(no subject)

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara grins broadly at the students as they enter, her good mood almost super-human.

"Hey. Only three weeks until the end of term, huh? I don't know about you, but that kind of snuck up on me! So today we've got a pretty heavy discussion topic, and I want you to remember that this is just a class. Emo Closet is there if you need it, although I hope we call all be gentle enough with one another that it won't be necessary, okay?

"Because today, folks, we're going to be talking about rape - and all I'm going to ask you folks to do is define it."

Comments

Re: Second Hour - Rape

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane's brows furrow as she considers the question. "Maybe, in some cases, the word can be applied to something that has nothing to do with sex," she says. "Because... rape isn't about sex. It's about one person having more power over another person. Thinking about it like that... there's lots of things that fall under that. A guy sticking somebody up for their wallet. He's got a gun and they don't. He has the power there, right? Unless they try to take the gun away."

"Like, they call it 'violation'..." She purses her lips and looks down at her hand, where her thumb is fidgeting with the ring on her finger. "I don't know, though, I mean... I'm not good with... words. Maybe I'm just talkin' out of my ass. I don't know."

Re: Second Hour - Rape

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"No, this is good," Tara reassures her, her own thumb reaching down to touch the ring on her own finger.

"So you're suggesting that if rape is fundamentally a power-based violation, anything that creates those feelings of being violated counts as rape? Do the intentions of the 'rapist' play any part? Or is the definition decided solely by the victim?"

Re: Second Hour - Rape

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Taking a deep breath, Shane sits forward, resting her elbow on the desk as she scratches her right hand through her hair, her thumb still worrying at the ring on her other hand as she considers that.

"I think... yeah, I think intention is a big part of it," she agrees, nodding. "I mean, say... someone has the ability to ... make someone forget something bad that's happened. Something bad that they had a part in. And... they... do something to make that memory go away because... they don't like the other person being upset with them. That's... that's a violation. Because they did it for a selfish reason."

"I think with the cut and dry cases, yeah, the definition can usually be decided by the victims. With the ones on the edges, though... it gets tricky."

Re: Second Hour - Rape

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"It does," Tara replies softly, a strange expression in her shining eyes. "Thank you, Shane."