Poll: Which is worse: Rape or Murder?

[OliverTwist72]

This is a stupid question.

Would you rather be raped or would you rather be dead?

I think most people would choose to be alive.

 

[Zorg Machine]

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

it's not that difficult.

It's possible, but has it ever been done?
It's possible for me to become a trillionaire, but is it plausible?

people have been raped for centuries and I'm sure that one person has had the necessary mindset/revenge/support combo to get a complete rehabilitation whereas there are very few documented cases of someone coming back to life after being murdered...the son of god does not count.

if nothing else, a rape victim can lead a happy life just like every other person who has lived through a trauma. It's not like all rape victims live in misery for their entire lives or kill themselves.

 

[Saelune]

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...

Rape is a hell of a lot more traumatic than that, seriously? No victim ever really "recovers" it's still a completely involuntary mental overhaul to the victim completely life changing.

You can recover from rape more than death. Even if you can only recover ever so slightly, thats still leaps more than a DEAD person. And death is more life changing than rape can ever be. Literally.

 

[CompostWithin]

Rape and murder are both crimes trampling on the value of life and the rights to physical integrity.

While murderers end lives for no serious reason, rapists torture and humiliate their victims for their own perverted satisfaction or gain (as murderers might do aswell). If they were bothered by the fact that they are harming/destroying human beings, they would not commit such crimes in the first place. They are the ones who deliberately do something non-reversible, inexcusable and accept the consequences of their victims' suffering - including their potential suicide in a case of rape.

So to a certain degree, you could indeed consider both crimes on a comparable level as they share the same essence. Nevertheless, an action of murder has not automatically to be as cruel as an action of rape and vice versa. If you regard the nothingness of death as cruel pretty much depends on your personal expectations towards life in general. A terminally ill person might care less about getting killed than raped, what still wouldn't give others the right to end his/her life without consent or do him/her any harm, of course.

Focussing on the victim, I'd say it vastly depends on the circumstances of the crime and the victim's condition. You definately can't compare the singular rape of an adult by a complete stranger (whom he/she might never see again) to many years of sexual abuse of a minor or mentally challenged person by e.g. a "family member". There are children growing up in sexual enslavement and one could hardly tell whether they would be ever able to enjoy their lives.

It may appear easy to answer the initial question on the first sight, however you actually can't do so without leaving an abstract level on which you weigh a 'never' and a 'maybe'. I don't really think this does justice to this multifaceted, sensitive topic.
In any case it's important that society developes a higher awareness for such problems and an increased self-reflection in order to prevent crimes and help survivors.

 

[A.A.K]

Murder doesn't really mean anything to me. As much as death doesn't phase me, I believe murder should be judged by a case to case thing. Murder can be justified. Rape can't.

In my books, from my experience at least between family and friends, Rape is far far far worse.

 

[Cheesus333]

I say murder, but I think torture - were it an option - is the worst.

Rape is obviously horrific and mentally scarring, but as far as I can tell most victims eventually recover and continue living their lives as normally and prosperously as possible. Murder is, of course, fatal, but at least it isn't particularly prolonged.

Torture, in its worst forms, is something that no-one would ever recover from, no matter what. I wouldn't wish it on the very worst of my worst enemies. So I vote that.

But whichever it is, one thing that we can unanimously agree on is that anyone who does even one of these things in its mildest form is utter scum. And a few other, less dignified words, too.

 

[Summerstorm]

I have NO IDEA how people can honestly vote for rape. I mean... REALLY?

I would rather be raped once a week than to just be shot dead. Sure it isn't pleasant but COME ON.

Now getting raped and horrible mutilated and terrorized over weeks and months. NOW this is harsh shit. But just your normal "average" rape?

 

[Lullabye]

...... underestimate the effects rape has on a person.

please tell me an effect worse than death. I am truly intrigued to know your answer.

unless you are being killed with a rusty fork your death sucks way more for people you know than for yourself. You wont spend years of your life dealing with the effects because you will be dead. Death is really not that bad for yourself, being murdered is just a shortcut to where you will eventually end up anyway.

no its not.
Omg. You see the problem is this.
People think being alive is worse than being dead.
its not. Because guess what, you cease to exist as a living, thinking being. YOU ARE DEAD. I can deal with other people dying. Happens everyday. I can not, however, deal with the death of myself. Simple fact is, I think you do get what it means to be alive. If you had to choose between being dead or raped, which would you choose?

 

[teebeeohh]

...... underestimate the effects rape has on a person.

please tell me an effect worse than death. I am truly intrigued to know your answer.

unless you are being killed with a rusty fork your death sucks way more for people you know than for yourself. You wont spend years of your life dealing with the effects because you will be dead. Death is really not that bad for yourself, being murdered is just a shortcut to where you will eventually end up anyway.

no its not.
Omg. You see the problem is this.
People think being alive is worse than being dead.
its not. Because guess what, you cease to exist as a living, thinking being. YOU ARE DEAD. I can deal with other people dying. Happens everyday. I can not, however, deal with the death of myself. Simple fact is, I think you do get what it means to be alive. If you had to choose between being dead or raped, which would you choose?

how do you know that being dead is worse than being alive? been dead lately?
i do not think that being dead is better than being alive, but i know nothing of death and all i can assume is that it is the absence of life. I have however made my peace with the fact that i will be around for at most 90 years and then i will be gone, permanently. This can not be avoided even if i don't like it, the same way my dad one day stopped making my sandwiches, no matter how much i pleaded.
if i had to choose it would be a completely different scenario because i am given a conscious choice, even if it is between two pretty bad options.
oh and i am truly sorry that you live a life where every day people you know and love die, that must really suck

 

[LightningBanks]

I think it would highly depend on how the victim feels. If he/she had the right support, then the emotional dmage of rape would be easier to help conquer. Id say they were par just because of how it can ruin peoples lives.

Also, one question to ponder: if you were a man and you were raped, how would you deal with it?

Ive always thought that if a man didnt want sexual intercourse, he wouldnt be able to substain an erection, not a full one anyway? Then again, I have no proof, but it was just a thought

 

[Liudeius]

Murder, well you're dead aren't you?
If you are raped and can't live with it, you can always kill yourself, but how many people recover from rape? Quite a few. (I've even heard of a few crazy people who married their rapist later.)
There's no recovering from dying.

 

[janinejwang96]

Honestly-- Both crime combined is worse but, in a rape situation, if choices applicable, I'd choose to be murdered