Woman's Responsibility In Date Rape

“Women charge that date rape is the hidden crime; men complain it is hard to prevent a crime they can't define. Women say it isn't taken seriously; men say it is a concept invented by women who like to tease but not take the consequences” (Gibbs, 1991). What is the extent of a woman’s responsibility in date rape? There is no doubt that physically forced rape is a crime. In most jurisdictions, there is no legal distinction between rape committed by a stranger, an acquaintance, friend, or lover, and the term date rape is often used to describe any rape where there is a lack of physical coercion. But, if there is no physical coercion, how was the woman forced to have sex with the guy? Every woman has choices. Her sober choices obviously benefit
her more than her intoxicated ones. So, the ultimate question- is this act called date rape or drunk sex?
Selfish and spiteful women are falsely accusing men of rape. Women are “crying rape” to explain consensual sexual activity that occurred when they were drunk. “Some young women were getting drunk at Perth nightspots and then using drink spiking as an excuse to justify behavior they later regretted…It seems that a proportion of young women are getting incredibly intoxicated and using drink spiking as an excuse to explain behavior they are not happy with." (Heenan, 2003). Non-consensual sex is a crime. But, if a woman consents even when intoxicated, not only is she giving the man permission to have sex with her, she probably wants to have sex with him just as bad. Now, the next morning when she wakes up next to him with a terrible hangover, she’s missing a few articles of clothing, and cannot recall the details of the night before, it is very convenient to call it “date rape”- especially if she never wants to talk to the guy again.
Feminine activists see rape as a metaphor, its definition swelling to cover any kind of oppression to women (Gibbs, 1991). In addition, a Swarthmore College training pamphlet once explained that acquaintance rape “spans a spectrum of incidents and behaviors, ranging from crimes legally defined as rape to verbal harassment and inappropriate innuendo” (Gibbs, 1991). When innuendo qualifies as rape, it’s only a matter of time before looking at someone in a flirty way will be a crime. What happened to traditional rape, where a creepy man jumped from the shadows of an alley and had his way with an innocent girl? And "roofies" slipped into girls drink so they cannot refuse the offer? Those are punishable crimes. But, if one’s acquaintance, friend, or spouse “rapes” them, I would like to know each and every detail. I understand that some men are intimidating, but why put oneself in that situation in the first place.
Of course, there is an exception- the rapist physically threatens her or people she loves.
Even then, if anyone is remotely in close proximity to her, she can scream at the top of her lungs, “HELP!!! RAPE!!!” Sound generated by a human scream on earth can travel over half of a mile, so take a chance (University Park Pennsylvania, 2006). Beyond this entire defense, the bottom line is that a woman should never put herself in a dangerous situation. Yes, it is unfair that a woman cannot drink at peace in a public bar, but nothing can change the animal instincts in us all; instead, she should go out with a group of friends where she is less likely to be targeted
alone.
If a woman does not want to have sex, she does not have to.
She needs to make that clear in the beginning, especially if there is to be alcohol consumption; it’s as simple as that. If a woman is going to be drinking alcohol, she should bring a friend or two and make it a group outing. If she does not want to engage in sexual activities, she can avoid being alone with a guy, even if she thinks she trusts him. For those women that cannot own up to their mistakes, “A study which reveals many sexually assaulted women may have had too much to drink rather than been drugged has sparked a debate over how much the victims themselves are to blame” (Parkinson, 2006); I have no sympathy for those who tease and become taunting seductresses when they are under the influence. Those women are hands down asking for sex. So, sure there are situations where the term “date rape” can be used, but irresponsible, drunk sex can be substituted for a more real description of her embarrassing
night.

Reference List
Gibbs, N. (1991). Cover stories behavior: When is it rape? Time Magazine. Retrieved December 22, 2006 from: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,973077-2,00.html
Heenan, M. (2003). Beyond ‘drink spiking’: Drug and alcohol facilitated sexual assault. Australian Institute of Family Studies. Retrieved December 22, 2006 from: http://www.aifs.gov.au/acssa/pubs/briefing/b2.html
Parkinson, D. (2006). Should women be more responsible? BBC News. Retrieved December 22, 2006 from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6153822.stm
University Park Pennsylvania (2006). On mars no one can hear you scream. Mars Daily: Your Portal to Mars. Retrieved December 23, 2006 from: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/On_Mars_No_One_Can_Hear_You_Scream_999.html