Buy lip gloss, check your drink for roofies

[Flyndaran]

I call bullshit on even 1 in 6, unless you count next morning regret "rape".
If you don't trust your drink, then don't fucking drink it. Wow, so much cheaper and effective.
Western society is getting laughably paranoid.

[AdminAssistant]

Western society is getting laughably paranoid.

Rape, even non-reported 'date rape', is not laughable. It's a serious issue that can ruin a woman's (or man's) life. Constant fear, inability to trust anyone, particularly in a relationship, to be afraid of physical contact with a SO. It's taken me years to deal with the date rape and emotional abuse I went through with my high school sweetheart. I'm not "paranoid", I don't want to go through that hell again. However, I do like to be able to go out with friends and have a cocktail once and again.

A company is making a discreet device available to women (or men) so that they can stay safe from the creepers who'd do anything, anything to get a piece of ass. What's wrong with that? I can't see a negative there.

[McDreidel09]

Whoa. Where the hell did your teacher get that info. It's far more frequent than I'd prefer, but 60% is a ridiculous number to throw out there. Most websites seem to say about 1 in 6 women are raped. 1 in 33 for men

I remember where I got it confused! She said that statistically, 5 people in our Sociology class have been raped.

ETA: I'm going to have to agree with AA on that. Flyn, I find that remark pretty offensive. It is not paranoia, it really happens. It is a very traumatic experience for whomever has to go through with it. After a then boyfriend raped me, I gained 50 pounds, started getting obsessive about taking showers (At one point, I took three a day) and cleaning because I felt that everything was dirty. It took me a while to trust. Hell, I'm still pretty wary. It also didn't help my depression. I still get flashbacks and when those happen, I want to curl up in the corner and cry.

1 in 6 is just the reported. The unreported ones could be attacks from loved ones (like mine) or they just don't want to go through it again, because in court, you are reliving the experience. True, there are some that regret the night before and cry rape, but that's not a majority.

[Dreamstalker]

My main problem: Why do you have to buy the lip gloss to get it?

Camouflage, as it were. I'm willing to bet that the type of person who would spike someone's drink wouldn't be too happy if they knew the target knew. It might be more discreet than just whipping out a test strip.

[HYHYBT]

For that matter, the type who *wouldn't* do such a thing may well be offended to know you thought they would. Better not to call attention to the test.

I think the 1-in-6 figure includes an estimate of unreported rapes; how they think they can get anything remotely like an accurate count of the unreported ones I have no idea.

[Rapscallion]

I don't consider this a vengeful punishment, I call this self-defense.

I call it hilarious.

Rapscallion

[Akasa]

As for the 1 in 6, too low a number. Of all the women I know and have met, I can say fro sure only 3 were never raped. That includes my sisters.(one was raped, the other is lucky so far.)

Since we are on fratching I will share the story that caused me to never report any of my multiple rapes.

I was a teen, someone snatched my best friend and drug her to an apartment where they held her down w/ a knife to her throat. They didn't lock the door they were having their hands full with her. I was following behind as fast as I could cause I could tell what their intentions were. I busted that door open did a bit of violence to get her out of there, and we immediately went to the police and called her mom. While there in front of us and her mom the CHIEF of police stated that she was asking for it BY THE WAY SHE FLIPS HER HAIR WHEN SHE TALKS.

Like I would trust the police to do anything after that?

I'm the kind of person who refuses drinks from others and if my drink leaves my sight I throw it away. I've had my drinks drugged int he past. I refuse to fall victim like that again. Give me a discreet way to check a drink that I think might have been tampered with? I'll buy it.

[Boozy]

The 1 in 6 number is based on the National Violence Against Women Survey, a self-reporting survey involving a proportionate sampling of women across the US.

As such, the 1 in 6 number is an average. For my social group, lifestyle, and city, that number is ludicrously high and in no way reflects my actual risk of sexual assault. For some women living in less fortunate circumstances, that number is too low.

It's pointless to debate the figure based on "women I know". Our personal lives do not provide scientific samplings.

It should also be noted that the 1 in 6 figure includes not just rape, but also attempted rape.

[BlaqueKatt]

do they actually work? or are they like the coasters they sold previously that didn't work at all-but people without common sense used and trusted them.

[MystyGlyttyr]

I don't think Flyn was saying rape is laughable. I think he was saying the degree to which people think that other people are out to get them is laughable.

Personally, I have a small issue with the 1 in 6 number, just like I have issue with the 1 in 150 number on autism reports. They are not only including attempted rape like Boozy said, but may be chalking in things like someone's hand brushing your rear as a rape, sort of like how a person like me who's basically normal gets reported as the one in the 150 in a way that skews the status. Most people don't see that and think "Oh, okay, well, that just means it's on a spectrum somewhere, huh" they think "Holy fuck one in 150 people are the Rainman and my kid could be next!" I currently personally know about ten people with autism and only one, maybe two of us are actually noticeable about it, the rest are frankly, just quirky and greatly antisocial. So saying 1 in 6 women are raped makes people think that nearly 20% of the female population are being violated in a severe way and that may not necessarily be the case.

I'm not saying rape isn't traumatic, I'm not saying something like an unwanted touch isn't traumatic. I'm just saying that to me, the number seems like it could be misleading in what exactly it's reporting.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Western society is getting laughably paranoid.

I don't think I've ever met a woman who thought this. At least in regards to this is particular discussion.

Men play on a completely different playing field in this regard.

On the planet Zoomar, circling a distant purple sun in a galaxy far, far away.

Not faulting you, Flynn. But you don't get it and neither do a huge number of other men.

My own husband doesn't really get it.

[Greenday]

I don't think I've ever met a woman who thought this. At least in regards to this is particular discussion.

Men play on a completely different playing field in this regard.

On the planet Zoomar, circling a distant purple sun in a galaxy far, far away.

Not faulting you, Flynn. But you don't get it and neither do a huge number of other men.

My own husband doesn't really get it.

I think Mysty is spot on with what Flyn was saying. The media basically tells us that if you are a woman and you leave your house, there's a high probability of getting raped. And depending on where you live, that may be true, it may not be. But it's what the media does. They do whatever they can to induce a panic so more people will follow the news and ratings goes up. Rape, 9/11, swine flu, Y2K, you name it. The media is based on fear because more fear = more numbers.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I don't think there is necessarily a high probability of being raped every time you leave the house. But there is a reasonable probability that if you are female you will be harassed, threatened, or otherwise had your space violated by a creepy person with questionable motives.

I know quite a few rape survivors. I am telling you it is not a rare thing. And when you consider that most of them are not reported, it kind of puts a grim spin on things.

You are right about the media, no argument there. However, saying a woman has no reason to be paranoid is simply not true. Just cuz you are paranoid, doesn't mean you have no reason to be.

Especially when you consider that a huge number of assaults/attempted assaults happen at the hands of someone the woman knows.

[Nyoibo]

The 1 in 6 stat doesn't include attempted rape, there are other stats out there for sexual violence, which are much higher the 1 in 6 is cases where actual penetration occured.

[AdminAssistant]

Just cuz you are paranoid, doesn't mean you have no reason to be.

Heh, that reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite NCIS episodes ("Enigma", Season 1).

Anyway, yeah, better safe than sorry, y'know? With this being a college town, there are quite a few assaults - downtown, on campus, in dorm rooms. I wouldn't consider myself to be terribly at risk, but I'm still cautious when I go out. There's also a serial rapist that splits his time between KU and KState; the University occasionally sends out an e-mail that basically says, "Oh, btw, be careful and...stuff." But it's not a priority here anymore than busting underage drinking is.