To the editor:
As I began to read the first in the series of articles about Lincoln, Nebraska’s initiatives to combat high-risk drinking among college students (Journal-World, March 9), I was taken aback by some terminology in the sidebar “About this story.”
The second sentence noted that initiatives have led to fewer reports of “unwanted sex, murders, drunken-driving arrests and binge drinking.”
Has “unwanted sex” become a more palatable term for sexual assault and rape? “Unwanted sex” sounds like a nuisance along the lines of “unwanted interruptions” or “unwanted chin hair” rather than the trauma-inducing felony it is.
Terming sexual assault/ rape the more benign “unwanted sex” seems to me like putting lipstick on the proverbial pig. Sexual assault victims haven’t been merely inconvenienced, they’ve been brutalized, and the terminology should reflect that.
Comments
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rbwaa (anonymous) says…
i agree. i hate the term 'molesting' also which suggests a 'gentle' kind of touching instead of the rape it is...
labmonkey (anonymous) says…
It is an appropiate term. What seems like a good idea when you are drunk may not be after sober reflexion. The unwanted sex referred to in the article probably refers to "coyote arm" situations or people wishing they did not have that one night (consenual) stand after the fact ("eeeewww, did I really sleep with her?).
notajayhawk (anonymous) says…
I was going to say pretty much exactly what labmonkey said (including the reference to 'coyote love'). As the old saying goes, "I never went to bed with an ugly woman - but I woke up with a few."
imastinker (anonymous) says…
That would be my thought as well - referring to labmonkey's "coyote arm" term. That said, they did mix the term with Murder and Drunken Driving.
Who knows!
labmonkey (anonymous) says…
In hindsight....I am glad I never gnawed my arm off.
notajayhawk (anonymous) says…
labmonkey (anonymous) says…
"In hindsight....I am glad I never gnawed my arm off."
Me too - where would I have put the wedding ring?
(Just kidding - Mrs. notajayhawk - who actually *IS* a jayhawk, it's a mixed marriage - is much prettier than I, being 20 years younger and all).
Kontum1972 (anonymous) says…
i prefer the word "Plooking" instead of sleeping with her or him...just seems to flow more.
mr_right_wing (anonymous) says…
Another agreement.....when you have 'drunken sex' and are embarrassed or ashamed, that is not 'rape'. If you have sex and the guy doesn't call the next day, or perhaps even ignores you, that is not 'rape'. Unfortunately a significant number of foolish young women have cried "rape!" when it has not been the case. It is a huge consequence of drinking for both men as well as women; you could get raped, or you could get unjustly accused of rape. Beware.
notajayhawk (anonymous) says…
Then there's that little detail of being too drunk to remember how a condom operates...