Serious Debate Topic: Rape vs. War, are they similar?

[DrDivad]

In my opinion, yes.

I think it's all about power, i reckon it's the same force that drives (lets assume some kind of totalitarianism, or properties of) one nation to invade another and impose their will, as drives someone to rape......

Discuss.

Edited for Typos

[Whiskers]

I disagree.
To rape somebody is to aim to have power over them.
To go to war with another country is to either increase or protect the power you already have.

[CMYK]

No.

[DrDivad]

You've said to rape someone is to get power over them...

...but to go to war could be to increase your power......Aren't they much the same?


I'm not saying I think they are identical, just there are some similarities I think.

[Cassa]

They're both covered as causes under the post traumatic stress disorder project I'm working on.

[Whiskers]

Originally posted by DrDivad
You've said to rape someone is to get power over them...

...but to go to war could be to increase your power......Aren't they much the same?


I'm not saying I think they are identical, just there are some similarities I think.

Although I agree they are both about power, I think the psychological motivation behind the two acts differs. Unfortunately, making this distinction, forces me to use a generalisation: that those who rape people crave power because they feel powerless, and those who make war, are obsessed with maintaining power.

[MisterBishi]

People who suffer from Anorexia have low self esteem.

People who stab themselves in the eye with a screwdriver and pour mescaline into the wound have low self esteem.

People who suffer from Anorexia stab themselves in the eye with a screwdriver and pour mescaline into the wound.

[Poisonivy]

No

[scathing]

Not really. They're about as similar as humans and graphite (which both happen to contain carbon). The motivations behind both are too different.

As stated, you'd be hard pressed to think of a motivation other than power for rape (and they'll be specific cases). If you were just after sexual gratification, you'd go pick up some slut in a bar.

People go to war for a variety of reasons. Ideology, power, acquiring resources, removal of threats, etc. Arguably you could boil all that down to "power", but it would have a different meaning (in context) in comparison to the power exchange that goes on in rape.