Camille Paglia's Rape and the Modern Sex War

Camille Paglia's Rape and the Modern Sex War

Camille Paglia writes the article, Rape and the Modern Sex War, which is about young women being vulnerable in today’s society against rape and how feminism has mistakenly led women to believe that they aren’t in any danger. Paglia states her opinion to women because she believes “that women are vulnerable and should be aware of the pervasiveness of rape” (83) all the time. Rape has been around for hundreds of years and the effects it has on women are life long terrifying memories. Paglia speaks to women saying that they should be ready for these situations and not be with a group of guys alone, always be with other girlfriends, and learn to take feminism out of the picture and realize that women will always be in danger.

In Paglia’s article, which I believe is a critical opinion informing women of her beliefs on sexuality, speaks mostly to college women and women in general because she believes that women should be prepared for sexual situations without consent in all circumstances no matter who they are. This is her first step in arguing her point of view on feminism, which I agree with. She wants her audience to see her point that a woman’s actions can also be held accountable in some rape situations. When a woman is by herself with a group of men getting drunk, she has put her own self in a very risky situation because she is drunk and has no control of herself and the likeliness of rape is very possible. Paglia believes that a woman should always have control of her actions all

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the time and not to blame men for it is biologically programmed in their heads that they hunt, pursue, and capture, and this is said throughout their sex history (83-84).

The second part of Paglia’s argument is how she thinks misinterpretations are the women’s fault and I disagree with this point because women can walk and talk just as men and are not always to blame for being the victim. Paglia believes that feminism doesn’t see that sexual desires can be seen in how we act which means that these desires throughout our body cannot always be verbally said and this is where the miscommunication between the two sexes causes a problem. She thinks that when a woman makes a mistake she should face t...

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... an attitude,

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which is firm and not a self - pitying one, which many feminist women possess, Paglia states.

Paglia didn’t use any key terms or metaphors in her article, but she uses the word feminism many times showing that men and women have equal rights, but in truth this is not correct. Men and women have some equal rights, but women are looked on as a lower standard when compared to men, and I believe this will never change.

Paglia uses different examples throughout the story and puts her thoughts into an informative essay that explains that women should be aware of what they do and learn from their mistakes regarding opposite sexual tensions and that actions aren’t always spoken but are acted sometimes because of her belief that there is that implanted part of a man which can be dangerous, which Paglia thinks is just part of a man’s identity. When a woman realizes the subject of rape and feminism is not thought of, two identities can be identified and with self control and awareness both a man and a woman can have a relationship in which each partner takes full responsibility of his or her actions.