We can blend the two to get a “Half of what you think you know about rape … [Read more…]

Rolling Stone, Rape, Victimization and Eminence Grise Reveiled – Marc MacYoung

Someone observed that I must be really mad about the Rolling Stones, University of Virgina, false rape story because it’s been strongly represented on my feed. No I’m not mad. In fact, I’m actually very hopeful it will bring about important changes and reassessment of current policies and approaches. Not just in journalism, but on … [Read more…]

“Teach Men Not to Rape”: Societal Golden Rule or Epitome of Self-Absorbed Privilege? You Decide – Erik Kondo

It is almost impossible to have any type of open discussion about self-defense and personal safety without someone saying, “Just teach men not to rape” as a solution. What exactly does this phrase mean? What does the invoker of the phrase believe?  Here are two possible interpretations. Societal Golden Rule: “Teach men not to rape” … [Read more…]

Making Sense of the Rape Culture Wars – Erik Kondo

If you have any interest or involvement in the area of sexual assault prevention, most likely you have been exposed to the raging ideological battles revolving around the existence or non-existence of Rape Culture and its effect on the rate of rape and sexual assault in society. Briefly, the concept behind Rape Culture is that … [Read more…]

In Response to “Rape Culture” – Marc MacYoung

25 Everyday Examples Of Rape Culture http://www.rolereboot.org/culture-and-politics/details/2014-03-25-everyday-examples-rape-culture/ My response to this article follows: ******** I don’t refer to the “‘fallacy’ of rape culture” but I do question it’s accuracy. First off, experience has taught me to question any term that is both self-defined and controlled by the people who claim to be the ‘victim’ of … [Read more…]

The Victim Blaming Accusation Lobby – Erik Kondo

The Victim Blaming Accusation Lobby has taken a worthwhile cause and morphed it into an extremist movement designed to silence and discredit all those that disagree with their point of view.The worthwhile cause is victims of sexual assault should not be blamed by society for what transpired. They should not subject themselves to harmful self-blame. The blame should rest … [Read more…]

Victim Factoring is Not Victim Blaming – Erik Kondo

Putting the blame on victims of a crime increases the psychological trauma associated with the crimes. It makes it less likely that the victims will report crimes in the future. If crimes are not reported, it is more difficult to punish the offenders. Perpetrators take less personal responsibility for their actions if they can blame … [Read more…]