Summary and Response Essay

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English

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Camille Paglia, “ Rape: A Bigger Danger Than Feminists Know ”: A Critical Response

Camille Paglia a professor in humanities‘ 1991 essay “ Rape: A Bigger Danger Than Feminists Know” explains her current outrage of feminists outlook on date rape. In her essay she displays general concern for women in a sex crazy world of college men (542). Paglia argues, that the feminists are putting emphasize on the wrong areas to control the increase in rise of rapes, and feel that due to this issues, they are hiding the truth of why rape is occurring in young women (541).

According to Paglia, even though she has strong views on protecting women from what she calls a sex crazy society of college men. She feels that feminists are misleading young women on information about men aggressiveness. Paglia stereotypes all men into somewhat of an animal who can’t control their sexual hormones (542). However she cannot prove this claim in her essay, she leaves out factual information. I have been in many situations as a young solider, I have slept in a tent, room and on a cot with men and they never forced anything on me sexual just because we were alone. Sometime we talked all night and even got close in an intimate way, but they understand that if I said no it meant no.

Pagila, however, almost always leave out facts of were she gets her information about the feminism opinion or statements saying the sexes can be the same. I would disagree that telling a woman they can do anything, go anywhere, say anything, and wear anything will lead to men taking advantage of them. Therefore truth or accuracies cannot be proven to make this statement a fact. The claim, women will always be in sexual danger leaves out the fact that they are the only ones who needs to worry about rape (542).

She mentions that college men in fraternity parties are dangerous species. Any woman that participates in drinking or any un-lady like behavior is subjecting herself to be rape. If she gets drunk at the party then she is a fool. Typically this is not the best choice for any women or man at a party to get drunk and be alone, but this is opinion base not facts base on why you shouldn’t put your self in this situation. Many men have morals and ethics, so making the comment that a woman is clearly a fool if they choose to leave or be alone with them by theirselves is very harsh tone in the essay (542-543).

Her response to the propose feminists attack on the respectable woman turning bad was displayed in a movie, instead of her giving us hard proven facts. Paglia describes the film, “ Where the Boys Are ” showing men having uncontrollable behavior against the temptation of female instinct (543). This is a fiction opinion, but no real proof that shows men to be a dangerous threat to women. How do we know that women don’t know what, and is this proven because a film showed men chasing women? Honestly, this has been going on since the beginning of time, but only women in the 60s were represented as liberals and expressed their sexual freedom openly.

Paglia makes her complaint that there is only one way to protect women from the rage- filled college man. You have to know your environment and be accountable for your actions to prevent date rape. Honestly, is this the only way a women could protect herself from rape? Basically this is a stereotyping men in a group of all, only and the either or fallacy. In the event of a rape a women should tell police, but she has no proof to say that the college is not a judiciary measure for victims of rape. If college doesn’t have an account of crime committed on the school grounds they could not accurately report safeness on college grounds (544-545).

Reference

The Longman Reader. Ninth ed. Judith Nudel, John Langen, and Eliza A. Comodromos, 2009. Print.