Poll: Which is worse: Rape or Murder?

[Gigano]

...
Actually most women who have been raped do, for a long time, wish they had been killed... the horror of remembering the act stays with them forever, some even kill themselves years later after everyone thinks they were 'over it'. And male rape victims are probably worse because they feel they can't tell anyone what happened so it just stays bottled up inside them.

While true that male rape victims are far more limited by a pervasive societal disregard for their situations, it doesn't stay bottled up within them; men generally tend to react outward, and while this help them cope with their pain, it also means that the criminal system - particularly the part dealing with sex offenders - is choke full of men with whom somebody had boundary issues.

In a way, the rape of a man can be even more problematic than that of a woman; not only because of a society that will lend nothing to support a male victim, since it's utter taboo, but also because it's far more likely to create a future perpetrator, especially if it happens at a younger age.

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OT:

Since nobody in their right mind would argue that rape is such an event that suicide is generally the only rational thing to do for a rape victim, then death must therefore be considered a greater evil than even the truly horrendous psychological damage rape can inflict

Inflicting death on an innocent is thus generally to be considered worse. Death - the end of existence - cannot be alleviated to any extent with any physical or psychological treatment, and it necessarily precludes that the victim might ever see any other joys in its life. Only a rape so brutal, and against such a psychologically vulnerable victim, that afterwards suicide is preferable to continued living, is to be considered worse than murder. And such cases would presumably be exceedingly rare.

In cases where the victim later do kill itself though, a sentence equivalent to murder should be handed down to the rapist.

 

[Bocaj2000]

There are countless reasons for a murderer to do what he does. Watch any action movie you own and show me one where there is no murder. The viewer cheers for Bruce in Die Hard. Most men want to be like 007. The expendables had obvious good guys and bad guys. Beverly Hills Cop had obvious protagonists. they save the day!

I have yet to hear a single good reason to rape another person.

The question is obviously talking about murdering innocents. You are comparing the killing of bad guys to the rape of innocents. If you want to bend it like that, then a paper cut is worse.

Actually, the question was NOT talking about innocents. But if it is, I will give an open and non-bias scenario.

Over the span of one year, two people are locked in cellers (I will not specify if they are men, women, adults, or children.)

One of them is tortured senseless everyday and murdered after the year is up.

The other one is tortured, beaten, and raped everyday for the whole year, but lets the person go.

If you were to ask me who the worse person is, I would say the rapist. If you were to ask me what act is worse, I would have no answer because it is comparing apples to oranges; they are both fruit. Also, I know victims of both cases: The murder victim's family was very sad, but the rape victim's families act as if it has never happened. As for the victims themselves, rape victims lose a part of themselves which makes a new person for better or for worse However, Murder victims are dead. If you ask me, this is a very even debate based on these aspects.

The real question becomes the following: are you, the reader, feeling more sympathy for the victim or more spite for the criminal. I believe that my spite for rapists outweighs my sympathy for the victims of either case, and therefor I feel that rape is worse.

 

[HasimirFenring]

I'd say rape. A sane person might kill someone one day. There is no way to justify rape though.

 

[Sunrider]

Murder. Cause you can always recover from rape, long as you survive.
Not saying its easy or anything, but you just plain cant recover from being dead in the non DnD world.

Edit: Thats not to say EVERY murder is worse than EVERY rape, but if we talk worse case scenario...

This hits all the points I thought of. Good post Saelune.

Seconded and quoted for truth. Both of you!

 

[AnkaraTheFallen]

While true that male rape victims are far more limited by a pervasive societal disregard for their situations, it doesn't stay bottled up within them; men generally tend to react outward, and while this help them cope with their pain, it also means that the criminal system - particularly the part dealing with sex offenders - is choke full of men with whom somebody had boundary issues.

In a way, the rape of a man can be even more problematic than that of a woman; not only because of a society that will lend nothing to support a male victim, since it's utter taboo, but also because it's far more likely to create a future perpetrator, especially if it happens at a younger age.

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OT:

Since nobody in their right mind would argue that rape is such an event that suicide is generally the only rational thing to do for a rape victim, then death must therefore be considered a greater evil than even the truly horrendous psychological damage rape can inflict

Inflicting death on an innocent is thus generally to be considered worse. Death - the end of existence - cannot be alleviated to any extent with any physical or psychological treatment, and it necessarily precludes that the victim might ever see any other joys in its life. Only a rape so brutal, and against such a psychologically vulnerable victim, that afterwards suicide is preferable to continued living, is to be considered worse than murder. And such cases would presumably be exceedingly rare.

In cases where the victim later do kill itself though, a sentence equivalent to murder should be handed down to the rapist.

Sorry... I'm just going by facts that I researched when I had to do an essay about the consequences of rape. All I'm saying is the people I read about weren't ever really able to get over it, even with years of help... and some did feel that suicide was the only way out... I do agree that some people are just happy to be alive, but there are those that just want to end their pain... that why I feel that rape can be worse than murder.

I do feel that both acts are horrendous things for someone to do, I just feel that rape can be worse as it is specifically to hurt someone emotionality and then leave them to live with that pain, where as murder can have many different reasons behind it, and truth be told some are reasonable... I don't think murder is ever acceptable but in some occasions I can see why people think it should be.

