Rape has disappeared. It is no more. Sadly, not the act, that’s still all too common, but the word – the term. Woke insists that no-one’s delicate sensibilities shall be offended, and I am offended by that.
As a ten-year-old, after I had read for the third time that some young female had been raped, I just asked my Mother what “Rape” was. It never occurred to me that any male would force a female to have intercourse.
Caught completely off-guard, she went into some embarrassed, her-sensibility non-offending story about, “Well, you know when a man doesn’t want to have a baby….” which just left me totally bewildered. Not wanting to have a baby didn’t seem to have anything to do with it. I knew what sex was. I understood the mechanics. Flap A went into slot B, even if I didn’t yet have a rigid Flap A. One of my more street-wise friends soon set me straight.
In every medium, “Rape” has been replaced with ‘Assault.’ If the newspaper or television station is really daring, it might be “Sexual Assault.” C’mon! Call a spade, a spade! I think that this just trivializes the concept of rape. (Sexual) Assault is one thing. Rape is something completely different and far worse.
Sexual assault is an over-ardent teen boyfriend, managing to unhook a bra-strap in the backseat of a car. It is a handsy restaurant manager patting waitress’s butts. It’s even Donald Trump “grabbin’ them right by the crotch, ‘cause you know they want it.” It’s not “Rape” until it gets to FHRITP, or, until the check bounces.
Rape is degrading, and the result of expressed power and anger. While not wanted or consented to, sexual assault is usually the result of overactive hormones. Show some restraint and control, guys, or you could end up in prison, where you might find out what rape is really like. 😛
Archon's Den 
I can understand the soft-pedaling of the language when discussing the act with victims. But in public discussions (including news), changing the language softens the verbal blow of an offensive act. Rape is violent and disgusting, and the word itself should convey those emotions. But hey, I’m an old fart from a completely different time – yes, slightly before yours. :p
And at the risk of non-sequitur-ing all over ya, may I say “Farewell, Tina, the true Queen of Rock”. We’ll miss you, Aunty Entity.
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That only leaves us with the
queen Bee…. uh, Queen Bey. 😛 Up the Republic! 😉 🙂LikeLike
We recently caught a production of “The Fantasticks,” which ran for more than 40 years in NYC. In the original, two neighbors hire El Gallo to stage an abduction of one’s daughter so the other’s son can fight him off and become her hero. El Gallo answers “I know you prefer abduction but the proper word is rape. It’s short and business-like.” He then bursts into the song “It Depends on What You Pay.”
In the new version, that line is dropped and the song is rewritten, which really messes up the lyrics.
That’s understandable given the modern understanding of the word. Rape has changed from the days of the Sabine women.
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Oh dear! Perhaps it’s just as well that I missed it. In this burgh, the most modern play is likely Der Rosenkavalier. 😉 🙄
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