turaj@ozone.DEC (10/10/84)
Reading all the recent posting on what constitutes rape, psychological rape, etc., reminded me of an incident back in my college days. Two friends of mine, one female and one male, went to an on-campus movie. The theater was crowded, so they headed up to the balcony to find seats. It turned out that the balcony had a set of "regulars". The same group of men (and i use the word loosely) sat there each week. My friend was the only woman there and they both (particularly the woman) were verbally harassed. They sat down and ignored the others. When they did not leave, the security guard (a university employee, not a student) said to my female friend that she had better leave before *she* started any trouble. She had been minding her own business and not bothering anyone, but she was considered responsible for the rude behavior of most of the men in the balcony. They did eventually leave, but the issue didn't end there. Both my friends wrote letters to the editor of the school newspaper, and one used the term "pre-rape". That sent the flames and jokes flying. One of the problems was that everyone was defining pre-rape differently. Most people who responded to the letter and those who made jokes saw pre-rape as an act, something you do to someone. Rather, the term meant (and i don't have a copy of the original letter so i don't know just how clear it was, but i suspect that it was at least implied) an *attitude*. Pre-rape, according to our definition (we discussed it in our women's lit class) means gestures, comments, sounds, actions, almost anything that makes a woman feel threatened. It's a way of thinking and behaving, rather than one isolated incident. Arguments, jokes and discussions on the topic continued through much of the school year, but nothing was ever resolved. Any comments or similar experiences? Jenny
densinge@stolaf.UUCP (Charles W. Densinger) (10/26/84)
I would suggest using the term *harassment* rather
than the term *pre-rape*. I understand the reasons
for using the latter term, but it is so ambiguous and
charged with emotion that it is bound to incite more
misunderstanding than not.
Chuck Densinger @ St. Olaf College
path: {decvax|ihnp4}!stolaf!densinge