Richard Bridge said: How nice it is to see this thread contain rationality. Interesting how long ago it was that judicial systems refused to countenance starvation as justifying theft and have still not yet applied parity in matters of sex.

There is a world of difference between trying to explain how things tend to happen and claiming that an action is justified.

You're equating a starving person stealing bread with a lusting guy raping someone. You seem to suggest rape might be justified if someone needs sex; you're pretty much ignoring that someone else might have a much greater need to not have sex. Are you aware that at least three women who posted to this thread claimed to have been raped in the past? My first reaction to your post was that it demonstrated an incredible degree of malevolence. But perhaps your thought processes are genuinely impaired right now.

Richard, if you're not the malevolent soul you appear to be, PM me if you want to test out any ideas. I'm pretty good at spotting flaws in arguments - much better than I am at being sensitive to others' feelings. In public, I won't respond to you again on any topic.

I'm feeling pretty stunned right now. I'm beginning to see why there was so much animosity towards the authors of Why Men Rape - some people really will see moral justification in the article, just as some people see Apocalypse Now and decide war would be exhilarating.