 

[Rasputin1]

They're both pretty bad. It entirely depends on the severity of each case. You can't really generalize it.

 

[Volkov]

Murder of course. That's a stupid fucking question.

 

[Zorg Machine]

It's possible to make a full recovery from rape.
You stay dead forever.

it's not that difficult.

 

[ace_of_something]

Apples and Oranges.

Interestingly most criminals and career criminals consider themselves 'not as bad' as some other crime. Most of the time they jump to 'it's not like i killed anyone.'
However, those that did kill someone (or are accused people convicted of capital offenses always profess innocence) tend to say 'it's not like i raped a kid'

So yeah. Just throwing that anecdotal observation out there.

there is such a thing as justifiable homicide. There is no such allowance for rape.
That is all.

 

[Gigano]

...

Sorry... I'm just going by facts that I researched when I had to do an essay about the consequences of rape. All I'm saying is the people I read about weren't ever really able to get over it, even with years of help... and some did feel that suicide was the only way out... I do agree that some people are just happy to be alive, but there are those that just want to end their pain... that why I feel that rape can be worse than murder.

And I'm not saying it can't be. I'm just saying that in the cases were the victim doesn't persistently and permanently feel it would be better off dead, then murder would have been a worse crime to commit against it. And without belittling the severe psychological consequences of rape, I'd still wager that those cases where it does are in minority.

Thus, taken overall, I'd hold murder to be worse.

I do feel that both acts are horrendous things for someone to do, I just feel that rape can be worse as it is specifically to hurt someone emotionality and then leave them to live with that pain, where as murder can have many different reasons behind it, and truth be told some are reasonable... I don't think murder is ever acceptable but in some occasions I can see why people think it should be.

Well, there can be a certain form of cruelty and dominance behind sexual violence that isn't (always) present in more ordinary violence, but I'd prefer to focus on the victim and how much it was harmed when evaluating what is worse to do to it.

If a kill is justifiable, then I for one wouldn't refer to it as "murder". Then it would be "killing in self defence", "execution"[footnote]Not that I support death penalty in any way or form, but I recognize that it's different from murder.[/footnote] etc.

 

[meryatathagres]

Death is final, so I think in that sense murder is the worst.

 

[chiMmy]

I think murder would be worse, because it will(most of the time) harm more people psycological then rape would.
Also, while rape can ruin one life, murder will destroy one.

 

[AnkaraTheFallen]

...

Sorry... I'm just going by facts that I researched when I had to do an essay about the consequences of rape. All I'm saying is the people I read about weren't ever really able to get over it, even with years of help... and some did feel that suicide was the only way out... I do agree that some people are just happy to be alive, but there are those that just want to end their pain... that why I feel that rape can be worse than murder.

And I'm not saying it can't be. I'm just saying that in the cases were the victim doesn't persistently and permanently feel it would be better off dead, then murder would have been a worse crime to commit against it. And without belittling the severe psychological consequences of rape, I'd still wager that those cases where it does are in minority.

Thus, taken overall, I'd hold murder to be worse.

I do feel that both acts are horrendous things for someone to do, I just feel that rape can be worse as it is specifically to hurt someone emotionality and then leave them to live with that pain, where as murder can have many different reasons behind it, and truth be told some are reasonable... I don't think murder is ever acceptable but in some occasions I can see why people think it should be.

Well, there can be a certain form of cruelty and dominance behind sexual violence that isn't (always) present in more ordinary violence, but I'd prefer to focus on the victim and how much it was harmed when evaluating what is worse to do to it.

If a kill is justifiable, then I for one wouldn't refer to it as "murder". Then it would be "killing in self defence", "execution"[footnote]Not that I support death penalty in any way or form, but I recognize that it's different from murder.[/footnote] etc.

Sorry... I do feel that way... I was just focusing more on the worst case scenario for rape.

 

[fundayz]

I though piracy was the worst crime?




Seriously though, murder. Rape is horrible and life-ruining for the person it happens to, but murder affects not only the victim but their families and friends as well.

 

[Ryuu Akamatsu]

Rape and murder are completely incomparable. With rape, the victim can continue their lives after the fact. It's only a single moment in the rest of their lives. They can continue on, living each day, creating new memories and experiencing new things. Murder ends everything right there. The victim cannot continue on. They cannot create new memories or experience new things any longer. Everything is taken away.

Rape takes away a sense of security for a time. Self confidence can be shattered. However, all of these problems can eventually be overcome. You don't get over dying.

 

[Gigano]

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Sorry... I do feel that way... I was just focusing more on the worst case scenario for rape.

There's really no need to apologize for holding different views.

You're every bit as entitled to choose which of them you personally view as worse as I am, and to give weight to whatever arguments you wish in reaching your conclusion. It's certainly no sin to disagree over just how bad something like this is, as long as we all agree it is bad.

I'm of course glad you consider my arguments reasonable and rational enough to be convincing and assign weight though.

 

[AnkaraTheFallen]

There's really no need to apologize for holding different views.

You're every bit as entitled to choose which of them you personally view as worse as I am, and to give weight to whatever arguments you wish in reaching your conclusion. It's certainly no sin to disagree over just how bad something like this is, as long as we all agree it is bad.

I'm of course glad you consider my arguments reasonable and rational enough to be convincing and assign weight though.

Heh... sorry, I'm not really a confrontational person... dammit, lol