# Is Sexual Assault Being Redefined ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 12, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sexual-assault-being-redefined/513533 "2009-10-12T15:46:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sexual-assault-being-redefined/513533/41 "2009-10-22T01:27:54Z")
He used scare quotes around accidentally, though. I doubt it was an accident that many times. ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sexual-assault-being-redefined/513533/42 "2009-10-22T01:43:22Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > Yes. > I don’t know how the legal definition got so twisted, but there’s the meaning that assault has in everyday language, and that’s the meaning that should be used in everyday language. Saying something else is manipulation. It evokes in most people’s minds an idea that is a bit different from what it would if the people really knew what the word meant. I don’t know, I think you know what I’m getting at. It’s like calling consensual sex with a minor “rape,” or saying the word “consensual” means something completely different from “willful.” It’s Orwellian Newspeak. It’s exactly what that is. I know what you’re getting at, yet I think your view is the one that is Orwellian Newspeak. You seem to be claiming that, because people don’t understand what a word actually means, the incorrect meaning they are using is actually the correct one. The definition of assault in the way I described it has quite a long and established history, so the Newspeak as I see it would be recent misunderstanding or deliberate misuse as you are advocating. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sexual-assault-being-redefined/513533/43 "2009-10-22T19:10:26Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > Was the hallways actually crowded? If so, getting elbowed in something that is enormous, sensitive, and protruding might be something that is a bit inevitable. I wasn’t there, but be careful about teaching your daughter to be overly sensitive and suspicious of people. It can do her more harm than good. > > Man, if I had a completely unintentional accidental brush with a girl’s chest in a crowded hallway and she started screaming, that’d be fucked up. I’d be very embarrassed, but I’d immediately comfort myself with the thought that everyone else probably realizes she’s crazy. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > We’re not talking about that. His ex wife’s story is all too familiar. There is a huge difference between someone accidentally brushing against someone’s breast or ass–we’ve all had that happen I’m sure–and someone grabbing your breasts. I’ve lived in crowded areas and never once accidentally groped someone. > [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > For the record, Kizarvexius used the words “accidentally elbowed or jostled,” not that his wife’s breasts were grabbed. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > He used scare quotes around accidentally, though. I doubt it was an accident that many times. Yes, I used the quotation marks quite deliberately. In a crowded hallway a certain amount of physical contact is inevitable. When a girl receives a lingering elbow nudge in the chest from the same 3 or 4 boys over and over again, though, the likelihood of it being accidental deteriorates. The fact that she could never prove anything, and her unwillingness to make a scene only made the problem worse, because the offenders never faced any consequences. So when I say I’m trying to teach my daughter to confront this behavior, I certainly don’t want her to overreact or accuse someone lightly. Accidents will happen, and to a certain extent people should be given the benefit of the doubt. I fully expect my daughter to be aware of the consequences of making a scene, and to use her judgment accordingly. In my way of thinking, though, the sort of guy who intentionally nudges a girl in the chest does not expect to be called out for it. So my advice to her is to give the guy exactly what he doesn’t want – a lot of attention. Kizarvexilla is a quiet girl who would rather walk on broken glass than offend somebody. My intent is that she remain that way, but still stand up for herself when someone tries to take advantage of her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sexual-assault-being-redefined/513533.md?page=2)