I never thought so much about rape as I have in the past month. I had always perceived it as an aggression perpetrated by men who would dominate, demean and dehumanize their victims with sexual violence.
But now I realize that rape is more than that. Rape, or at least proffering one’s perspective on rape, is now of political importance. Invoking it is almost a prerequisite to establish a politician’s credentials as an under-educated God fearing Christian fanatic misogynist expert of misinformation, and cheerleader for bad science and insensitivity.
Rape has evolved beyond a heinous crime and mutated into a political sport. Rape now has its self appointed referees, expert analysts, apologists, technical directors, color commentators, and quacks.
I've learned a lot about rape from these amateur religious rape enthusiasts. I've learned that there is “legitimate rape”, thus presumably illegitimate rape. I've discovered that men who would control a woman’s right to reproductive self determination have no problem espousing the fable of long discredited non-science that rape itself is a veritable contraceptive, thus rape victims rarely become pregnant.
I've discovered that a rape is “God’s will,” or if it’s not then certainly the pregnancy of that attack is God’s blessing to that woman. I've learned that when a sperm enters an egg it is a human being and that doing anything to prevent the full term development of that two celled, four celled, eight celled, etc., product of rape is tantamount to “contract murder.”
I've come to appreciate the magnanimity of the enlightened self appointed male keepers of the uterus who
declare that they have taken the maverick stance and parted ways with the party platform - condescending not to seek to make abortion for rape victims illegal.
Yes, I've been schooled about rape. More accurately, I've been enlightened as to the shallowness and grotesqueness of the minds of the Republican Party in general and the Religious Right Tea Baggers in particular. How it perceives women. How it demeans women. How it seeks to control them. How it diminishes their very humanness by espousing false science and holier-than-thou-male dominated-penis waving-sperm worshiping- God invoking ignorance.
I keep waiting for a Democratic candidate, or an Independent, or one of their supporters; or an atheist, or an agnostic to stumble blindly into this morass of rape rating declaration and Fallopian introspection. But I won’t hold my breath. Fortunately it seems the obsessive verbal diarrhea over rape is uniquely the purview of the GOP politicians and their supporters.
What else would we expect from Americans who get their talking points from a god, and their ability to reason from their anus?
