So, as I sit here, cigarette in one hand, warm cup of coffee in the other, another all nighter ticking round the clock… Something came to me. Something major. Not a rant… more like a REALITY. And at that, quite a disturbing one, but one that the male population has been forced to live with, and only act as cautiously as possible around it. The fear of this scares some, while many without morals do not care, but I feel now that the time is well overdue to address it. The time has come for people to realize… What they are doing is wrong, sick, and to some extent… bringing it upon themselves. The topic? Something that not many people dare to address in a serious tone. Teen Rape Victims.
So allow me to set the scene for you. A typical night out.
The November night is crisp, almost freezing you to the core as you stand in your practically see through shirt, all of one thin layer of material, drenched in aftershave, waiting in line to get into the club. Must be a mile long, you think, eyeing up the female eye candy that walks by ‘How the hell do they manage to not freeze to death in those skirts?’ You ask yourself, secretly knowing full well you wouldn’t have it any other way. You raise a cigarette to your mouth, lighting it, knowing you’re in for a bit of a wait, the queue has hardly moved since you began to line up. A few seconds later, the scuffle ensues as forward movement begins. You take the occasional puff of the cigarette, inhaling the sweet noxious toxins, shuffling your feet forward, evermore closer to that gateway to music, beer, and women. Nearly time, you think, flicking the cigarette carelessly into the road. And there you come, face to face with the only person who can deny you access. The bouncer.
“Got any ID?”
You nervously fumble around for it (Shit, it was here somewhere?) And at last you produce it, flashing it in his big oafish face.
“Fine, Go”
You make your way up the flight of stairs, passed a poised sniffer dog, trained to ravage you should you be carrying any drugs on your person. Past this, and through to the paying kiosk. At last, you’re in, forking over your hard earnt cash for entry. Your reward? A mere ticket. Still, clutching it, you enter the room, making your way to the bar to survey the scene and get yourself a glass/bottle of your favorite drink. The night is young, and the music is loud. Just how you like it.
Time Passes
Your vision begins to blur as you realize you might have slammed back those last 5 rounds a little too quickly. Still, you didn’t achieve your goal. You didn’t get a girl. Best start on that mission eh? At 20, you’re hardly past your prime. You scour the scene, looking for that girl that looks drunk enough to hit on, yet not too drunk to be a complete mess, and not too sober to reject you. Finally, you see her. You make your move, gliding over (in your mind, in reality, you’re half staggering and swaying gently) Gently tapping her on the shoulder, you begin your chat up routine. (obviously she is powerless to resist your pure manly charms, and offers of half of whatever fast food meal you can purchase at this hour) And after a little persuasion, she is yours for the night. You stagger out of the club, feeling happy that you have claimed your victory for the night. Staggering up to the local fast food takeout, you order something to line your stomach and give to your newly acquired conquest while you wait for a taxi to become available to take you to wherever your next destination is. Her house, as it happens in this tale. Into the cab you pile, throwing cash at the cabbie while she slurs the destination of her house to him. You pass the time mostly with your tongue in her throat, groping and enjoying the heat of the moment. Finally the cab arrives at its destination, and you are all set for the night. You check your pocket (Condom….check) And stagger towards her door.
As you both
clumsily make your way upstairs, she turns to you and whispers for you to be
quiet, in case you wake her parents. (That’s not unusual, a lot of girls
still live at home) You comply, attempting to be as quiet as possible, as
you enter her pink bedroom. (That’s fine, most girls like the colour pink,
right?) She drags you towards her bed, drunkenly sweeping all the cuddly
toys off the covers to make room (Oh…Girls like cuddly toys. It’s a female
thing…) And suddenly out of the corner of your eye you notice something that
makes you stop in your tracks. Her school lesson planner.
“Sammy…..”
“It’s Sarah”
“Ermm….Sarah, how old are you?”
“15, why?”
This is a fact that is happening globally, not just in select areas. The fact the bouncer carded you means nothing… She got in purely with looks. Or with an older sister’s passport. The simple fact is, that bouncer didn’t care. It’s his job to fill up the club with pretty girls, he doesn’t care for the age. And is this really morally right? Should we allow ourselves to live in a society where we have to watch our backs so closely? If we enter an 18+ club, should we not be allowed to automatically assume everyone is over 18, and not have this looming fact always clouding our heads? But it raises two VERY good issues. Those that I will address now.
1. Rape. – Rape is defined as sexual intercourse without consent, or below the legal age of consent. Yet if you were deceived, entering a place where you were perfectly within your legal rights to attend, should you have charges like these placed upon your head? Some people yes, engage in this act with full knowledge of their actions, but I am not out to give them a scapegoat. I’m merely pointing out that the unwitting person, how easily he can make a mistake, and yet be charged for it through no fault of his own. If the club had done it’s job, would he be in this same predicament? Perhaps the blame more lies with the mother’s and fathers, knowing full well where their underage daughter is going. But mostly this is down to peer pressure, and the feeling of inadequacy felt by the young girl who likes to see herself as an adult. My case is this: If you can act as an adult, and enter a club illegally, you should be held responsible for your actions, except in cases of LEGIT rape. But most of these accusations are misconstrued, a mere excuse these girls give for getting pregnant at 14/15/16. Anyways, enough on this side of the topic.
2.How we meet our partners – Are we really that much of a backward society that our whole dating scene has come to this? Meeting someone in a club, wrecked on whatever fruity-vodka-laced-drink you can cram down yourself and then finding yourself waking up in the bed of someone that you aren’t really sure what to call her? It really is a shame, and it isn’t a huge surprise why most marriages end in divorce. What ever happened to meeting the girl, becoming friends, finding out you had common ground, talking, and developing a mutual love, not based purely on shallow attraction? This, in my eyes is the reason we are failing in our love lives, and why we are having so many cases of underage rape and sexual problems. In a fast paced consumerist lifestyle, where speed-dating is the way to find your soul-mate, there isn’t any time to really find that girl you click with. There is just one level of judgement – Are you attractive enough for me tonight. It’s disgusting, and it makes me really feel sorrow for the way the world is developing.