[Discuss] Status ?

[Peter Weisberg]

On 7/3/06, James Spadaccini <TheKobald at tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>  You still haven't
> answered my question as to what it adds to the game either.

Emotional turmoil.  Mental illness (either a symptom for the
aggressor* or a cause of depression or post-traumatic stress for the
victim).  It stirs up very visceral feelings.  It's a topic that
someone might want to talk about or deal with in a fictional way,
holding it at a distance but still looking at it.

Here's a thread I read on the BookCrossing forum a while ago that
could be relevant, about rape in literature:
http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/6/2720363/msgsort_1

Bottom line, no subject in itself should be off-limits.

*I realize a lot of people have gotten off on an "insanity defense"
when they really should have gone to prison, and I just called rape a
symptom of mental illness.  So I just wanted to be clear that I do
*not* think that insanity is a mitigating circumstance in the case of
violent crime.  In fact I think the unreasonable and unpredictable
violence of insanity should, if anything, be dealt with *more*
harshly, since it's much more dangerous.  Maybe that supports the "I'm
just an ass" theory.  If you want to argue with me about this, please
don't do it on the list.