I've been reading a great book. It isn't the good book, and I apologize to my religious friends for not promoting their book. I like the good book, and even made a graphic novel about it. The book I'm talking about, the great book, is called, "The Dark Side of Man: Tracing the Origins of Male Violence".
It's great, because it's truthful. Truthfulness in this modern age is a rarity. This book by, Michael P. Ghiglieri is about as truthful as it gets. Ghiglieri received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. He is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Northern Arizona.
Ghiglieri discusses the parallels between chimpanzees, and humans. He explores why man is violent by looking at primatology. We are so closely linked to other primates that there so many lessons we can learn. He debunks the idea of rape being about power/dominance. He cites statistics that dispute that narrative.
"First, the victims. Significantly, not all women stand an equal chance of being chosen as a target. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that nearly all rape victims are young: 88 percent of the 1,634,000 female victims reported in a huge sample from the 1980s were between the ages of twelve and thirty-five years old."
This section taken from his book speaks to a scientific approach. This is the way one can make objective truthful statements. It isn't about anecdotal evidence. It is about citing documentation. Ghiglieri uses these stats to discern that only young women seem to be getting raped. This doesn't mean that older women are not removed from this possibility. It simply highlights a truth. Bad men look for youth when raping. If they wanted dominance wouldn't they rape a powerful woman? Wouldn't that be the way to go? No, they don't usually go about it that way. They are raping fertile young women. He suggests rape is not about dominance. It's about sex. What's sex about? Sex is about passing on our genes. Sex is how we, as animals, persist. An overwhelming amount of rapists come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Ghiglieri cites statistics that speak to rich men being able to obtain more willing women for sexual gratification. Poorer men do not commonly have the same access to women. Bad men rape, in part, because they are taking something they cannot get based on their own merit. More often than not men do not rape women with extreme violence. They use coercion, and or threat of violence to get what they want.
"The facts of rape, Palmer says, show that the driving motive is copulation. At least two-thirds of rape involve full sexual function by the rapist. In addition, whereas sexually functional rapists have a repeat of 35 percent, castrated rapists have a repeat rate of only 1 to 2 percent."
This selection continues on the line of inquiry that suggests copulation is the end all be all of rape. It isn't about power. Force is only used in order to facilitate sexual function. Bad men rape in order to compete with rich men who are able to get more willing women. Men, and women are fighting nature in order to pass their genes along. It is the battle of natural selection.
So, cut to a little tiff I had with a girl in a bar. I was with a a couple of people having beers. A girl I knew, but not well, joined up. She was a lovely person. The conversation we were all having was light. Politics weren't brought up. Religion wasn't brought up. It was pleasant light hearted banter. Then, it turned a bit.
Somehow the girl inquired aloud as to what men are looking for? I, being primed by reading Ghiglieri's book offered the answer immediately.
"Youth and fertility." I said.
"You mean tits and ass." She said.
"Sure, I guess that goes into it." I said.
There was a pause. She contemplated that for a moment. Then she inquired as to what women are looking for. Again, I was quick with an answer.
"Resources." I said.
"Sure." She said.
There was another pause. I could see her wheels turning. She then looked peeved.
"What do you mean, resources?" She asked.
"Women look for men to be able to provide when-" I was cut off.
"I make my own money!" She declared.
"Yeah. I know." I said.
"I don't need to rely on a man!" She followed.
I let it go, and the conversation turned to light hearted talk of the weather. I have done this before. I put my foot in my mouth a lot these days. Unfortunately it isn't because I'm saying anything out of turn or radical. People are quick to be offended. I also realize many people don't investigate much. I was speaking broadly, and had information at the ready. The lovely lady had anecdotal evidence that really only pertained to her. It was a quick jump for her to discredit what I had to say based on her own experience.
Nobody called her into question or even denied her feelings. Her own perception does not change the facts. That is a common thread nowadays. People believe their own experience is the honest to god truth. Most of the time it isn't.
When I look at what happened at Evergreen State it reminds me of how lazy we've gotten. It also reminds me that civilization is only skin deep. I also think that academia for most is an expensive waste of time. Last, but not least, I don't see much of a difference between us and those damn dirty apes!