Here's What We Deal with Regarding the Elusive Rare False Rape Report

I want to share with you some of the misconceptions we deal with. I am going to post an entry from The False Rape Society, a blog. They wrote last semester about us by name, so i responded--After 62 other comments, mostly ridiculing me. Ow! I mean, Oh! Really!?--but his is a good learning tool.

First, i've copied their post, their snarkies are in orange  then the first two Comments, then my comment.. you can go here  http://falserapesociety.blogspot.com/2009/09/attorney-general-stresses-rape.html to read them all.

Attorney general stresses rape prevention
The voices of sorority sisters filled Forum Hall Wednesday night to discuss a serious topic.
Members of the Kappa Delta sorority were the primary attendants of the public presentation, sponsored by the Kansas Attorney General’s office, Kansas law enforcement, the K-State Women’s Center and Wildcats Against Rape to educate the public on sexual assault.

“We decided to come here as a sorority to learn how to be safer and just promote unity with in the sorority,” said Krista Bennett, junior in psychology and Spanish.

Kappa Delta attended the event instead of conducting their chapter meeting last night.

Kansas Attorney General Steve Six spoke about the current investigation on 13 serial rape cases in the Manhattan and Lawrence areas. Six also spoke at a similar event on the University of Kansas’s campus earlier Wednesday morning.
“What you can do is concentrate on personal safety,” Six said.
Wait a minute! Isn't this generally referred to as "victim blaming"? Women shouldn't have to take responsibility for NOT putting themselves in dangerous positions, innocent men alone need to step up and take responsibility for preventing rape, right?

Six said the Attorney General’s Office, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and other branches of Kansas law enforcement were seriously looking into these cases because of the similarities of the crimes in their investigations, which lead them to believe the cases are related.

“We are really concerned about these 13 attacks and I can tell you that law enforcement is working hard on these cases,” Six said.

But wait a minute! We constantly hear from the "rape industry" that law enforcement doesn't take rape seriously. Please, please, please don't tell me they weren't telling us the truth!

Six also said eight of these cases occurred in Manhattan; the other five were reported in Lawrence.

“My concern is we have students who are away from home, some of them for the first time, and we need to do all we can to educate them about their personal safety,” said Six.

My concern is that the parents didn't bother to address this, and that the state feels that they should step in to fill that role. Why not encourage parents to teach their kids not to get drunk with people they don't know, have no designated person who remains sober that can watch out for the others, or to acually obey the drinking age law we have in this country. Or is it too much to actually expect parents to parent?

Also presenting at the event were Mary Todd, director of the K-State Women’s Center, and Brian Swearinger of the Riley County Police Department.

Anyone from the K-State Men's Center present? What? There is no Men's Center?

Swearinger told the audience the best way to stay safe was to follow the acronym S.A.F.E.: Secure, Avoid, Flee, Engage.

Swearinger hit on topics of social networking safety, checking locks on doors and windows, reporting suspicious activities, drawing attention to oneself and ways to engage an assailant.

And yet not a single mention of the number 1 factor in these types of situations. Drinking.
“If you are going to go for the groin, don’t just kick at it through it,” Swearinger said. “Try to kick it to the moon.”
Swearinger also said it is important for victims of any crime to report it to the proper authorities.
“We won’t know that it’s happened unless they bring it to our attention,” he said.

This is what disproves the underreporting stats that everyone likes to trot out. If they won't know it happened if it isn't reported, and since their polling has proven to be so politicized that it is unreliable, then any stats on underreporting are pure guesswork, and can't be considered even remotely accurate.

After his presentation, Swearinger fielded several questions about assault and self-defense.
Todd wrapped up the evening by asking some questions and encouraging the audience to participate. Following that, she screened a 6-minute interview conducted by clinical psychologist David Lisak on the psychology of rape.

Todd then opened the floor to questions and took some time to share information on the various resources the Women’s Center had to offer students and faculty.

Todd said she believes all rapists are serial rapists.
“Every year women give up more freedoms and crimes continue,” Todd said.

I would be curious as to what freedoms women have given up? It is because young women and men are drinking and engaging in sex play more than ever -- exercising their freedoms -- that they have put themselves in harm's way. Especially the men.

62 comments:

Anonymous said...

