Is there really a rape epidemic on US and UK campuses?
The Guardian, a left-leaning British newspaper, has an almost weekly column on the subject. The columnist posts in the comments section, pretending to be a male commentator, and likes to torment and report any other commentators with divergent viewpoints. The column is founded on the survey described here: Campus Sexual Assault Statistic (Time Magazine)
This column gets lots of comments, which is probably why it is such a frequent topic. Media organisations need their clickbait.
On the other side of the extremist-spectrum, there are posts like this: how-to-stop-rape (NSFW)
Rape is an appalling crime, obviously. It is also a crime that usually takes place between two people in private, so any accusations that come to trial rely on which side is believed by the jury. I have been on a jury in such a case and often wonder if we came to the correct decision. We found the defendant guilty.
It beggars belief that someone would go through the trauma and rigmarole of reporting a false accusation of rape. But then again cases like this are promoted by certain sections of the media.
I was at university in the UK over twenty years ago and this issue was around then. The Daily Mail, a British tabloid described by some as a newspaper for women who hate women, had quite prominent stories about false rape allegations. On a personal level, I knew two girls who claimed to have been raped. One was possibly a sociopath, an unpleasant and manipulative person. The other was obviously damaged and would make outlandish claims about such things as murdering her boyfriend and having random attacks of amnesia. She also made an obviously false suicide attempt. There is no way anyone can tell whether there individuals were telling the truth about being raped. Neither reported their allegations to the police. This doesn’t mean that they are lying either.
Common sense would dictate that the level of rapes in western universities would not equate with that of the Bosnian war. On the other hand, men can do evil things to women.
On such a controversial topic, is objectivity impossible and one’s opinion solely based on personal experiences and, ultimately, on what one wants to believe is true?