College Senior Tells Rape Apologist* To Stop Blaming The Victim

Jessica — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:30:00 EST

Remember that hateful Heather MacDonald essay in the Los Angeles Times where the conservative pundit claimed that the oft-quoted statistic that 1 in 4 college women is sexually assaulted was grossly overinflated? Well, today, University of Virginia senior Patrick Cronin takes on MacDonald's screed, which he calls "damaging and demeaning," and counteracts her statistical claims. (Because college women drink so much, MacDonald argues, "most campus 'rape' cases exist in the gray area of seeming cooperation and tacit consent, which is why they are almost never prosecuted criminally.") Cronin fights back with a well-reasoned retort: "If people like MacDonald stigmatize a survivor as a promiscuous, irresponsible alcoholic, is there really much incentive to come forward? And if a victim convinces himself or herself that no assault took place, why use the resources available?" Dayum, skippy!

Heather MacDonald is not the only person who blames rape victims for the crimes committed against them. According to the BBC, a recent survey shows that a quarter of Scots think that a raped woman is partially responsible for her assault. To counteract these misguided folks, Rape Crisis Scotland has produced a series of ads showing a scantily clad female and bearing the slogan "This is not an invitation to rape me." (The very similar ad pictured above is from the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women). RCS also hopes to raise the conviction rate for Scottish rapists, which at this point is a mere 3.9%.

Patrick Cronin condemns victim blamers again at the end of his Op-Ed. He says MacDonald and her ilk "rely on antiquated notions of drunken frat boys and promiscuous young women looking to 'have a good time.' I know plenty of the people Mac Donald chooses to define based on these stereotypes. None has ever asked to be raped. Some have been raped anyway." Cronin deserves special Jezeprops for being President of group at UVA called 1 in 4, a group for men, according to the groups' website, dedicated to "treating every woman with respect," putting "the needs of [rape] survivors first," and educating other men about rape prevention. We hope that the founding of this group gets Cronin (consensually!) laid for his dedication to women's rights.

*Yeah, "apologist" isn't quite the right (or fair) word to use. "Defender"? No. "Excuser"? No. If you guys have anything better with which to describe Ms. MacDonald, we're all ears.

The Right Rape Statistics [Los Angeles Times] What Campus Rape Crisis?[Los Angeles Times] Bid To Stop Blame Theory On Rape[BBC News] 1 in 4 [University of Virginia]

Earlier: Conservative Critic: College Rape Statistics Are Overinflated

Conservative Critic: College Rape Statistics Are Overinflated

Jessica — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST

Heather MacDonald, a fellow at the conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute, had an essay in yesterday's Los Angeles Times railing against the "phony" rape epidemic on America's college campuses. MacDonald claims that the statistic used by many university rape crisis centers — 20-25% of college women will be sexually victimized — is grossly over-inflated. The statistic, she says, comes from a 1988 study commissioned by Ms., in which a researcher, Mary Koss, classified things as rape that the respondents didn't construe as rape themselves. Writes MacDonald: "One question, for example, asked, 'Have you had sexual intercourse when you didn't want to because a man gave you alcohol or drugs?' — a question that is ambiguous on several fronts, including the woman's degree of incapacitation, the causal relation between being given a drink and having sexual intercourse, and the man's intentions."

Interestingly, MacDonald doesn't fully parse the 20-25% statistic (Side note: It's been twenty years: Doesn't a new study seem to be in order? And does 20-25% sound like an over or under-estimation?) but instead descends into a Laura Sessions Stepp-like rant against drunk sluts. "In all these drunken couplings, there may be some deplorable instances of forced and truly non-consensual sex. But most campus 'rape' cases exist in the gray area of seeming cooperation and tacit consent, which is why they are almost never prosecuted criminally." Ah yes, the old "gray rape" defense! MacDonald ends on an even more damning note: "Young iconoclasts can take up another discredited idea: College is for learning. Fighting male dominance or catering to the libidinal impulses released in the 1960s are sorry substitutes for the pursuit of knowledge." If only young women were at the library studying on Saturday nights, MacDonald seems to be saying, then this rape nonsense wouldn't be such a problem!

[Image via The Daily Dose Book Nook.]

What Campus Rape Crisis? Promiscuity And Hype Have Created A Phony Epidemic At Colleges. [Los Angeles Times]

Earlier: Cosmopolitan's Date Rape Panel: There Are No Shades Of "Gray" When Vomit Is Involved
'Cosmo' Wonders: Is It Rape If You Had Too Many Jaeger Shots To Remember It Anyway?

Jezebel: heather macdonald

College Senior Tells Rape Apologist* To Stop Blaming The Victim

Conservative Critic: College Rape Statistics Are Overinflated