I thought it was those kind of people we were fighting against.
As these well-publicized events indicate, an increased awareness of sexual coercion and acquaintance rape has been accompanied by important legal decisions and changes in the legal definitions of rape. Until recently, clear physical resistance was a requirement for a rape conviction in California. A 1990, which was in reality not that long ago, amendment now defines rape as sexual intercourse " where it is accompanied against a persons will by means of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury." The important issues additions are " menace" and " duress," as they include consideration of verbal threats and implied force. The definition of .
"Consent" has been expanded to mean" positive cooperation in act or attitude pursuant to an exercise of free will. A person must act freely and voluntarily and have knowledge of the nature of act or transaction involved." In addition, a prior or current relationship between the victim and the accused is not sufficient to imply consent. .
The problem is society is still, despite the violent nature of acquaintance rape, victim- blaming. "Blaming the victim" seems to be an all too common reaction to acquaintance rape. Excuse me, I was taught no means no, weren't you. So what's the confusion about? Socio-cultural considerations are central to explanations of rape supportive attitudes and sexual assault. American culture influences the on- going sex- role socialization of the young, attitudes toward rape, and sexually aggressive behavior. In the book Acquaintance Rape, there was an interview done with students between the grades of junior high and college, I could not believe some of the responses they got. Some kids said if a guy paid more than 10.00 on a date, he had a right to have sex with the woman whether she wanted it or not. Another one was women thought if she was married or in a relationship with a guy, if he forced sex upon her, she deserved it and it was his right, not rape.