I already did my opposite week thing for the pro myths. So everything here is how I actually feel.
After reading the Morgan article, I was unsure what to think. On one hand, she did seem to have some valid points, but on the other, she seemed like kind of a man hating bitch. What bothered me the most, is that fact that she is almost making light of domestic rape by saying any time a woman has sex with her husband and she's not in the mood that it's considered rape. I did some research and what I found actually surprised me.
- In the National Violence Against Women Survey, 7.7% ofU.S. women reported that they had been raped by an intimate partner in their lifetime. (Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence.U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. July 2000.)
- Violence against women is primarily partner violence: 76% of the women who were raped and/or physically assaulted since age 18 were assaulted by a current or former husband, cohabitating partner, or date. (Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women.U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. November 1998.)
- Compared to other sexual assault victims, marital rape victims are more likely to be injured or seriously assaulted, but less likely to seek medical help. (Mahoney, P. High Rape Chronicity and Low Rates of Help-Seeking among Wife Rape Survivors in a Non-clinical Sample. Violence Against Women, 5, 993-1016. 1999)
All of these statistics are of real acts of violence and rape towards women in a relationship. I think it’s sad that Morgan is trying to pad her argument by making an actual comparison of these acts with a husband who is just trying to “get some” before he goes to bed. I agree with Morgan that rape victims need the help first and foremost before the attacker and I agree that society shouldn't try to some how try to say the victim was "asking for it", but when it comes to domestic rape Morgan might want to check the facts first before she starts pointing the finger.
Not only does the lack of support for her "The Late Show" raping theory hurt her domestic rape argument, it also brings down her entire argument. Like I said, I do agree with her points, but it seems like she is trying too hard to get them across. This seems to be the case with many women trying to shed light on serious topics such as rape. They say you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Maybe they should try the same thing.
