Elihu Root Quotes

This proverb which actually has the force of de facto law in much of the Arab world, while detested by many sophisticated Westerners and Americans in particular, was actually a custom in America for many years. Under the principle, a rapist is not a rapist if he marries the girl. A seducer is not a seducer. In the Bedouin culture there is no difference between the rapist and the seducer. The reason that the practice is so hateful is that it assumes that when a woman is raped or seduced the damage is to the woman’s male relatives—to their honor. Therefore, the “crime” can be remedied by marrying the girl and satisfying the male relative’s sense of honor. Then no harm has been done, except of course to the woman who often becomes the double victim, first of the rape or seduction and then of a forced marriage. In modern America the honor of the male relatives has no standing in law, yet even today some judges and prosecutors will go easy on a statutory rapist or worse if he marries the girl and the girls family goes along with the arrangement. The term “shotgun wedding” stems from a time when family members would force the alternative on seducers.

There are over 600.000 reported rape cases in South Africa each year. Since most rape goes unreported the real total is much larger, making South Africa the worst country in the world on a sexual violence scale. There are many reasons suggested for the South African extreme. However, since apartheid was overthrown, all ANC Governments had had a reluctance to have heavy police action for anything and there is a general reluctance to imprison people as this was what the apartheid regimes did. So all criminal activity is relatively high in South Africa.

Note that in pre-Muslim Arabia, a woman was not punished if she was raped as is currently done in some Muslim countries.

Amrey was known for his colorful albeit exaggerated use of the English language. Exactly what the analogy meant in his unique lexicography no one really knows. other than the fact that Armey hated bipartisanship. His extremist views characterized all Democrats as "enemies" of the nation. Fortunately, his viewpoint is not the majority even within the Republican Party.

This statement is believed by many people who would blame the female victim of rape for the way she dressed. Rape is a heinous felony, and it is never excused by the way the victim dresses. Few who hold this view publicly will state it, but this public statement triggered a set of demonstrations throughout Canada which spread to the United States and Europe. See {623723}.

See {623723} & {623724} for the origin of the demonstrations. Women demonstrated for the right to be safe from sexual assault regardless of how particular men perceived they were dressing.

His observation at that time has been typical of almost all eras which tend to be seen as unique in this respect by those who live during them.

The Armed Services had then a terrible problem of sexual assault on female troops with an attitude on the part of many officers and commanders that would tolerate these assaults and not treat them seriously. The situation was so bad the the General repeated that he was not kidding about the major priority in that he realized a large number of senior officers would find it surprising the the Chief of Staff would make the issue the number one army priority.

Even though a strong feminist, note the Victorian concept of sex—namely that it is the man who does the seduction and the woman who is the passive victim. Also that the act of sex has somehow damaged a woman so that she needs “maintenance”. Modern feminists and non feminists, and our laws and culture, no longer look at sex as damage to a woman so the seduction, regardless of whether the male or the female is the seducer, is not a problem that needs compensation. It is only if children result, that there is male responsibility—not for the seduction but for taking his share of the responsibility for creating another human being that needs support. Also, most modern cultures do not see all sex as a seduction of one party be another—sex can be and often is the joint decision of consenting adults. In some cases females seduce males.

Paglia was an anti-feminist. However, this is not a justification of rape. What she is saying is that given woman’s behavior pattern, men have to be very aggressive. She says that the male approach to socializing with females must take the FORM of rape—overcoming female feigned postures. Few agree with her, but she is the extreme opposite of the feminists in viewpoint. There are billions of men who have been successful with women who did not resort to rape or force in any way.