Editorial: Communication and Respect

Although many of us might prefer to ignore the issue and treat it as a creation of the media and hypersensitive feminists, the fact is that at least 20 to 25 women a semester are victims of acquaintance rape on this campus. We cannot ignore the problem any longer. Despite the fact that more and more attention has been paid to this very complex issue, women are still afraid, men are still unsure exactly what constitutes "acquaintance rape" and the problem continues. But all the available evidence suggests that if only men and women would communicate their feelings more readily and treat each other with mutual respect, society would take a huge step in the direction of ending acquaintance rape. In a recent Daily Pennsylvanian poll, 85.5 percent of women respondents said they never go to parties looking to have sex with someone that night. Meanwhile, only 35.4 percent of men said they never went looking for sex. Those men and women that go looking for sex should realize that if they don't happen to find it, they have no right to take it. Beyond respect and communication, the two biggest problems in dealing with acquaintance rape are the continuing uncertainty of what constitutes acquaintance rape and the reluctance of women to come forward after having been raped by someone they know. To clear up the ambiguity of what exactly constitutes acquaintance rape, continuing discussion and education is needed. Certainly, everyone should get the message: The woman has sovereignty over her own body. Unless she says yes, it's no. To take away the stigma of acquaintance rape that victims feel, more women need to come forward and confront their attackers. Men who rape do not expect their victims to come forward, because most do not. Rape to them is a gamble they think they can win. Women need to send the message that every woman is the wrong woman to rape, and that every attacker will pay a price for his crime. Hopefully, our week-long series on acquaintance rape has helped to educate people in this community about the issue. Hopefully, the discussion will continue.

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