Steubenville Rape Case

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   Sychophantasticposted 10 years ago

   So here's my question:
   
   What percentage is the girl in the Steubenville rape case responsible for her behavior?
   
   Before anyone gets really upset, let me add a few explanations. First of all, I firmly believe that the rapists are 100% responsible for their behavior and got what they deserved. Whenever you decide to do something to another human being, regardless of that person's mental state, you are 100% responsible for your actions. The condition of the victim is never an explanation or excuse for rape. Never.
   
   However, let me offer an analogy that doesn't quite work: if this girl had gotten drunk and fallen off a balcony, would she be responsible for falling off the balcony? What if she was pushed? What if she walked into a street and was hit by a car?
   
   My point here, and I'm trying to be sincere in asking this because I believe it's a complex question, is, aside from the fact that the rapists are 100% responsible for themselves and deserve to be jailed (if not worse), is whether or not there is any responsibility on the part of the victim for putting herself in a situation where harm could have come to her in a variety of ways? In this particular case, she was a minor, but what about non-minors?
   
   If you choose to engage in this discussion, please be sincere and respectful. You are welcome to chastise me severely for engaging in what would appear to be a "blame the victim" mentality that is shockingly and disgustingly ever-present in our society, but I submit that there must be some intellectual way to engage this topic.

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      wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      What percentage is she responsible for her behavior?  100%, just like everyone else.  Just as if she had fallen off the balcony, just as the boys that raped her are 100% responsible for their behavior.

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2. 81

   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   Even if she made herself 100% vulnerable, the boys are 100% responsible for taking advantage of her.

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   1. 96

      wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Not the boys actions, the OP asked what percentage of her own actions is she responsible for.
      
      Or did I misread the OP?

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      1. 81

         psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, And I am stating that I support that position.  Her behavior in being drunk and leaving her friends made her vulnerable to predators around her.

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         1. 96

            wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            If she has responsibility for her own actions, does she also share to some varying degree the responsibility for the results, consequences or outcome of those actions?

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3. 95

   peeplesposted 10 years ago

   Everyone is responsible for their OWN actions all the time unless of course they are mentally ill or have been drugged. This applies to every aspect of life.

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4. 94

   SmartAndFunposted 10 years ago

   They are all minors, which puts them a notch or two lower in the responsibility department. She testified that she knew and trusted at least one of them (at the moment I don't remember which one.) Additionally, I could see how she might reasonably believe that in a group of people, someone wouldn't be able to take advantage of her in that way because surely ONE person would be decent enough to rise up and put a stop to it. Go out in groups, that is what we tell kids to do as one keep-safe strategy.
   
   She went out drinking with her friends. If I go out drinking with my friends, even if it is a group of all males and I am the only female, I do not fear that they are going to rape me, no matter how drunk I get or whether I am out cold.

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