Posted by med_empowered on August 16, 2005, at 21:23:53
In reply to Rohhpnol-Unfair ban?-Date rape?, posted by Paulbwell on August 16, 2005, at 19:23:28
I dont really think we're missing much in the US by not having Rohypnol--it was never really pushed very much in the US market anyway, so the loss is minimal. However, I do think the ban was ridiculous. I think politicians wanted to be seen as women's advocates, they wanted to be seen like they were doing *something* to stop sexual assault,and so they used the media to instill fear about a particular drug and then made a calculated move to appear socially conscious and concerned in banning it. LOTS of things can be used to sedate people--including alcohol all by itself. If the politicos had actually wanted to *do* something about rape, which would have required some actual thought and effort on their part, they could have addressed factors that make rape so common--like toxic gender stereotypes that push men to act like "studs" and view women primarily as sex partners, rather than as *people*. They could also have made rape easier to prosecute (lots of cases go un-reported, and lots more go un-prosecuted in large part because, even with a rape kit, etc. rape is *extremely* difficult to prosecute--defense attorneys tend to imply that the women "really wanted it" and, for whatever reason, fabricated the "rape story," and all too often...juries buy it). They could have invested $$$ into quality sex ed programs, in which children and teenagers could be taught that *NO* really does mean *NO*, not "maybe" or "keep trying," and that not listening to a "NO" is not only criminal, but immoral and utterly reprehensible. But...the politicos didn't do any of those things, or anything else constructive, either. Instead, some politicians got together and decided to boost their ratings by passing a pretty much pointless, meaningless piece of anti-drug legislation that made them appear "tough on crime". Meanwhile, rape remains an alarmingly common occurence, and those who choose to take their cases to trial are still accussed of being promiscuous or "secretly wanting it" or "asking for it" or, worst of all, of flat out making up the rape accusation for some personal reason. I don't feel like I'm missing out by not being allowed to take Rohypnol, but I do think women are being shafted (yet again) by self-serving politicians.
poster:med_empowered
thread:542653
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050816/msgs/542722.html