Hey Molly S Hill – I have been following various threads of discussion that have happened since the original article was published, and your reply here has really helped clarify something in my mind that I have been struggling with – a point that I think commentators like John and to a degree myself, have missed.

While I think it is very valuable and even necessary for society to try to get at the root causes behind why rapists rape (the “why” behind their crimes)…root causes that might end up being very complex…it is also CRUCIAL to remember the actual crime of rape is NOT complicated, as you say.

In other words, the discussion and research around perpetrators motivations and issues etc etc is and should be a separate thing from how we talk about and deal with the aftermath of such crimes.

In the aftermath of the actual crime, the focus should be on helping the victim seek justice, to heal, and to do whatever else they feel they need to do in order cope with the trauma. The victim (or survivor, for those who prefer that term) should be front and centre, and whatever needs to be done to help them should always be priority. Full stop.

Secondary to that should be bringing perpetrators to justice, and ensuring that they are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The only goal with the perpetrator should be contain and minimize any further harm they may cause, and if that means putting them away for life, so be it.

Psychoanalyzing the rapist mindset and motivations/issues and discussing the larger social “problem of rape” are separate tasks – and until now, I did not fully realize the importance of separating the actual crimes from the “why” discussion, so thank you for (indirectly) helping me with that.

It is totally insensitive to have that more “academic” discussion while people are trying to cope with the stark, black-and-white reality of rape.