`Feminism's Lie' -- Our Society's Values And Behaviors Promote Sexual Violence

Editor, The Times:

Despite increasing efforts to understand and combat sexual assault, many people continue to confuse the issue with unfounded claims and false assumptions. In her article, ``Feminism's Lie: Denying reality about sexual power and rape'' (Issues, Feb. 17), Camille Paglia falls victim to, and thus clearly illustrates, many of society's current misconceptions about violence against women.

While Ms. Paglia acknowledges that acquaintance rape ``has been a horrible problem for women for all of recorded history,'' she fails to understand the nature of sexual assault and consequently draws a dangerous line between ``real rape'' and ``date rape.'' Forced sexual contact under any circumstances constitutes a sexual assault.

Rape is a crime motivated by a person's desire to overpower, dominate, humiliate and control the victim. The key element of a sexual assault - what makes it an act of violence, not sex - is force. Men who rape exert force in many ways, including coercion, manipulation, threats and physical violence.

Regardless of the type of intimidation used, rape is always a serious and traumatic experience. In differentiating between ``real rape'' and ``date rape,'' Ms. Paglia ignores the seriousness and trauma of being assaulted by a trusted acquaintance.

What allows men to rape is not women's lack of ``self-awareness and self-control,'' as Ms. Paglia claims; it is a fundamental imbalance of power, combined with pervasive societal messages which condone sexual violence. We are continually confronted with words and behaviors that link violence to sex; in this way, rape has become socially sanctioned violence.

Ms. Paglia wrongly asserts that ``aggression and eroticism are deeply intertwined, and that pursuit and capture are biologically programmed into male sexuality.'' To suggest that men are victims of their hormones is inaccurate and dangerously misleading: It relieves men of their rightful responsibility and instead holds victims responsible for speculating when and where to avoid a man's ``raging hormones'' (or, to use Ms. Paglia's term, ``Testosterone Flats'').

Ms. Paglia seems to be making an appeal for a return to the old double standard and the ``old clans and small rural communities'' which she says worked to protect women. To look nostalgically at that time and those settings, as ones that provided safety for women, denies the fact that rape can and does happen to anyone, anywhere.

It also puts women at the increased risk of depending on a false sense of security. Most sexual offenders are friends, boyfriends, husbands, fathers, brothers, neighbors and Ms. Paglia's ``nice boys who sit next to (you) in class.'' What kind of protection do those ``old clans'' provide when 80 percent of rape survivors know their attackers?

We do not believe our current society is ``women's protection against rape.'' On the contrary: It teaches values and behaviors that promote sexual violence. To end this violence, our society must confront the myths that blame victims; both women and men must educate themselves about the dynamics of rape. Offenders, not victims, are to be held accountable for their actions.

- Lynn Spencer, Deb Parks

and Carolyn Paige

Seattle Rape Relief and King County

Sexual Assault Resource Center