Letter: Inaccurate rape statistics accuse innocent Duke men

Jillian Johnson's column, "Stop rape at Duke," shows how feminism has lost its clarity - to the detriment of both women and men.

Johnson refers to a man whom she calls "one of our campus rapists." Johnson assumes this young man's guilt, and bases this assumption on "a story" she heard. I would hope that in this country, where we presume people innocent, guilt would be predicated on "sterner stuff."

Johnson can believe this story if she wants, but The Chronicle should not allow Johnson to use its pages as a forum for what amounts to unsubstantiated gossip. If someone wants to bring forth accusations, this should be done through the proper avenues - the administration or the police. Through these avenues, the proper methods of truth-finding can be used, such as evidence collection and questioning of witnesses, alleged victims, and the accused.

Johnson asserts that based on national surveys, there are 200 to 250 rapists at Duke. But this statistic - that one out of 15 college men is a rapist - has been proven invalid. And why? For these studies, feminist scholars used such a broad definition of rape, that many acts of consensual intercourse were labeled as "rape." Granted, reasonable minds will differ as to what the definition of rape should be, and this is an important political debate in which we should engage. But in reading Johnson's piece, one would never know that the 200 to 250 number was very doubtful, indeed.

Johnson also states that the reason there are so many "rapists" is because the friends of these supposed "rapists" do nothing to condemn them. But because she bases her assumption of who is a rapist on a false definition of the crime, this supposed "non-condemnation" is nothing but a form of collective false accusation.

Let's unite together to help victims of real rape. Let's not resort to the hysteria of radical feminism that, through its statistical inflation and unsubstantiated false accusations, only divides us.