# Swiss tourist gang-raped in India **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 17, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154 "2013-03-17T05:35:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/181 "2013-03-22T03:38:53Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > sex-starved bandits Being horny has _nothing_ to do with rape. Rape is using sex to gain power over someone, to hurt and control them. Saying, “well, I haven’t had sex for a long time, so I’m going to take it!” is bullshit. Plenty of people get horny and don’t rape. There are also rapists who aren’t “sex-starved” (have wives and/or girlfriends) and still commit rape. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/182 "2013-03-22T03:49:23Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Being horny has _nothing_ to do with rape. Rape is using sex to gain power over someone, to hurt and control them. Saying, “well, I haven’t had sex for a long time, so I’m going to take it!” is bullshit. Plenty of people get horny and don’t rape. There are also rapists who aren’t “sex-starved” (have wives and/or girlfriends) and still commit rape. I know that. A usual sex starved person wont rape, a sex starved guy on the street won’t rape you. but there’s still a good chance that a sex starved bandit may rape you if you’re in his captivity. Agree?? ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/183 "2013-03-22T05:23:41Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > You should do whatever you think is best in each particular situation, no need for a deal with me. I would advise against standing for people based on nothing but their gender, but it’s up to you. But it isn’t “based on nothing but their gender”. That’s like saying giving up a seat for old people or disabled people because it’s likely they have a tougher time standing in a bus is “based on nothing but their age or their disability”. In a crowded bus in Delhi, a woman is much more likely to be sexually harassed than a man. This is not because everybody thinks women are there to be harassed. No, it is because Delhi is a vast melting pot of socio-economic classes and cultures and shared cultural norms do not exist, although they are in the process of being molded. Part of that reflects in people who will harass women, part of that reflects in people who do not want women to be harassed. And the best way of expressing that latter desire(at least in that particular time and space) is to get up and offer a seat. Does this mean the society as a whole respects women? Of course not, and I don’t think anybody is trying to claim that. It just means that reality is more complex than the monochrome world of **StJoan** If you’ll go back and read **truthseeker’s** post, he is only offering this up to counter the claim that Indian society as a whole disrespects and hates its women. And for that, I do think it counts. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/184 "2013-03-22T05:44:09Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > I know that. > A usual sex starved person wont rape, a sex starved guy on the street won’t rape you. but there’s still a good chance that a sex starved bandit may rape you if you’re in his captivity. Agree?? Being “sex starved” has nothing to do with it. Rapists commit rape because they want to hurt and control their victims. Whether they’re “sex starved” or not. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/185 "2013-03-22T10:59:01Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Sorry dude if i have to research what areas i am least likely to be raped in before going to your country i am probably going to go somewhere else. As far as I can tell, these people were far off the beaten path to begin with, and then they got lost. India gets upwards of 6 million tourists a year. I can’t find any statistics, but here’s a Wall Street Journal [article](http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/03/18/foreigners-ask-is-india-safe/?KEYWORDS=india+safety) that confirms my thinking on the issue. > [@](#): > > While tragic, these incidents are rare in India. Around 6.3 million foreign tourists visited India in 2011, the latest year for which government data is available. A large share of visitors are women, and many of them travel alone. > > Control Risks, a global risk consultancy firm, in a travel briefing issued in response to the alleged rape of the Swiss woman, said that “although the incident is serious, violent crime against foreigners remains relatively rare in India.” > > “India remains generally safe for female travelers and most women will experience, at worst, unwelcome attention from men,” it added, while cautioning tourists against traveling alone or in small groups. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/186 "2013-03-22T11:07:38Z")
Just to expand on that a little bit - I think tourists add so much to the local economy that in places which they frequent there’s inbuilt protection(the prettiest white girl I have ever met stayed for weeks in one of the seediest parts of Delhi - Paharganj. Locals stay away from there because it’s so unsavoury, but tourists frequent it and do just fine). So tourist spots in general will be ok except for stray incidents that cannot be helped, and the probability of those will be by and large the same as in other places. Places like the one involved in this incident - far off the beaten path and also unsafe in general, well, they are unsafe. There’s no getting around that. But there are also lots of other places that are off the beaten path, but still safe. And to discover those, yes research will be needed, but what rewarding travel experience doesn’t? