OK, I'm struggling a bit to get where the author is going with this. It doesn't help that a simulated event (RapeLay) is compared to an actual crime (groping), or even that the stated "epidemic of chikan is an enormous problem" is supported by a mere survey. (Compared to what Japanese women endure in terms of, say, sexual harassment in the workplace, the more headline-grabbing chikan problem seems exaggerated.)

Does the author not understand that rape is a pretty basic sexual fantasy--of both men and women? Is the concept of BDSM unfamiliar, or does the author find it equally "appalling"? That is not to say the game is not tasteful or inoffensive, but isn't what happens in private between consenting adults--or with one adult as with this game--becoming more and more an accepted part of American life? People find homosexuality offensive and even dangerous and want to legislate it; does the author support that point of view, too?

The comparison with Grand Theft Auto is appropriate, but not for the reasons the author likely believes. Violence is a human trait and the game allows otherwise peaceful people to experience that sensation. Likewise, power relations are a part of sexuality, and while the game might be a shoddy, tacky version of that it is nonetheless a representation of sex that some people might want to experience.

I guess I like to save my outrage for actual events. One from my time in Japan was the rape and murder of a foreign woman by a Japanese man and the refusal of police and prosecutors to do anything. There was the systematic racism and misogyny endemic to Japanese society involved, but why focus on that when there are crappy games to condemn?

Where did you get your information that "rape is a pretty basic sexual fantasy--of both men and women"? While being dominated may be a common fantasy (and I'm not agreeing that it is), domination is NOT rape. Since rape is, by definition, done against someone's will, it is a paradox to say someone has a fantasy about being raped. And if the person has a fantasy about being the rapist, that does not make it right, or normal.

Joking about rape, having videogames about rape, etc, create a "culture of rape" - where it seems less important, or bad, than it really is. For instance, if you make a joke about "slapping a 'ho" - it makes it seem slightly more ok. Sure, 99% of people wouldn't take that step, but the other 1% will. As for GTA, 99% (or 99.9%) of people won't go out and carjack a cop, but it does desensitive us a little to violence on the road. I'm seriously generalizing and simplying here, but hopefully you get the point.

I really hate the slippier slope argument, since as complex, nuance-able beings, I like to think that we can think enough to find lines to agree on as a society.

I'm not suggesting that we should legislate against it, since it is already banned by the major retailers, and like others, I think a ban (and this article, I'd never heard of RapeLay before this) raises the visibility - and interest in - the game. But that doesn't mean we can't have a frank discussion (among ourselves, with our children, etc) about what rape really is, and why a game like this isn't acting out a "common" (and thus implied normal) fantasy.

"People find homosexuality offensive and even dangerous..."

They do? That's news to me. California's new ban on gay marriage isn't exactly calling defining gays as offensive and dangerous? I've never thought that, I don't know anyone who does, do you?

As for Japanese misogyny, I do not doubt it.

As for the basic "rape fantasy", you're wrong. No way do normally sexually active males or for that matter females consider rape a fantasy. That's absolutely wrong.

Saru:

Does the author not understand that rape is a pretty basic sexual fantasy--of both men and women? Is the concept of BDSM unfamiliar, or does the author find it equally "appalling"? That is not to say the game is not tasteful or inoffensive, but isn't what happens in private between consenting adults--or with one adult as with this game--becoming more and more an accepted part of American life?

I tend to agree. I view this video game as some kind of interactive pornography and that's about it. All it takes is a couple of Google searches and one would realize that bondage, rape, whatever are pretty common fantasies. I think this is the key point here. It's all fantasy and has no bearing in real life.

Just because a man might fantasize about his female boss forcing him to have sex with her, it doesn't mean the guy would want such an interaction to happen in real life. I've read enough pieces of my wife's smut novels (stuff that's considered low key enough to be sold at the grocery store), and it's pretty apparent that the line of consent is pretty blurred. Does that mean the (predominately female) readers want to be raped or otherwise condone rape? Absolutely not, it's simply a fantasy.

Wassabi, you are a scold and guilty of generalizing your own private preferences. I've been with several women for whom being raped is a fantasy.

As for the other commenter's post that rape cannot be a fantasy since being raped is by definition against the victim's will... well, that's just a failure of imagination. Lots of people have fantasies about things they would never do or want done in reality. That's part of the reason they're fantasies. For example, many sexual submissives like to be tied up and "tortured." That doesn't mean they want to be tortured in earnest by people who mean them real harm.

Nobody wants a rape fantasy??? Lets start the counter... I've had it brought up to me once.

A girl I was dating in college... we were making out... not sure if she really wanted to go farther... she must have gotten some fantasy quirk going and said "Go ahead... rape me." I was so taken aback, I actually took myself back a couple paces. After discussion, it wasn't that she thought I was coming on "too strong", but that she actually wanted me to pin her and have some rough sex. I told her "Next time, just tell me to hold you down and have my way with you. Saying 'rape' kills the mood totally." I even went home after that. Saw her a couple days later though and it all went smoothly. :) Not sure what her fantasy deal was, but sometimes those trigger words "don't mean what you think they mean".

