Is questioning whether a rape happened insensitive to rape victims?

[bryant69]

I was about to ask this question in another post, but it got shut down, so I'll ask it here. The post suggested we should be more sensitive about the subject of Rape, which I think is a good idea. On the other hand the reason we are talking about Rape involves the case at Duke (unless I missed something). I personally find the victim's story more likely to be accurate than the lacross team's story, but the evidence does not seem clear cut to me. I could see how someone would decide that the Lacross team was more accurate.

But it seems a common experience that rape victims are disbelieved. Can expressing disbelief in the presumed rape victim in the Duke case can bring back bad memories for those who have experience rape and that disbelieve first hand?

I should also note that there are more polite ways to express disbelief and more jerk ways to do it. Saying "That woman is just a filthy liar" is a little different from saying "I don't think her story checks out."

On the other hand, believing that the woman, in this particular case, did not get raped does not mean that one is in favor of rape or doesn't care about rape.

Anyway, any thoughts on how to navigate these trecherous waters?

Bryant
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