--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men who are in prison for rape think it's…" description: "\"“Men who are in prison for rape think it's the dumbest thing that ever happened... it's isn't just a miscarriage of justice; they were put in jail for ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/catharine-a-mackinnon-62979_feminism_men-who-are-in-prison-for-rape-think-it_974148.jpg" --- # Men who are in prison for rape think it's the dumbest… ![“Men who are in prison for rape think it's the dumbest thing that ever happened... it's isn't just a miscarriage of justice; they were put in jail for something very little different from what most men do most of the time and call it sex. The only difference is they got caught. That view is…” quote by Catharine A. MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/catharine-a-mackinnon-62979_feminism_men-who-are-in-prison-for-rape-think-it_974148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/catharine-a-mackinnon-62979_feminism_men-who-are-in-prison-for-rape-think-it_974148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/catharine-a-mackinnon-62979_feminism_men-who-are-in-prison-for-rape-think-it_974148.jpg) > ““Men who are in prison for rape think it's the dumbest thing that ever happened... it's isn't just a miscarriage of justice; they were put in jail for something very little different from what most men do most of the time and call it sex. The only difference is they got caught. That view is nonremorseful and not rehabilitative. It may also be true. It seems to me that we have here a convergence between the rapists's view of what he has done and the victim's perspective on what was done to her. That is, for both, their ordinary experiences of heterosexual intercourse and the act of rape have something in common. Now this gets us into immense trouble, because that's exactly how judges and juries see it who refuse to convict men accused of rape. A rape victim has to prove that it was not intercourse. She has to show that there was force and that she resisted, because if there was sex, consent is inferred. Finders of fact look for "more force than usual during the preliminaries". Rape is defined by distinction from intercourse - not nonviolence, intercourse. They ask, does this event look more like fucking or like rape? But what is their standard for sex, and is this question asked from the women's point of view? The level of force is not adjudicated at her point of violation; it is adjudicated at the standard for the normal level of force. Who sets this standard?”” [Catharine A. MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-a-mackinnon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rape is often judged by comparing it to consensual sex, creating a biased standard that favors perpetrators. **In simple terms:** Legal definitions conflate rape with sex. Key Takeaway Redefine consent standards. Themes justice gender law Mood urgent advocacy Type legal feminist When to use this quote - courtrooms - police investigations - victim support services Key Concepts consent power dynamics legal reform Questions to Reflect On - What standards should define consent? - How can law reflect victims’ experiences? A Different Perspective Changing legal language is politically contentious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Feminist theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist-theory/) [Intercourse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intercourse/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Patriarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriarchy/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Preliminaries Rape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preliminaries-rape-1892283/) [Prison Rape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison-rape-1746680/) [Rape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rape/) [Rape Standard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rape-standard-1892285/) [Rape Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rape-think-1746681/) [Rapists View](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapists-view-1892284/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [Men who are in prison for rape think it's the dumbest thing that ever happened... they were put in jail for something very little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-mackinnon/men-who-are-in-prison-for-rape-think-it-s-the-dumbest-thing-that-ever-2/) [Catharine MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-mackinnon/) > [ “now the question we must ask is...what kind of \_practices\_ \[theology\] motivates, what kind of \_gaze\_ onto others, the guest, the new arrivant, it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/now-the-question-we-must-ask-is-what-kind-of-practices-theology/) [Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/) > [“Women are beautiful because the world sees with the eyes of men and us men are still influencing the preferences of humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hockson-floin/women-are-beautiful-because-the-world-sees-with-the-eyes-of-men-and/) [Hockson Floin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hockson-floin/) > [Postmodernism is an academic theory, originating in academia with an academic elite, not in the world of women and men, where feminist theory is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-mackinnon/postmodernism-is-an-academic-theory-originating-in-academia-with-an/) [Catharine MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-mackinnon/) > [“For as long as wimmin have had the temerity to experience feelings of anger, sadness, frustration, and deep resentment, patriarchal society has denied them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisa-albert/for-as-long-as-wimmin-have-had-the-temerity-to-experience-feelings-of/) [Elisa Albert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisa-albert/) > [“Theologians are to look to the \_beyond\_-community–– \_beyond\_ nationality; skin-color, gender; sexual orientation, citizenship, religious affiliation––because God, the Divine, who is the primary frame…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/theologians-are-to-look-to-the-beyond-community-beyond-nationality/) [Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/) > [“The differences in the way men and women are treated are real. 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Now this gets us into immense trouble, because that's exactly how judges and juries see it who refuse to convict men accused of rape. A rape victim has to prove that it was not intercourse. She has to show that there was force and that she resisted, because if there was sex, consent is inferred. Finders of fact look for \"more force than usual during the preliminaries\". Rape is defined by distinction from intercourse - not nonviolence, intercourse. They ask, does this event look more like fucking or like rape? But what is their standard for sex, and is this question asked from the women's point of view? The level of force is not adjudicated at her point of violation; it is adjudicated at the standard for the normal level of force. Who sets this standard?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Catharine A. 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