Men In Groups: Collective Responsibility For Rape

Who is held responsible for Rape?

Some men claim that rape is just sex, however, if a women does not consent to it therefore it is considered rape. Women feel as though all men are rapists or at least contribute in some way to rape. Through this essay Men in Groups: Collective Responsibility for Rape, by Larry May and Robert Strikwerda, argues 4 different reasons of being or contributing to rape: as a loner, or demon, as a victim of biology, a victim of society, and as a group member. Throughout this essay the authors, give reasons to why most men in fact do contribute to the rape, even though they may not physically do the action, their involvement is still relevant. I think that men should indeed be held responsible for rape, and should

For Tyson, as a boxer in the ring those are things he does to his opponent. The idea portrays that Tyson or any male can rape a women without physical evidence and since there is no physical evidence harm done then it's not rape. I believe this idea is inaccurate a women can be mentally harmed by the abuse they endured without any black eyes or broken bones, rape is still rape. The authors also uses the term, “the rape culture,” this describes the climate of attitudes that exists in the contemporary American-male dominated world. On the other hand, Rape is more likely committed by individual men, but the author’s view, that individual men are more likely to engage in rape when they are in groups. This idea of socialization, men in groups are able to receive strong encouragement of their acts and rape is encouraged within these male groups. The idea that men are degrading women with negative attitudes contribute to the individual male who goes out and rapes a women with a perception that this is acceptable in their groups and in society. The authors also emphasize in this section that not only are the perpetrators responsible for the act of rape, but also the men that socialize with the men who do rape. This does

As a group member, these men can share many features, such as attitudes, or dispositions to engage in harm, as a group member what's true for one man holds true for all men. (pg 428) The authors then provide 5 points in which they claim men share responsibility for the prevalence of rape in that culture. “(1) Since most perpetrators are men who rape, then these men are responsible, in most cases for the rape they committed. (2) Some men by their interactions with other men (younger) contribute to the climate in our society where rape is made more prevalent, they they are contributors in the rape culture and share responsibility for the rapes committed in that culture. (3) Some men are not unlike the rapists, if given the opportunity where their inhibitions against rape are removed then therefore these men share responsibility with the actual rapists for the harms of rape. (4) Many men who could have prevented a rape from occurring but did not intervene, then these men share responsibility with the actual rapists. (5) Some men who benefit from the existence of rape in our society, these men also share responsibility along with the rapists.” (pg, 428) Men are more likely to be responsible for at least one out of five of these points then women are. Which shows that women are not equally