So, It’s insisting that rape is not about power, but it’s also full of kind of inconsistencies, stating for example that human behavior is “multiply determined” (true of course), but then denying that something can be motivated by the socio-political stew that we all dwell in? That men are basically biological machines that can’t control their urges around women. Or that pedophilia means that rape isn’t about power - well, isn’t exerting power over children also exerting power?
Rape is also a weapon in war, right? We all know this to be true - look at the end of WW2, the Balkans, wars in the Congo, the kidnapping of the young women in Nigeria, etc and so on. The guy insists that younger women are targeted at a much higher rate? Well, you could also argue that younger women are targeted (especially in cases of war) because they are fertile! Raping the women “pollutes” their next generation and asserts dominance over your enemy. This is all socio-political, right? There is nothing scientific about some other person being your enemy because they grew up in a different village, city, or country, is there? No. Because if someone was adopted from elsewhere, they’d likely still be just as devoted to where they were raised, etc.
I’m just not buying it as the primary factor in rape. To imagine that our culture has just no impact is just… naive, I think. Our psychology isn’t just internally developed, because we don’t just grow up in sterile rooms, with no interaction with others, the culture, and media. Like many other scientific fields that deal with human behavior, I suspect there is some mixture of genetics and environment which forms one’s personality and psychological make up. I can’t imagine it’s just one or the other, that’s far too reductive and simplistic an answer. I’ll give you that “natural” urges might be part of the package, but to think that it’s got nothing to do with culture is missing a whole lot of humanity.
I guess I also think better of men and know they can do better than just lust and express their base urges to have the pretty girl in their bed. Keep in mind that many of the studies cited were conducted by men, and as we all know, we can’t ever entirely erase whatever our ingrained biases are.
Take that as you will.
