While everyone is in agreement as to the definition of rape, a forced sexual act, there is intense debate about who is to blame for date rape. Paglia (2001) says that it is the victim who is to blame, for provoking such an attack by a brutish man, while Jacoby (2001) says that a small and ugly minority of men, who can't take no for an answer are at fault for date rape. There is some truth to both sides of these arguments, however Paglia goes to far, labeling men as having a "tendency toward anarchy and brutishness" (Paglia, 2001, p.539), and claiming that it is a woman's duty to fend them off. While in certain situations some blame can be placed on the victim, it takes one of those rare men who can't take no for an answer to actually commit the crime. Paglia seems to believe that relations between the sexes have remained the same as they were in the stone age. This preposterous belief is even shown in the title of her paper, "It's a Jungle Out There" (Paglia, 2001, p.538). Paglia's sexism lets itself loose in her essay,"Generation after generation, men must be educated, refined, and ethically persuaded away from their tendency toward anarchy and brutishness" (2001, p.539). If Paglia turned away from Flintstones-era idealogy, she would notice that the world has changed greatly. While Paglia may believe that it is society's duty to reform the "brutish" men, psychological studies have proven that every child, boy or girl, goes through an orderly process of intellectual and moral development (Crain, 1985, p.118-136). Paglia's views are old and outdated. Jacoby (2001) understands that the majority of men are kind, and wouldn't commit rape, and understand the obvious difference between playful resistance, and a firm no.While Paglia only blames the victim, claiming that men are just aggressive beasts, and it is the victim's fault for provoking them (2001), date rape is more complex than that. Even if a girl is drunk at a frat party, it still takes a rapist to ignore the "no", and turn the situation from a girl putting herself in a dangerous situation to that rape occurring. The word "no" must be respected (Hardcastle, 2008). Women resist and struggle to try and escape from a rapist (Jacoby, 2001), and it is only in the cases of this "no" or resistance being ignored that the rape occurs. Another factor that affects judgment is alcohol, as Rondini discusses in depth, this impairment of judgment can result in misunderstandings or women being unable to properly fend off those few men who ignore the "no". Thus, while in some cases the victim does hold some of the blame, it takes a rapist to commit the rape, and Paglia is wrong in heaving all of the blame on the victims. Society has developed past the caveman-era hunt and capture days, and most instincts humans once had, have almost completely vanished. As children develop, they learn morals and discover what constitutes acceptable or unacceptable behavior. While the majority of children learn that rape and all of its varying forms are disgusting and highly illegal, society still ends up with a minority of rapists. In most date rape cases, blame does not rest solely on one parties head.

While everyone is in agreement as to the definition of rape, a forced sexual act, there is intense debate about who is to blame for date rape. Paglia (2001) says that it is the victim who is to blame, for provoking such an attack by a brutish man, while Jacoby (2001) says that a small and ugly minority of men, who can't take no for an answer are at fault for date rape. There is some truth to both sides of these arguments, however Paglia goes to far, labeling men as having a "tendency toward anarchy and brutishness" (Paglia, 2001, p.539), and claiming that it is a woman's duty to fend them off. While in certain situations some blame can be placed on the victim, it takes one of those rare men who can't take no for an answer to actually commit the crime.  
    Paglia seems to believe that relations between the sexes have remained the same as they were in the stone age. This preposterous belief is even shown in the title of her paper, "It's a Jungle Out There" (Paglia, 2001, p.538). Paglia's sexism lets itself loose in her essay,"Generation after generation, men must be educated, refined, and ethically persuaded away from their tendency toward anarchy and brutishness" (2001, p.539). If Paglia turned away from Flintstones-era idealogy, she would notice that the world has changed greatly. While Paglia may believe that it is society's duty to reform the "brutish" men, psychological studies have proven that every child, boy or girl, goes through an orderly process of intellectual and moral development (Crain, 1985, p.118-136). Paglia's views are old and outdated. Jacoby (2001) understands that the majority of men are kind, and wouldn't commit rape, and understand the obvious difference between playful resistance, and a firm no.
    While Paglia only blames the victim, claiming that men are just aggressive beasts, and it is the victim's fault for provoking them (2001), date rape is more complex than that. Even if a girl is drunk at a frat party, it still takes a rapist to ignore the "no", and turn the situation from a girl putting herself in a dangerous situation to that rape occurring. The word "no" must be respected (Hardcastle, 2008). Women resist and struggle to try and escape from a rapist (Jacoby, 2001), and it is only in the cases of this "no" or resistance being ignored that the rape occurs. Another factor that affects judgment is alcohol, as Rondini discusses in depth, this impairment of judgment can result in misunderstandings or women being unable to properly fend off those few men who ignore the "no". Thus, while in some cases the victim does hold some of the blame, it takes a rapist to commit the rape, and Paglia is wrong in heaving all of the blame on the victims.
    Society has developed past the caveman-era hunt and capture days, and most instincts humans once had, have almost completely vanished. As children develop, they learn morals and discover what constitutes acceptable or unacceptable behavior. While the majority of children learn that rape and all of its varying forms are disgusting and highly illegal, society still ends up with a minority of rapists. In most date rape cases, blame does not rest solely on one parties head.