Why do people believe these myth about rape?

[Rapaport]

How do you know these are myths? Of course attractive women are just that, more ATTRACTIVE.
Of course petite women are easier to subdue physically, easy prey.

And rape is about sex after all. Not that many rapists rape both genders looking for a power trip.

Originally Posted by jerseygal4u

I can't tell you how many people i have come across that believe attractive women are likely to be raped.
Also,many people believe that petite women are more likely to be raped.

City Data is esp ripe with the above myths.

Where do people get these ideas from?

I thought everyone knew that rape is about power?

[No_Recess]

Originally Posted by weltschmerz

I would like to know how they compliled their statistics. One man in prison could be raped 200 times. Is each one of them counted separately?
How many women are raped 200 times? I'd say...none.

I have 2 degrees in CJ and can't answer that question with confidence.

It isn't due to lack of trying.

It's because the UCR has always been a controversial entity. The goal is simple: compile crime stats. But it has been problematic.

You're asking a good question: what constitutes one rape? A rape session? Each time a single penetration occurs?

Numbers can be...and have been...skewed due to various definitions of crimes by jurisdictions, outright lying for $ from the Feds, or even clerical errors (due to confusion over counting prisoners in population numbers for the cities they're housed in).

Consider this: Texas once counted suicide victims as a homicide. Also at one time in many states I could walk into a bank, write a bad check, then rob it at gunpoint, rape the teller, punch out the guard, set the joint on fire, and before leaving I shoot and kill a customer.

On the UCR only one crime would be recorded: murder (highest in the hierarchy).

[california-jewel]

Originally Posted by NVplumber

What is the myth you cite? You didn't specify. At any rate, that a woman may never get over the trauma of a rape assault is totally accurate. This I am seeing, firsthand. What my girl had to do to defend herself was as traumatic, as the assault itself. Going through this with her has been an eye opening experience. It has changed our relationship on a massive scale. The level of awareness, for every little sound, every word I say, every movement I make is heightened to extreme levels. Playful caresses, little games we used to play, not any more. Dreams, oh the dreams. And waking her, in any fashion, gets me clocked. Its so hard to watch, but if it doesn't play out and I try to wake her, its going to hurt. After she does wake up, I keep my distance till she's ready. That could be a few minutes or a few hours. She may want to cry, and be held, she may not want me to even get close.
Its gotten a little better as time passes, but I can see, it won't ever go away altogether. It would take no effort on my part to walk into the vermins cell and finish him. Bare handed. But I've not a moment to spare for him. She needs me. Even when she doesn't want me. Is her reaction typical? Well, it is for her. Other women in her support group and therapy seem less traumatized and manifest more rage, others are all the way over, where relationships ended because their husbands, partners whatever were shut out altogether.
I go through stages as well. Blaming myself for not being there to fight for her, feeling inadequate to help her now....but, I won't give up. Never! Seeing what happens to the victims who's partners did, is enough to harden me. Having her go out alone in public, even in broad daylight chews me up, but the therapists tell me I can't go everywhere with her, much as I want to. But if she wants me to go, I won't "tough love" her. I go, happily. Even if its just down the road for smokes at the drive through.
THIS is what rapists crave. To satisfy their verminous fetish. Death is to kind a sentence. A sociopathic serial killer has more compassion.
Sorry....think I vented a bit.

I'm sorry clarify for you, the myth is you don't have to be beautiful or petite, to be raped. Any woman tall or short, slender or heavy, pretty or average, is a target.

I am so very sorry for what you and your girl are growing thru. I have seen the pain and trauma first hand, and this is something that each individual handles in her own way. And in her own time. Yes therapy does seem to help some women, and even with therapy still each individual handle things in her own way. Just give her time. Believe me time does heal the wound, but takes longer for some women.
What most people need to do is give the victim of rape time and patience, this helps with the healing process.

Your right what rapists have over their victims is power and control. Believe me though not forever.

Vent all you like, you too have to get your feelings out, and sometimes in front of the victim, this is difficult, so I understand completely.

[Tyrannis]

Originally Posted by california-jewel

I'm sorry clarify for you, the myth is you don't have to be beautiful or petite, to be raped. Any woman tall or short, slender or heavy, pretty or average, is a target.

This isn't the "myth" we're talking about. No one has argued that only beautiful/petite women are raped. The question is: Are they more likely to be?

This is the point I made earlier and some of you are ignoring: There are different types of rapists with different MOs. The "dark alley" stranger rapist(relatively rare) is not likely to care what a woman looks like. She's a victim of opportunity. The date/acquaintance rapist is going to choose his victim using other criteria. And yes, how sexually attractive she is will be a factor. This is common sense.

If, as you claim, rape has "not one thing to do with sex", why aren't elderly or handicapped women targeted more often? Wouldn't they be much easier to overpower and control?