Todd obviously isn't an expert in anything except hyberbole, because #1, men are losing their rights, not women, and #2, the vast majority of convicted rapists who go back to prison do not go back because they've committed another rape. As usual a pathetic liar gets up there and flaps her lips and gets away with it.
And the recidivism rate for men convicted of "date rape" is extremely low -- probably because so many innocent men are convicted of that crime.

slwerner said...
"“Every year women give up more freedoms and crimes continue,” Todd said."
WTF!?!?
We're talking about the USA, here on Earth, aren't we? What? - Did this women journey here from another galaxy?
Women giving up freedoms? Where is this happening, anywhere across the US?
Perhaps one of our trolls can try to spin some rational meaning out of that otherwise completely nonsensical statement?


mary todd said...

1. Statistics are so unreliable that there is no point in citing them. i personally have 7 friends who were raped who did not report to anyone but to me and the nurse to check for stds.

2. For all those falsely accused, my heart goes out to you and your families.
- i can't imagine anything worse than being accused falsely, of rape or child molestation.
3. (Unless perhaps Being raped or the victim of a child molester.)

4. Accompanying women, men, boys and girls to the hospital year after year, after they were raped, drugged and raped, raped after being beaten, etc, makes me an "expert" in knowing that the crime is ubiquitous. These are traumatized people..
When i was a therapist, i saw many individuals who were sexually violated who spoke to no one but me, their therapist. Every therapist i know has similar data.
Several women and one man i have worked with in just the past year, (like every year,) were virgins and non-drinkers. alcohol is mentioned a lot, but we move the focus around as there are so many aspects of the crime.
I am sorry some of you sounded so bitter and angry and Insulting toward me Personally, who you do not know. Do you believe there is NO RAPE?
http://www.doublex.com/blog/yourcomeback/night-after-serial-rapist-was-caught

The David Lisak film (The Undetected rapist) is based on interviews with the men themselves, who describe their own behaviors. men in prison also have given interviews to researchers--all the data does not come from victims.

Crimes occur, whether murder, robbery, battering, home invasion, theft, etc. I dont care about the gender thing, other than as a predictor research factor. Testoterone? . Men are also stronger than women. Smarter in certain areas. Point is, men and women are different, and that's why there are different services and needs. Women have their own general flaws and bad behaviors and criminal tendencies. Men have theirs. Can we get past the gender thing to look at Behavior?

However, murder and battering are undeniable statistics. No one tries to say that women and men who are beaten to within an inch of their lives are lying. We know those crimes are common- many murders and batterings of men women and children every year. (Most murdered women are killed by men they know. Most men are killed by other men) That evidence is visible. The evidence of rape is less so.
True, some men are ignorant of the law when they come into the grown-up world. We teach them as well as women as we do not want them to get in trouble, and we want everyone to have a good time without violence. By good time i mean respectful and honorable behavior. Are there a lot of men who are virginal and respectful of women who are falsely accused? How are those stats collected? Since every rapist, even the murdering serial home invasion rapist, is likely to say he's innocent, how do you tease apart those stats?

Yes, many people act in risky and licentious ways these days. Too bad, in my opinion. But to speak as if all women are that way, or that rape victims are all like that, is just silly.

Lost Freedoms-- (i poll/ask this of the male students, teachers, co-workers, etc--) do you ever think twice about sleeping with your windows open? Locking and closing windows day and night? keep yourself from taking photos of the lake at sunrise or sunset? ever worry about being nice while dancing with someone because they might think it means you are giving consent for sex?
Too long. You mentioned my name, I thought i'd try to respond.
In my many years as therapist or advocate, i believe i encountered 2 false reports. When you work with the truth, a lie sticks out.
Sadly, I am sure there is a need for this site and others like it. It breaks my heart.

But you hurt the truth of your cause by ignoring the truth of mine-maybe they are related-

To encourage men and women to be honorable, truthful, and admirable, look out for each other, and never to resort to violence, force, lying, bullying, or deception.

Fu'cryin out loud.

BTW, the "recidivism rate" for acquaintance rape is low because it is so RARELY reported and so RARELY prosecuted. I will not respond to his other interspersed comments because the logic is so jumbled and twisted we will end up with a plate of spaghetti.

One further note-- the reason false reports --rare as they are--are so HORRIBLE is that the CRIME is so horrible.