Offender Accountability
Date rape is an act of sexual assault that happens without mutual consent between two people who may be known to one another. It can be called date rape or acquaintance rape because in most cases, it happens between people who know one another; for example, friends and lovers. When one person forces another to involve in a sexual act, it is called rape. This is considered to be a rape case even if these people have been in an intimate relationship for a long time (TeensHealth, 2011). This is because no one has a right to force another person to involve in a sexual act against his or her will. Therefore, rape has nothing to do with love; it is an act of aggression and violence. A healthy relationship involves respect to the feelings of another person; hence, someone who really cares about his or her lover will respect his or her wishes.
The issue of date rape has really attracted a hot debate among several individuals, and each person has his or her own definition and arguments. This essay illuminates the argument of Camille Paglia and Susan Jacoby about this controversial topic, which centers on feminine gender. Paglia identifies herself as a feminist, but she criticizes and accuses the movement of anti-male prejudices. She argues that "the government has no right to intrude into the private realm of consensual behavior." (Cooper, 2000).The best thing the government can do is that the individuals' rights like the liberals should not be regulated, but everything should be legalized right from addictive drugs to prostitution.
Therefore, from her arguments, it can be concluded that she does not put the whole blame to the perpetrators of rape cases, but she insists on the competent legal system which addresses this issue with a lot of seriousness (Cooper, 2000). Furthermore, she suggests that women should take care of themselves since they have a solitude right to stand firm and protect themselves in a situation where they may be subjected to the unwanted sexual intercourse. She advises that women should be prudent and cautious about where they go, and who they accompany.
Susan Jacoby is another feminist who has also attempted to give her views and arguments on the topic of date rape. She argues that common indecency rape is still raped no matter the circumstances that prevail. This means that rape committed by an acquaintance has no difference with that one committed by the stranger (Essay tree, 2011).She argues that many people give excuses that the reasons why there is an increase in rape cases are that women have changed their styles of life especially through the cloth they wear. They say that putting such attires contributes to rape cases since men are easily aroused sexually when they interact with this kind of women who have put on scanty.
Jacoby argues that men are not beasts like, who are incapable of controlling their emotional urges. Thus, from her arguments, it can be seen that she is against the excuses which people do give concerning the attires that women nowadays are putting on, which they say they entice men to involve in rape acts (Essay tree, 2011). She blames the society for not addressing the real issue from its root cause but shifting the blame to the victims who are endangered. From her arguments, we find that she blames both the society and the men who behave like the wild beasts who cannot control their urges when they find an opportunity without caring their counterpart's wishes.
In conclusion, date rape is on the rise from the recent years, and there are so many factors that are contributing to this rise (Melinda, 2003). The society is in the dynamic state because of the social and economic factors that tend to affect the lifestyles of people around the globe. Therefore, the cause of date rape can not only be pointed at one specific place as the two feminists have done. It is a multifaceted vice, and the causes can be traced from a different dimension (Bourke, 2007). The government should put competent legal structures; the entire society should also approach this issue with open-mindedness so as this act of indecency can be curbed. Therefore, there is no way one arm can be used to eliminate this vice from the society completely without the involvement of all the stakeholders.
