My gut instinct is that in violent rapes that happen away from the home (as opposed to date rapes happening in familiar settings), victims are going to be chosen on criteria of how vulnerable they are and how far away help is likely to be rather than how attractive the rapist finds them.

ita, google found me

A Federal Commission on Crime of Violence Study found that only 4.4% of all reported rapes involved provocative behavior on the part of the victim. In murder cases 22% involved such behavior (as simple as a glance).

- Most convicted rapists do not remember what their victims were wearing.

from [link]

Thanks, -t. I couldn't work out what to google. That's very interesting.

People who do studies like that define "provocative behaviour" and its ilk all the time. It's their job.

chosen on criteria of how vulnerable they are and how far away help is likely to be rather than how attractive the rapist finds them

And rape is a crime of violence, not sex. I thought no matter what *triggers* a rapist, it's about power and aggression.

in violent rapes that happen away from the home (as opposed to date rapes happening in familiar settings), victims are going to be chosen on criteria of how vulnerable they are and how far away help is likely to be rather than how attractive the rapist finds them.

I'd say vulnerability plays a role in rapes that happen in the home, too. When your rapist has a key to your home (for example, when he's your husband or other family member), that makes you pretty vulnerable.

Rape is an act of violence, where sex is used as a tool of intimidation and fear, not the other way around, where desire COMPELS someone to rape another person, based upon their overwhelming sexiness/sluttliness/whathaveyou. If you're talking stranger rape, that's why women, men, and children are systematically raped as a war tactic. That's why 13-year-old girls in South Africa are "correctively raped" to cure their lesbianism. To allow the argument to be framed in terms of sexiness is to begin it in the wrong place already. You're already on the wrong turf.

If a person feels entitled to sex with someone against another person's will, they are going to look for a whole host of excuses to blame the other person, but the notion that (men) can't control their urges around (women) who are dressed a certain way is complete and utter bullshit.

I'd say vulnerability plays a role in rapes that happen in the home, too. When your rapist has a key to your home (for example, when he's your husband or other family member), that makes you pretty vulnerable.

Definitely. Familiarity and access play a big role.

I don't think I have a hope in hell of changing this guy's mind, but the link -t provided had some interesting links, and he's got nothing but the hot air out of his ass. At worst, it's a public shaming.

And, his attitude is "I'm trying to HELP women!" Thanks, dude. With friends like you...

Oh yeah, we're just craving THAT kind of help. Thanks, dude.

I think some of it's simple chance -- opportunity that piggybacks onto something else.

When I got mugged in my apartment (stupid naivete on my part -- left the door unlocked when bringing in a 2nd load of groceries), the dude was all about the benjamins. After I stood with my back pressed against the bedroom door (no lock) arguing with him for about 5 minutes about I just went to the grocery store and was a poor student, I finally opened the door (he was going to force it open anyway), strode to my purse, opened it, gave him the dollar in it, and asked him if he wanted a check.

Then I decided to threaten him with a knife (note: never threaten someone with a knife. Just stab.) and that's when he beat me up a little and decided I needed some rapin'.

I talked him out of it by dint of wearing controltop hose, declaring I was on the rag and bleeding like a stuck pig, and wouldn't he rather have the stereo?

He did.

I think rapists (purist rapists, I guess) have more defined motives than an opportunistic (I guess would be the term?) rapists.

I was dressed in a vintage 60's frock, (it was Halloween, and I was working at Viccy's Secret) no cleavage, full skirt. Not "provocative." Because rape isn't about miniskirts.

It's about imposing your ________ (fill in the blank: rage, powerlessness, misogyny, etc) on someone perceived as either a victim, or someone the rapist wants to place in that victim role, for whatever pathology of theirs.

Erin, that's awful. And go you for talking him out of it -- I don't know how often women succeed in that, it seems like the kind of thing that wouldn't be reported much.

And, his attitude is "I'm trying to HELP women!" Thanks, dude. With friends like you...

Help women by convincing men that rape is wrong, and unless the woman is giving enthusiastic consent they need to back the hell off. What was it Golda Meier said? Something about responding to a rash of rapes by giving the men a curfew?