"rapists who deliberately set out to prowl the streets searching for their victims"

Lizzie I too am coming to the belief that you don't live in just some alternative world but are actually from another planet entirely

While 'stranger rape' does occur the majority of women are likely to be raped by someone they are acquainted with

For someone who invents their own mythical past maybe you are unaware of the attention that has been focused on the issue of 'acquaintance rape' which has emerged as part of the growing willingness to acknowledge and address issues associated with domestic violence and the rights of women in general in the past 30 years and are ignorant of the scholarly research done by psychologist Mary Koss and her colleagues which is widely recognized as the primary impetus for raising awareness.

The results of Koss' research were the basis of the book by Robin Warshaw, first published in 1988, entitled 'I Never Called it Rape'.


An attempt to address David's question of 04:56 AM also demands examining important legal decisions and changes in legal definitions of rape.

For example -
'Until recently, clear physical resistance was a requirement for a rape conviction in California.
A 1990 amendment now defines rape as sexual intercourse "where it is accomplished against a person's will by means of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury."
The important additions are "menace" and "duress," as they include consideration of verbal threats and implied threat of force

In addition, a prior or current relationship between the victim and the accused is not sufficient to imply consent. Most states also have provisions which prohibit the use of drugs and/or alcohol to incapacitate a victim, rendering the victim unable to deny consent.'

So, 'acquaintance rape' remains a controversial topic because of lack of agreement upon the definition of 'consent.'


David G. Curtis, Ph.D., B.C.E.T.S. writing on 'Social Perspectives on Acquaintance Rape' for the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress states

"Views on acquaintance rape also appear quite capable of creating opposing camps. Despite the violent nature of acquaintance rape, the belief that many victims are actually willing, consenting participants is held by both men and women alike.
"Blaming the victim" seems to be an all too prevalent reaction to acquaintance rape. Prominent authors have espoused this idea in editorial pages, Sunday Magazine sections, and popular journal articles.
It has also been implied that a natural state of aggression between men and women is normal, and that any woman who would go back to a man's apartment after a date is "an idiot."
While there may be a certain degree of cautionary wisdom in the latter part of this statement, such views have been criticized for being overly simplistic and for simply submitting to the problem."

The whole article
is well worth reading but to pick out just a couple more conclusions

"Being in familiar surroundings does not provide security. Most acquaintance rapes take place in either the victim's or the assailant's home, apartment, or dormitory."

"It is often expressed that direct and indirect messages given to boys and young men by our culture about what it means to male (dominant, aggressive, uncompromising) contribute to creating a mindset which is accepting of sexually aggressive behavior……
Buying into stereotypical attitudes regarding sex roles tends to be associated with justification of intercourse under any circumstances"

Koss's study of acquaintance rape on campus found taking drugs or alcohol is commonly associated with sexual aggression and, of the men who were identified as having committed acquaintance rape, 75 percent had taken drugs or alcohol just prior to the rape