Legitimacy.
Today, it finally hit me that communication is difficult because people rarely use words the same way. Words that have definitions in the dictionary that are as clear and distinct as “clear and distinct” — nuances, as you will find, subsist.
Which is why important conversations are somewhat akin to Chinese Whispers. Things might be improved if the interlocutors involved don’t merely hear and wait to respond, but truly listen ‘between the lines’. Which requires compassion. Of which Akin and the other Stooges have none.
Since there are uses for the word “rape” outside of its increasingly nebulous meaning in legal/political discourse — i.e., “I was raped,” in context of someone telling their friend — it would be nice to protect that. It’s an endangered species of a use: poached, hunted, and shot at for game. Redefining experiences a priori is a new sport for the Republican White Male.
All the did-you-say-no’s and did-you-fight-back’s and did-you-try-to-stop-him’s in the world poison that endangered species definition. You, the RWM, might be surprised at your response if you woke up one night to someone who decided to play “park my car in your garage.” Rape is as much feeling raped as it is being raped. Even when you’re asleep. And it is ALWAYS forcible.
All the did-you-say-no’s and did-you-fight-back’s and did-you-try-to-stop-him’s in the world poison that endangered species definition. You, the RWM, might be surprised at your response if you woke up one night to someone who decided to play “park my car in your garage.” Rape is as much feeling raped as it is being raped. Even when you’re asleep. And it is ALWAYS forcible.