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/187 "2013-03-22T13:59:17Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Being “sex starved” has nothing to do with it. Rapists commit rape because they want to hurt and control their victims. Whether they’re “sex starved” or not. Well, bandits take stuff from people. A group of bandits typically targets a much smaller group of travelers and takes whatever they view as valuable from their victims. So… they take money, food, jewelry… oh, look, one of these travelers is female, let’s take some sexual intercourse while she’s here. It’s not so much they want to “hurt” their victims as they don’t see taking stuff from them as wrong. We’re hungry - let’s eat their food. We’re horny - let’s use her vagina. It does make a sort of nasty logical sense. The targets have something the bandits want, the bandits take it. Food, gas, Rolex watches, gold earrings, money… and use of bodily orifices. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/188 "2013-03-22T14:11:45Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well, bandits take stuff from people. A group of bandits typically targets a much smaller group of travelers and takes whatever they view as valuable from their victims. So… they take money, food, jewelry… oh, look, one of these travelers is female, let’s take some sexual intercourse while she’s here. It’s not so much they want to “hurt” their victims as they don’t see taking stuff from them as wrong. We’re hungry - let’s eat their food. We’re horny - let’s use her vagina. > > It does make a sort of nasty logical sense. The targets have something the bandits want, the bandits take it. Food, gas, Rolex watches, gold earrings, money… and use of bodily orifices. I’d have to agree. In this context, I don’t think it’s a matter of “wanting to hurt”, so much as when an opportunity presents itself, they don’t contend with morality or principles; instead, they are extreme opportunists, who don’t fear consequences enough to prohibit actions (impulsive or otherwise). It’s a matter of imposing ones will, while anything or anyone else only exists to serve the perpetrators desires. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/189 "2013-03-22T16:25:29Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well, bandits take stuff from people. A group of bandits typically targets a much smaller group of travelers and takes whatever they view as valuable from their victims. So… they take money, food, jewelry… oh, look, one of these travelers is female, let’s take some sexual intercourse while she’s here. It’s not so much they want to “hurt” their victims as they don’t see taking stuff from them as wrong. We’re hungry - let’s eat their food. We’re horny - let’s use her vagina. > > It does make a sort of nasty logical sense. The targets have something the bandits want, the bandits take it. Food, gas, Rolex watches, gold earrings, money… and use of bodily orifices. Well, quite. I’ve nothing against educating men not to rape - I got that lesson down quite early - but if we’re talking _bandits_, what are the odds they’re going to say “We’ll steal from you, kidnap you, we may hold you for ransom, we may even decide to murder you - but of course we won’t rape you, because that would just be wrong”? You can expect civilised law-abiding people to behave like properly socialised human beings, but sorry, the whole world isn’t sanitised for your safety and convenience. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/190 "2013-03-22T16:46:19Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Being “sex starved” has nothing to do with it. Rapists commit rape because they want to hurt and control their victims. Whether they’re “sex starved” or not. I thought it was both sexual gratification and power. Didn’t we learn that the whole “rape is all about power” thing is, at best, an extreme over-simplication if not outright wrong? For example, [from Psychology Today](http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201104/is-rape-about-control-or-sex): > [@](#): > > Stranger rape takes different forms, including a political version and a sadistic version but the majority of sexual assaults are more about sexual gratification than control over women per se. Not that I particularly care about this side-jack, as it doesn’t really make what happened any better or worse. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/191 "2013-03-22T17:43:05Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well, bandits take stuff from people. A group of bandits typically targets a much smaller group of travelers and takes whatever they view as valuable from their victims. So… they take money, food, jewelry… oh, look, one of these travelers is female, let’s take some sexual intercourse while she’s here. It’s not so much they want to “hurt” their victims as they don’t see taking stuff from them as wrong. We’re hungry - let’s eat their food. We’re horny - let’s use her vagina. > > It does make a sort of nasty logical sense. The targets have something the bandits want, the bandits take it. Food, gas, Rolex watches, gold earrings, money… and use of bodily orifices. > [@Krouget](#): > > I’d have to agree. In this context, I don’t think it’s a matter of “wanting to hurt”, so much as when an opportunity presents itself, they don’t contend with morality or principles; instead, they are extreme opportunists, who don’t fear consequences enough to prohibit actions (impulsive or otherwise). It’s a matter of imposing ones will, while anything or anyone else only exists to serve the perpetrators desires. > [@Malacandra](#): > > Well, quite. I’ve nothing against educating men not to rape - I got that lesson down quite early - but if we’re talking _bandits_, what are the odds they’re going to say “We’ll steal from you, kidnap you, we may hold you for ransom, we may even decide to murder you - but of course we won’t rape you, because that would just be wrong”? > > You can expect civilised law-abiding people to behave like properly socialised human beings, but sorry, the whole world isn’t sanitised for your safety and convenience. Yeah. Strikes true to me too. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/192 "2013-03-22T18:03:23Z")
