[Discuss] Could you remove the rape option?

[James]

Jonathon Taylor wrote:
> On 31/08/06, *Gloria Santos* <gloria.santos at gmail.com 
> <mailto:gloria.santos at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     Every time the rape option is used, it sparkles some ugly debate
>     among the people involved. 
>     Those who use the option are called rapists by the other realm. 
>     And the realm doing the raping calls the enemy's women "whores"
>     and say "they were asking for it". 
>     I find the previous argument disgusting; and playing it only makes
>     the idea that "it's ok to rape women and blame them for it"
>     acceptable. 
>
>     I understand that it's realistic, and that rape was a strategy
>     used in the Middle Ages.  But we could make BM a little less
>     realistic and a bit more of a fantasy game, in that aspect.
>
>     We've already had a lot of arguments and even one lightning bolted
>     person because of this. 
>
>
>
> I say we lightning bolt the people who are being hyper-sensitive about 
> the subject. Every time something comes up with I may have had some 
> ugly history with that pops up isn't an excuse for me to go out of my 
> way and get aggravated, annoyed or agitated.
>
> The explicit and urban taboo's are part of todays mondern day culture, 
> if they break down in tears, get angry, upset, agitated every time 
> they see a couple break up on a Soap Opera, every time some one get's 
> ran over on the television, just because of they're own personal 
> history. It's they're his/her problem, not the writers. Or in this 
> case, the developers.
>
>
>
I honestly and truly hope that no one you love ever has to go through 
this experience.  The option only brings about the worst in people.  
Bringing up the issue of "they deserved it" or "they're a whore" only 
reinforces the false myth that is rape is "ok" and the woman's fault.  
This is such a highly sensitive issue and it is so easily to get rid 
of.  No one has been able to tell me yet what it offers the game, which 
is nothing.  Your attitude is appalling and why this problem exists.  
People like you are why woman are scared to go to the police after being 
raped.  People like you are part of the reason why woman blame 
themselves after being raped.  That ideology is sickening to me.  There 
is no single event that is more traumatic then rape (well perhaps 
murder, but no one that has been murdered plays this game).  The fact 
that you even would think about linking it to something that happened on 
television is ludicrous.  There are people that play this game that HAVE 
been raped.  They have physically and mentally been through it.  It is 
not fake or fiction like television.  As humans I wish we could be more 
understanding that this is societies problem, not the person raped.  I 
honestly hope that you just misphrased your words and you didn't 
actually mean what you just said.

I understand that the cultural norms are not the same everywhere.  I 
understand that there are places in Europe, Asia, Africa and South 
America and probably even North America, that take it very lightly, 
however, I like to think that everyone that plays this game is forward 
thinker.  Doesn't Tom say in his own social contract " Do err on the 
side of caution, especially if dealing with players whose social and 
cultural background is unknown to you."?  Yet, this is the only issue 
that I have seen that has gone unchanged relating to that.  I understand 
that most of us are males and could careless on this issue.  I know it 
goes beyond that to you can't even relate to the issue.  Even if you 
feel bad for the woman that have been raped, I know that you cannot put 
yourself in her shoes to imagine her pain.  But does that mean that you 
don't have to care about it at all?  However, I believe that line is 
there to protect the minority.  Obviously most of from Europe or North 
America are going to have very similar cultures, so the only reason I 
can see it being there is to protect the minorities in this game.

Again as I've said countless times, if someone can tell me one thing it 
adds to the game I will step down on this issue and let you go on your 
marry way.  Like someone said if people could handle it maturely and 
seriously it'd be different, but they can't.  You're never going to get 
a game with 1,000 people in it that are all mature.  But it only takes 
one for someone to get the impression that everyone that plays is like that.