On That Northwestern "Human Sexuality" Class Was The Best Course I Ever Took
Yes, I agree what I said is bullshit and a logical fallacy. This is a blog comment.
You know, I do see and can appreciate how rape could theoretically be an evolutionary advantage, through a biological lens. Being skeptical of your own assumptions is a good thing. And I am to some degree.
But isn't accepting a scientific study without skepticism nor acknowledging its intents just as fallible? I mean, thats the one of the first things that was emphasized during my sociology/philosophy double major undergrad career.
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On That Northwestern "Human Sexuality" Class Was The Best Course I Ever Took
Like I said before, I am speaking as an out rape victim. Please consider this. Sure, I am committing ad hominem to some degree. But can we not talk about value-laden social science studies? That is the bigger topic here.
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On That Northwestern "Human Sexuality" Class Was The Best Course I Ever Took
It's hard for me to accurately pass judgement on Bailey since I was never one of his students, nor was I a student at Northwestern. But using "science" to disprove common assumptions about the effects of sexual voilence sounds awfully misguided and sounds like a value-laden scientific approach, which in my opinion, is NOT scientific. It would have been far more interesting and beneficial to talk about how scientific studies, especially sociological and psychological ones, are rarely ever fully value-free.
As someone who has been raped, and has 'ignored' it and lied about it ever occuring, it's really hard to believe that the subjects used in the "study" he refers to (Joseph Bernstein, do you have the researchers of the study Bailey used in that class?), were being fully honest. When you are a victim, there is a need to forget it and prove to the world and yourself that you are "fine", even when you are tortmented and confused and hate yourself inside. Victim blaming is internalized and quite often manifests itself as desperate "normalcy". Bailey sounds like a guy who wants a reason to rape. It really makes me wonder…
Also, Bailey has daughters? Shit. If my dad ever said anything like this, I'd be more hurt psychically/emotionally than how I feel right about being a rape victim.
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On That Northwestern "Human Sexuality" Class Was The Best Course I Ever Took
I did not stop to consider the fallacies in what I was saying until I was called on it. It was written in a haste because this has a VERY emotional impact on me. My emotions, while not recognized as valid sources of 'knowledge' or argument, are still valid because they are a result of what I have experienced.
My interpretations of this study are still valid, even if they differ from all of yours.
I find studies and arguments that rationalize the evolutionary 'usefuless' of rape really hurtful to me. It really hurts me to think that there is a scientific reason for it (even if I do understand its arguments) beyond the psychological/pathological issues that drove the perpetrator to commit the rape.
It belittles my pain and self-worth I've struggled so hard to find after the incident. I don't need a study to tell me that I can be successful, because I already know that; I have a job and some reasonable success for a twenty something and feel very lucky that I've overcome. It tells people who are outside of the victim/rapist world that victims will probably all be 'ok' in the end. It brushes aside their pain, and whatever pain they do experience is considered null because it will go away eventually, because science said so! I think in some way it very subtly contributes to the culture of rape and its excuses.
If I have mischaracterized this study, I am sure many others have as well – perhaps in ways opposite to how I'm interpreting. Isn't everything up to interpretation?
Are there any women out here with better argumentative skills than I? I feel like I'm being bullied. Why am I the only one who is accused of mischaracterizing this study?