This is not the only child abuse case that has made news lately. A man in Nadi tried to rape a 12-year-old boy. The victim was a student at a Sabeto school where Jamalu Din, the convicted, taught. In January last year, Din tried to force himself onto the boy who was carrying out his chores in the backyard. Later that night the child called his parents who took the child away the next day and filed a police complaint. Instead of being in jail for three years, he has a suspended term for 7 years. In case you did not know, a suspended term is when the person will not be going to jail but if he or she commits a crime within the period of time given by the judge, then the person will be going to jail for the term he was originally given in the first place. So instead of going to prison, Jamalu Din will be paying the victims family a two thousand dollar fine. Is that what the price is these days for attempting to rape a child? A slap on the wrist?
This view has been contradicted many times in recent years. Two researchers: Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer believe that it is, in reality a biological act. They even have a book published on the topic.
A 70-year-old man raped a 10-year-old girl. Not once but TWICE! He was charged with two counts of rape. The matter came to light when the poor girl complained of pain in her lower abdomen to her teacher. What other sad thing is that the 70-year-old pervert is the victims’ neighbor. He has been jailed for 10 years and will not eligible for parole for 8 years and has 30 days to file an appeal.
The man is old enough to be the poor girls GREAT-GRANDFATHER! What was he thinking? What made him to such a heinous crime?
There’s more.
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| A scared and sad child. Does expression suit a 12-year-old? |
When I hear this kind of reports, the questions that comes to my mind is that makes these people tick? Why do they do this? Is it psychological? Are they experimenting? Or are they so desperate for sex? Or is it a question of domination?
Susan Brownmiller, a renowned feminist author suggested that rape is a pure act of control and domination and not lust. In the twenty-five years or so since her book was published, Brownmillers views have become mainstream. In a nutshell, the book says that all men have sexual desires but do not rape. Rape in reality is a show of dominance power and control.
“Rape is viewed as an unnatural behavior that has nothing to do with sex, and one that has no consequence in the animal world. Man's discovery that his genitalia could serve as a weapon to prehistoric times, along with the use of fire and the first crude stone axe. From prehistoric times to the present, I believe, rape has played a critical function. It is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear.”
“We want to challenge the dearly held idea that rape is not about sex. We realize that our approach and our frankness will rankle some social scientists, including some serious and well-intentioned rape investigators. But many facts point to the conclusion that rape is, in its very essence, a sexual act. Furthermore, we argue, rape has evolved over millennia of human history, along with courtship, sexual attraction and other behaviors related to the production of offspring.”
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| A book by Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer |
Both these theories have one thing in common. That is that rape is, in fact, a primitive response to whatever the person has been feeling. A primitive reaction that has been incorporated in the human races genetic make-up. However, one suggests that it is an issue of dominance while the other believes that rape is has a biological response to the inhibited and very much innate recognition of the pressure to increase the human population since male can copulate in any situation and at any time of the year without the presence of a mating season such as other species. A very clinical and unattached explanation from these men.
An act of dominance? They need to be taught that all men and women equal. I also wish to point out that any sort of crime committed to children is a crime against humanity, a crime against innocence, a crime against the love, worship and devotion to anything and everything pure!
If you chose to view rape as a primal instinct for the survival of the human race then let me remind you that Mother Earth has already reached her carrying capacity of 7 billion. Therefore primal, prehistoric ideologies have no place in the 21st century.
Wow. When I read the title of this blog, 'ready to rape' I was already feeling uneasy. After reading this blog, that feeling of unease is fairly justified. The sad thing is that there are levels of heniousness among all crimes. It does not matter the age or sex of the person who is the victim here, it is a domination crime. How sad that some people, in order to feel good about themselves, have to victimise a young child or an old grandmother. There are also, women who rape, there are young boys who rape... It is a sad and sickening subject. Even more sadly is that in the 21st century, people murder, torture and demean other people. If this is indeed an ideology, how long will it take to change?
ReplyDeleteUse Reuters style on numbers. Some minor errors. No need for quote marks around your block quote.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting read, however, I do not agree with some explanations of why men rape or commit sexual crimes. I do not think they rape in order to show dominance over the weak. Just imagine, if everyone agreed that rape is committed to show dominance over the weak then the United States would be training highly qualified people and perhaps robots to have sex or rape people in other countries. There would have been no death in Iraq because US would have gone in huge numbers to rape them. Does it make any sense now? I know this may sound little crazy but it was the best example I could think of using the theory that sex or rape is committed to show dominance.
ReplyDeleteI think it is pure act of aggression where men cannot have control over their feelings. I am not a science student nor am I an expert in this issue related field, but I think people commit rapes because they have strong sexual feelings which they want to satisfy in any way. As a result, be it a little girl, a young adult, a elderly lady, a boy or in Fiji even animals in some cases; whatever comes in their way at that particular moment, they go for it. Maybe we could justify dominance over humans, but what about trying to have sex with animals? Is that to show dominance over goats and cows?
Yes, you do sort of make sense. But it is VERY, VERY unethical to use rape and sex to dominate. There have been cases when a particular army officer or a group of men in uniform in times of tension during battle have raped. They are in a position of POWER and use it to DOMINATE the minor group. But as Brownmiller and also Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer have said, to rape is a recessive trait that was once dominant and has been passed down from the prehistoric days. You do know that genes are passed down from generation to generation. Why do you use aggression? To show you anger. What are you doing when you are showing your anger? You are making the other person feel lower then you; you are making him/her feel suppressed. And in the process you have the upper hand in the situation. So in other words, to show aggression is an attempt to dominate which in most, if not all, cases, the dominator succeed.
DeleteThere is something that I haven’t mentioned in my blog but it is part of the research that was conducted by Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer. Sex is primarily an act to reproduce. The fact that we humans enjoy it is because it ensures the increase in the human population. So that’s about sex.
In your second paragraph, you are confusing yourself and for a while you got me confused that aggression and “strong sexual feelings” that is, in other words, lust, are the same thing. Let me quote you:
“I think it is pure act of aggression where men cannot have control over their feelings.”
“I think people commit rapes because they have strong sexual feelings which they want to satisfy in any way.”
Aggression - aggression is an intention to cause harm or an act intended to increase relative social dominance (Wikipedia).
strong sexual feelings - lust.
Raping a little girl, a young adult, a elderly lady, a boy or animals is just another form of a stronger person with power dominating a weaker being.
ITS ALL PREHISTORIC PSYCHOLOGY.
I think it is matter of self-control. Rashi mentions that rape and dominance is a dormant primal urge in all men and evidently, she could be right. However, there are several reasons as to the cause of a close relative (in this case, a grandfather) raping a young girl. It had to be premeditated, firstly. I mean, he didn't just wake up one morning and decide to rape his grand-daughter. Parents also need to be mindful of the way their daughters dress so as not to expose their daughters to this form of sexual abuse. I agree that the suspended term of conviction is not sufficient punishment for Mr. Din nor is the $2000 fine. I can only imagine the trauma this young girl is feeling knowing that her rapist (and to make it worst, her grand dad) is still walking around freely. The judge, in convicting Mr. Din should have taken that into account. I mean, the man raped her, not once but TWICE!!! I say a minimum of ten years in the klink should suffice. That should teach him a lesson...if he lives long enough to learn it!! My two cents.
ReplyDelete