VAGINA DENTATA SORTA
According to the Hunter Envoy, CUNY Hunter’s official weekly campus newspaper, customers in certain Asian and South African countries will soon be able to get their hands on “Rapex,” a tampon equipped with sharp barbs that can immobilize an attempted rapist, while posing no harm to the wearer.
Elizabeth Stein, the Hunter Envoy’s Women’s Editor, explains that, “…the barbs attach to the penis and are impossible to remove without the assistance of a doctor—forcing the rapist to seek medical attention, and, subsequently, the doctor to notify police.” Considering the prevalance of date rape/sexual assault in these troubling times, “Rapex” seems like a veritable godsend. But what if “Rapex” isn’t exactly the hole-in-one it appears to be on paper? Aren’t there vitally-important issues we’re overlooking here? John Maclay, a 26-year old Hunter College student, seems to think so.
“Vaginal weaponry? I don’t know,” says Maclay. “What if some woman gets drunk and wants to have sex and forgets to take the thing out? That’d be bad.”
Wait, that’s not the vitally-important issue. That’s a f***in’ moron who thinks a woman’s right to protection from sexual assault is less important than a man’s right to comfortable, alcohol-assisted sex. Hey Maclay, do us all a favor, and spend spring break of ’07 in Asia, where “Rapex” will soon begin production. Hope whatever souvenir you bring home makes a jingling noise when you zip up at the urinal.
No, the real issue is whether the “chastity belt of the future” is preferable to education. Men rape because they believe women are inferior, and think they have a right to exert a certain level of control over them. Chantel Cooper, Cape Town’s Rape Crisis Director, suggests “…changing the dynamics between men and women; changing the way in which (society) addresses rape” instead of utilizing devices such as “Rapex.” Women, she says, should not have to “live their lives in fear of an inevitable attack.”
That’s all well and good, but I have women in my life whom I care about right now, and I would prefer they not be the victim of a sexual assault while waiting for pipe dream gender role revolution to change men’s behavior for the better. According to statistics provided by RAIN (The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), there were 204,370 sexual assaults against women in the year 2004. Even though that figure is a marked decrease from years previous, that still sounds like 204,370 assaults too many.
Personally, I don’t know if chopping away at a rapist’s d*ck would make men respect women more, but it’s probably the most effective rape deterrent we’ve got. It would also allow the perpetrator to perform falsetto in the prison choir. Yes, I know what your comment is going to be to that, Miss Cooper. What about the long-term hazards of creating an atmosphere of mistrust between the sexes? As it happens, the sexes distrust each other plenty enough right now. At least with “Rapex,” those men (or women) least worthy of trust would get what they have coming to them.
(For more information and/or for pics of "Rapex," visit msnbc.msn.com/id/9145415/.)
According to the Hunter Envoy, CUNY Hunter’s official weekly campus newspaper, customers in certain Asian and South African countries will soon be able to get their hands on “Rapex,” a tampon equipped with sharp barbs that can immobilize an attempted rapist, while posing no harm to the wearer.
Elizabeth Stein, the Hunter Envoy’s Women’s Editor, explains that, “…the barbs attach to the penis and are impossible to remove without the assistance of a doctor—forcing the rapist to seek medical attention, and, subsequently, the doctor to notify police.” Considering the prevalance of date rape/sexual assault in these troubling times, “Rapex” seems like a veritable godsend. But what if “Rapex” isn’t exactly the hole-in-one it appears to be on paper? Aren’t there vitally-important issues we’re overlooking here? John Maclay, a 26-year old Hunter College student, seems to think so.
“Vaginal weaponry? I don’t know,” says Maclay. “What if some woman gets drunk and wants to have sex and forgets to take the thing out? That’d be bad.”
Wait, that’s not the vitally-important issue. That’s a f***in’ moron who thinks a woman’s right to protection from sexual assault is less important than a man’s right to comfortable, alcohol-assisted sex. Hey Maclay, do us all a favor, and spend spring break of ’07 in Asia, where “Rapex” will soon begin production. Hope whatever souvenir you bring home makes a jingling noise when you zip up at the urinal.
No, the real issue is whether the “chastity belt of the future” is preferable to education. Men rape because they believe women are inferior, and think they have a right to exert a certain level of control over them. Chantel Cooper, Cape Town’s Rape Crisis Director, suggests “…changing the dynamics between men and women; changing the way in which (society) addresses rape” instead of utilizing devices such as “Rapex.” Women, she says, should not have to “live their lives in fear of an inevitable attack.”
That’s all well and good, but I have women in my life whom I care about right now, and I would prefer they not be the victim of a sexual assault while waiting for pipe dream gender role revolution to change men’s behavior for the better. According to statistics provided by RAIN (The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), there were 204,370 sexual assaults against women in the year 2004. Even though that figure is a marked decrease from years previous, that still sounds like 204,370 assaults too many.
Personally, I don’t know if chopping away at a rapist’s d*ck would make men respect women more, but it’s probably the most effective rape deterrent we’ve got. It would also allow the perpetrator to perform falsetto in the prison choir. Yes, I know what your comment is going to be to that, Miss Cooper. What about the long-term hazards of creating an atmosphere of mistrust between the sexes? As it happens, the sexes distrust each other plenty enough right now. At least with “Rapex,” those men (or women) least worthy of trust would get what they have coming to them.
(For more information and/or for pics of "Rapex," visit msnbc.msn.com/id/9145415/.)
posted by Phil at 2:56 PM
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