Akin's comments on rape reflected on campus
(09/03/12 7:42am)
While much of the country is in an uproar about Rep. Todd Akin’s recent distinction between “legitimate rape” and illegitimate rape, Rep. Akin’s illogical philosophy is one that unfortunately mirrors the minds of many students at Duke. During my years here, I cannot count how many times I heard students respond to a story about rape with the following remark, “Well was it real rape or just rape-rape?” This remark is akin to the ignorance expressed by Rep. Akin. This hyper-sensationalized and unmistakably sexist idea perpetuates the myth that the “stranger jumping out of the bushes” rape is the only form of “legitimate rape” and in any other scenario the female could have clearly stopped the rape or, in Akin’s mind, a resulting pregnancy.