Reply #61: When I was sixteen,

[oldcoot]

I was threatened by a bunch of male classmates with gang rape. I tried to punch one of the boys but missed. They backed off after that. I do not know if they were just joking or decided to back off when they realized that I might fight back. The teacher of the class knew that the other students were giving me a hard time and gave me permission to punch the other kids. He did not intervene.

I think the tendency to blame the victim allows people to convince themselves that they are safe. However, such attitudes endanger us all. We have seen how this mentality leads to poor laws such as the new bankruptcy act (no responsible person would spend beyond his or her means) and to bad foreign policy decisions (the Iraqis deserved to be killed because all Muslims are terrorists). Do we really want to send the message to rape victims that they should be afraid to come forward because they might have to endure additional humiliation? Remember anyone who is morally capable of raping one woman is probably capable of raping many more.