DAN ROTTENBERG: Many of the tragedies mentioned above spring from what I see as a naïve faith in the power of the modern sexual revolution. Women today are technically free to do all sorts of things that were forbidden to their grandmothers, which is all well and good. But in practice, rape and the notion of sexual conquest persist for the same reason that warfare persists: because the human animal— especially the male animal— craves drama as much as food, shelter and clothing. Conquering an unwilling sex partner is about as much drama as a man can find without shooting a gun— and, of course, guns haven’t disappeared either. Earth to liberated women: When you display legs, thighs or cleavage, some liberated men will see it as a sign that you feel good about yourself and your sexuality. But most men will see it as a sign that you want to get laid. MORE
PW: Rapists are the only criminals who don’t need an alibi. They rely on lies and the people who perpetuate those lies, like local columnist Dan Rottenberg, whose recent editorial/rapist’s manifesto went national earlier this month for trumpeting the old victim-blaming trope that victims invite rape through their clothing—a dangerous bit of pro-rape propaganda rapists have been telling juries for years. Last week, I wrote a response to Rottenberg’s column. Some people thought I shouldn’t have, that responding would simply draw more attention to his ideas. Hogwash. The problem is the exact opposite. The lies that enable sexual assault to be practically a rite of passage while growing up—1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are molested—are already everywhere, so deeply rooted in our culture you have to dig deep to yank them out. Just look at the statistics. We’re called Killadelphia, but the rape rate is almost five times the murder rate. MORE