Even of you were really horny, would you enjoy having sex with a scared, screaming, crying, hurting partner who despises you? Most people would find that (in real life) disturbing and repulsive, not attractive and sexually gratifying. In order to see that as a fun bonus to your robbery, you’ve got to enjoy or at least be totally cool with those power dynamics. Power has to be there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/193 "2013-03-22T18:06:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I thought it was both sexual gratification and power. Didn’t we learn that the whole “rape is all about power” thing is, at best, an extreme over-simplication if not outright wrong? Being “sex-starved” doesn’t correlate with enjoying the sexual gratification of rape. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/194 "2013-03-22T18:07:29Z")
True, but do you really think a rapist wouldn’t rape someone if he was getting sex elsewhere? It’s because he _gets off_ on harming others. Reasons for rape aren’t just, “I’m horny, I’m gonna take it!” or, “I’m going to control this bitch!” It’s more about using sex to harm someone. The idea of _rape_ is what excites him. Not just sex. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/195 "2013-03-22T18:27:46Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Even of you were really horny, would you enjoy having sex with a scared, screaming, crying, hurting partner who despises you? _Ah, marriage._ ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/196 "2013-03-22T18:32:38Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Even of you were really horny, would you enjoy having sex with a scared, screaming, crying, hurting partner who despises you? > > Most people would find that (in real life) disturbing and repulsive, not attractive and sexually gratifying. In order to see that as a fun bonus to your robbery, you’ve got to enjoy or at least be totally cool with those power dynamics. Power has to be there somewhere. That, or you don’t see the victim as a human being, or a partner, or whatever. More of a masturbation aid or something. If the Bad Person sees other people as tools or things to be used what the other person thinks might not matter to the Bad Person. After all, people scream, cry, get scared, etc, when you take their money/vehicle/credit cards/whatever, too. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/197 "2013-03-22T18:38:11Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > True, but do you really think a rapist wouldn’t rape someone if he was getting sex elsewhere? It’s because he _gets off_ on harming others. Reasons for rape aren’t just, “I’m horny, I’m gonna take it!” or, “I’m going to control this bitch!” It’s more about using sex to harm someone. The idea of _rape_ is what excites him. Not just sex. I guess that’s what I’m trying to say. Rapists might take sexual gratification in rape, but it has nothing to do with whether they are otherwise sex-starved. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/198 "2013-03-22T18:44:05Z")
Really strange advertising campaign by Ford, India today: > [@](#): > > Today in horrible advertising ideas, Ford India plugs the cavernous trunk space of its Figo hatchback by depicting captive women stuffed inside. That’s Silvio Berlusconi in the first image, leering at a troika of half-dressed model types. In the second ad, Paris Hilton seems to have kidnapped the Kardashians, one of whom is inexplicably wearing a bikini and high heels. As Autoblog points out, the campaign—which also features racecar driver Michael Schumacher with bound-and-gagged competitors—is being unveiled just a few days after the Indian parliament passed a major anti-rape law. Nice one, guys. > **[Ford India Needs to Fire Its Advertising Execs](https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/03/ford-india-should-probably-fire-its-ad-execs-for-depicting-bound-and-gagged-women.html)** > > Today in horrible advertising ideas, Ford India plugs the cavernous trunk space of its Figo hatchback by depicting captive women stuffed inside. That’s... ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/199 "2013-03-22T18:51:58Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Even of you were really horny, would you enjoy having sex with a scared, screaming, crying, hurting partner who despises you? > > Most people would find that (in real life) disturbing and repulsive, not attractive and sexually gratifying. In order to see that as a fun bonus to your robbery, you’ve got to enjoy or at least be totally cool with those power dynamics. Power has to be there somewhere. Of course. I wouldn’t say otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154/200 "2013-03-22T22:53:21Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Being “sex starved” has nothing to do with it. Rapists commit rape because they want to hurt and control their victims. Whether they’re “sex starved” or not. Agreed, but the idea that ordinary men will resort to rape if they’re sexually frustrated is an ancient one. In the Middle Ages it was used as justification for allowing prostitution out of fear men would to things like raping decent women or homosexuality or masturbation. The latter two being considered even worse than the former by some groups. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-tourist-gang-raped-in-india/653154.md?page=11)