I've come to rethink my previous thought on rape. Although it is a forced, violent act, it can be "just about sex". Some people's sex drives are just out of control. We can see this all the time with people who sleep around, especially (stereotypical) openly gay men. Of course, gay men rarely ever rape each other. Women (and men who share their attractions) are more emotional than the (stereotypical) average guy. Could the average man rape a woman if he let his sex drive carry him too far? It isn't just the violent psychopaths?

Historically, raping women was part of life and conquest. Men, by nature, tend to be unemotional "bruits". Girls don't realize that a boy's only motivation to go out with them is sex. Very few completely heterosexual males actually care about females emotionally. They may try to because they feel obligated, but even a "happily married" man will commit adultery. So, is it just male nature? I'm a male and I would never want to rape a boy I'm attracted to, but I'm (admittedly) not your average guy. Still, just because it's hard for me to comprehend, that doesn't make it untrue. I've always had trouble understanding aggression and yet it still exists nonetheless. So, are Feminists and Conservative Christians right in portraying male sexuality as an uncontrollable beast?

From a male perspective, I understand the fear that many women have about men. I understand why they fear fro their own safety, especially since it's them, not men who get pregnant and suffer from emotional extremes. I also understand the same fear for girls, but not boys. Most people sexually or sensually attracted to boys tend to be so caught up in the beauty of boys that they fear defiling them by even touching them in a non sexual way. Teen males tend to be willing participants with higher sex drives than men. And, those man who are attracted to young children of either gender tend to be rather like women child lovers in that they abhor sex in general and find the concept disgusting (many of them also tend to be foot fetishists). Another thing to consider is that many men commit adultery because they have a hard day and then come home to have to put up with a nagging wife on PMS. A mistress is someone you don't have to live with. It isn't necessarily uncontrollable sexual hunger. Divorces increase with a rise in Feminism, but that's simply because women feel "too good" for their husbands. Men are the one's who tend to go on sexual escapades.

So, is it high testosterone we should fear? While it's easy to see a "dirty old man" as an evil rapist, openly (and actively) gay people have the highest testosterone levels. The difference is like women in that they have high estrogen levels. So, does estrogen protect against a natural instinct to have (unconsensual) sex? Estrogen does make someone more emotional and part of this view of rape is a cold lack of emotions and compassion. It would fit the profile of the average rapist. Only serial rapists could fit into the hatred toward women view with any frequency at all. Although disturbing to contemplate, even the most average guy could be a potential rapist if he has poor self control when it comes to sex. It explains date rape and why most rapists aren't strangers. Sometimes things get out of control and (however rare) the beast gets out. The scariest part is that the beast is always there. It's enough to make me glad I'm attracted to boys. I just (being filled with irrational emotions) fear for those boys. Society is so obsessed with teenage sexuality being a purely voyeuristic pleasure for adults that boys and teenage males are never taught sexual self control. Feminists say that a girl or woman can say "no" at any point and, if the male continues, it's rape, but they don't mention how the male can stop. We aren't animals, but Americans are gluttons with little self control. For everyone's safety, we need to learn some before we do become animals.

Other thoughts on this topic:
Rape