Saru:

People find homosexuality offensive and even dangerous and want to legislate it; does the author support that point of view, too?

No, the author probably approves of homosexuality when it looks and acts just like heterosexuality (e.g. the fight for gay marriage). The idea that homosexuality could be completely different is probably abhorrent to her, though.

nelson46:

"People find homosexuality offensive and even dangerous..."

They do? That's news to me. California's new ban on gay marriage isn't exactly calling defining gays as offensive and dangerous? I've never thought that, I don't know anyone who does, do you?

As for Japanese misogyny, I do not doubt it.

As for the basic "rape fantasy", you're wrong. No way do normally sexually active males or for that matter females consider rape a fantasy. That's absolutely wrong.

Ah, excuse me, sir or ma'am, but the only one who's "absolutely wrong" here is you:

<link>

Did you notice the source? New York Times. Meredith Chivers, psych professor at Queens University.

Munich:

nelson46:

"People find homosexuality offensive and even dangerous..."

They do? That's news to me. California's new ban on gay marriage isn't exactly calling defining gays as offensive and dangerous? I've never thought that, I don't know anyone who does, do you?

As for Japanese misogyny, I do not doubt it.

As for the basic "rape fantasy", you're wrong. No way do normally sexually active males or for that matter females consider rape a fantasy. That's absolutely wrong.

Ah, excuse me, sir or ma'am, but the only one who's "absolutely wrong" here is you:

<link>

Did you notice the source? New York Times. Meredith Chivers, psych professor at Queens University.

"A recent analysis of 20 studies over the last 30 years indicates that between 31% and 57% of women have rape fantasies" <link>

Munich, (I'm male), what you demand of me is to admit that anything I read in a psych journal is to be accepted as general fact. The same assertion of Bondsman. SNT has a good argument, as I could have found this link yesterday. <link> This link, learned friends, is the link to which Badbones link refers.It is to that which I am responding, and not the NYT article, which btw does not expose you to a percentage claim for supporting a broad occurrence of rape fantasy among women.

What I see is that the link I provide, which is the actual study referred to, has a lot of the usual weaknesses. Small sample size[a very small sample size in most of those surveys], an open interpretation of intent of an answer[such that the question in some surveys are not about rape, but overpowerment], a focus upon one population of women [in some of those surveys nearly all college age, or Jewish, or single], etc.... I expect you to read the table of the study type and the results down lower.

I again assert that no journal article is to be taken at its face. I do not and will not. It's absurd to find any justification of any article from one source, or two in most cases is low in the extreme. I see that the study with the table has 20 sources and much evidence and analysis to justify the paper. It's very much worth reading. However, upon reflection of the sample sizes and targeted populations it is my opinion that the studies fail to be useful to draw any conclusive determination of whether a median percentage of women of 45%+\- have rape fantasies.

nelson46:

Munich, (I'm male), what you demand of me is to admit that anything I read in a psych journal is to be accepted as general fact. The same assertion of Bondsman. SNT has a good argument, as I could have found this link yesterday. <link> This link, learned friends, is the link to which Badbones link refers.It is to that which I am responding, and not the NYT article, which btw does not expose you to a percentage claim for supporting a broad occurrence of rape fantasy among women.

What I see is that the link I provide, which is the actual study referred to, has a lot of the usual weaknesses. Small sample size[a very small sample size in most of those surveys], an open interpretation of intent of an answer[such that the question in some surveys are not about rape, but overpowerment], a focus upon one population of women [in some of those surveys nearly all college age, or Jewish, or single], etc.... I expect you to read the table of the study type and the results down lower.

I again assert that no journal article is to be taken at its face. I do not and will not. It's absurd to find any justification of any article from one source, or two in most cases is low in the extreme. I see that the study with the table has 20 sources and much evidence and analysis to justify the paper. It's very much worth reading. However, upon reflection of the sample sizes and targeted populations it is my opinion that the studies fail to be useful to draw any conclusive determination of whether a median percentage of women of 45%+\- have rape fantasies.

First of all, the Times article did expose to a percentage - on page 7 of the same article:

"According to an analysis of relevant studies published last year in The Journal of Sex Research, an analysis that defines rape as involving “the use of physical force, threat of force, or incapacitation through, for example, sleep or intoxication, to coerce a woman into sexual activity against her will,” between one-third and more than one-half of women have entertained such fantasies, often during intercourse, with at least 1 in 10 women fantasizing about sexual assault at least once per month in a pleasurable way."

I encourage you to read the hwole article. It's very enlightening.

Secondly, your point about scientific studies is valid. We don't know for sure if the true # of women having such fantasies is actually lower. We also don't know if it's actually higher. But I do think that such studies, when conducted repeatedly and in multiple contexts, can show us that your blanket statement of "normal sexually active women don't have these fantasies" is wrong.

Some of them do. Who knows what the % is, but it's not insignificant. Just because YOU don't find it a good or acceptable fantasy, that no one else does.