Date rape

The term, "date rape" (also called "contact rape" "acquaintance rape" or "sleep rape") refers to rape or non-consensual sexual activity between people who are already acquainted, or who know each other socially — friends, acquaintances, people on a date, or even people in an existing romantic relationship — where it is alleged that consent for sexual activity was not given, or was given under duress. In most jurisdictions, there is no legal distinction between rape committed by a stranger, or by an acquaintance, friend or lover, and the term is often used to describe any rape where there is a lack of physical coercion, in contrast to more traditional (although often inaccurate) conceptions of rape.

In some cases, "date rape drugs" such as ketamine, Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and benzodiazepines, such as flunitrazepam (Rohypnol, or "roofies"), may be used to neutralize resistance or even render the victim unconscious. Such drugs will usually also affect memory of the event, by causing different degrees of anterograde amnesia. These drugs, when combined with alcohol, take effect quickly and more potently, often before a potential victim is aware of the drug's progress. Alcohol on its own is, by far, the most widely used drug in rapes [1] and it may also cause amnesia.

The social issue

Understanding date rape as a social issue is very difficult due to conceptual differences about even what constitutes "rape". It both reflects and is reflected by political and sociological differences in ways of viewing gender roles, personal responsibility, and social norms for topics such as flirting, dress, and what physical contact constitutes a violation. Debates on this topic often reflect polarized opinions in which proponents of differing viewpoints are accused of "radical feminism" or being "misogynistic."

Similarly, institutional responses, including efforts in the criminal justice system, have been difficult to establish. Colleges and universities, settings in which date rape is considered a common problem because of lowered inhibitions and frequent social activities, have attempted to develop policies and guidelines for prevention and discipline that can be unwieldy and unenforceable. While criminal prosecution of so-called "stranger rape" (eg: no pre-existing relationship, use of physical force or of a weapon) is sufficiently difficult, as the statistics regarding attitudes included below bear out, a situation considered "date rape" can be even more difficult if not impossible.

This is due to the highly subjective components involved in determining consent, and conscious intention, as well as attitudes toward gender, toward sexuality, and individual responsibility. Further, in a society that is both "obsessed" with but uncomfortable with sex and sexuality, direct communication is too frequently lacking, so that expectations and interpretations vary drastically between the potential "perpetrator" and the potential "victim." With the addition of socially sanctioned use of alcohol (Over 80% of date rapes included the use of alcohol by at least one partner, while over 50% involved the use by both partners) the likelihood of such miscommunication goes even higher.

References in popular culture

• In the movie Broadcast News the main character does a story, that in the plot of the movie appears to be the first popularization of the term.
• In 1992 the Long Beach based ska-punk band Sublime featured a track entitled "Date Rape" on the album 40 Oz. to Freedom which gives a surprisingly accurate synopsis of the date rape phenomenon.
• In the 1991 song by A Tribe Called Quest, "The Infamous Date Rape", which appeared on The Low End Theory album.
• In Kids (1995), a character (Jenny) played by Chloe Sevigny is date raped after passing out on ketamine drugs.
• Around the same time, so-called shock rock idol Marilyn Manson also wrote a tune about what happens to a date rapist, titled "Cake And Sodomy" (which hints at the rapist's demise).
• The title character of the show Veronica Mars was drugged and raped at a party, an event which forms a significant part of the character and series.
• The Prodigy's song "Baby's Got a Temper" contains line "she like rohypnol". Rohypnol is also a date rape drug.
• The movie Unbreakable features a scene with a date rape under the influence of alcohol.
• In the show, "Degrassi: The Next Generation", the character Paige Michalchuk was date raped by an older high school student (from a different school) named Dean.
• In the show, "Heroes", Claire Bennet was almost date raped by the quarterback, Brody Mitchum.
• In the rap single Guilty Conscience, Eminem successfully convinces a 21 year old man to date-rape a 15 year old girl.
• The fictional disease date rape psychosis was mentioned in the Towelie episode of South Park. The term was used by Kyle Broflovski who told his mother that he had to help Stan who had date rape psychosis. Note that the illness is considered strictly Fictional and the term is not used in modern Medicine.