Roiphe's Ideas Do a Disservice

I agree with much of your recent staff editorial on Katie Roiphe '90's book and presentation at the Arco Forum last week ("Roiphe's Ideas Are Worth Debating," editorial, Oct. 17, 1994).

As a woman in this community, and as the assistant dean of Harvard College for coeducation, I applaud you for pointing out that Roiphe makes a convenient straw man of a very extreme view of acquaintance rape. When she then uses her straw man as a proxy for real campus efforts to educate, counsel and respond to the--yes, widespread--incidence of rape on campus, she does a great disservice both to the community and to those who have been raped.

Chiefly, I object (far more strenuously than does The Crimson) to Roiphe's view that we "infantilize" women when we say that those who have been raped have every right to be angry about it and to want justice.

If Roiphe really believes that a woman who complains about an acquaintance rape encourages society to view all women as unable to make decisions about their sex lives, does she also think that a man who complains about being mugged and robbed encourages society to view all men as incapable of managing their finances?

Rape is no more about women controlling their sexuality than muggings are about investment strategy. In acknowledging acquaintance rape, we do not "infantilize" women-we recognize them as equals who have an equal right to freedom from being attacked and hurt. To use a term from "her" feminism, this empowers women, and Roiphe's effort to discourage this is what keeps women in victim status.

Roiphe says that "her" feminism wants women to stand up for themselves; if she wants women to have control of their lives, she must stop telling them to accept violence against them. --Virginia I. Mackay-Smith '78   Assistant Dean of Harvard College for Coeducation