The Ass-fucked Prison Culture

[xoder]

My coworkers are discussing various methods of avoiding getting raped, should they end up in jail. The amount of agreement with the sentiment that suicide is preferable to (forced) anal sex disturbs me. "Yeah, I'll be dead, but at least I'll be an ass-virgin."

They also all agree that I would not be able to defend myself in prison.

Comments

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

For me, intentional violence against my person crosses it, and I would do whatever was in my power to prevent its occurrence.

ANY form of violence against your person? What if someone just punched you in the gut, or just broke your leg? Would it be okay to punch them back? Knock them unconscious? Kill them?

I personally am the other way if anything. I have no clue if I'd be able to fight back if someone were hurting me or attempting to rape me. I think I could live with the consequences of being attacked since that wasn't my fault; I'm not sure I could live with the consequences of MY hurting someone else. However, I have no tolerance whatsoever for people hurting my friends or family, and I know in such a case I'd snap and definitely would attack back.

[ellf.livejournal.com]

If someone sincerely, violently attacked me, I would do everything I could to prevent them from succeeding. There is a continuum of available responses to an assault, and I believe strongly in finding the most ethical of those to neutralize an attack. However, I am not a master martial artist, and my lack of skill might necessitate that I fall back upon something easier if it meant saving my life.

That's not macho posturing, really -- I do have a clue as to whether or not I could fight back against someone attempting to hurt me, and I know that being assaulted and left feeling powerless is something that can ruin or end your life. I've seen and experienced both second-hand. I certainly don't wish either on anyone, but if you "know" that you would respond in kind to violence against others, you might find that your own personal boundaries aren't where you think they are, especially if you've never been in a situation that tested them.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I'm drawing conclusions from experience of verbal attacks and harassment upon myself and upon others. I tend to ignore and avoid ones that target myself, and blow up when it's my friends whom are targeted. I could be mistaken to draw conclusions about what I would do in a physical situation based upon this, however, and of course I'd really rather not find out for sure.