Janice and the Rapist (by Twoblink)

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twoblink

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Janice and the Rapist (by Twoblink)

There once was a comely woman named Janice. One evening, Janice was taking a walk around the block when an attacker jumped out, pulled her into a dark alley and raped her. Afterwards, Janice was shookup and told her 3 good friends Bill, Bob, and Thorton about it. “What you need is a cell phone,†said Bill, “So if something like this happens again, you can call for help.†“No no no, a cell phone takes too long, and maybe she might get a bad connection, what she needs is a whistle.. and maybe a can of mace..†said Bob. So Janice bought a cell phone, a whistle and a can of mace. Wow, she felt safer already she told herself.
One night, a few months later, Janice was at home getting ready for bed when someone broke into the house, and raped her again. It was the same rapist. Janice was upset at being raped again, and once again talked to her 3 friends. “It is the lack of policemen, what you need to remember during the next election is to vote for a tax increase so we can have more police. If there were more police, this wouldn't have happened to you..†Bill said to Janice. “No no no, what we need to do is teach the rapists that crime doesn't pay. What we need is more tougher laws in the books against such things. So remember during the next election, vote for more laws.†So Janice did as Bill and Bob said, and she voted for a tax increase, and sure enough, more police patrolled her neighborhood. She voted for more laws, and sure enough, more laws were in the books. “Now I am safe, I have police to protect me, and I have thousands of laws to protect me.†Janice told herself.
One night, while Janice was taking a walk around her block, she once again got raped. She tried to make a phone call on her cell phone, but it was out of batteries. She tried to fumble for her whistle, but the rapist merely muffled the sound. She tried to reach for the mace, but by then, it was too late. Angry and upset about being raped a third time by the same man, Janice headed home to call the police again, but as she opened up the door, she found 4 men sitting in her living room. “Why John said you were a cutie, boy was he ever right!†And that night, Janice got gang-raped. Bill, Bob, and Thorton went to pick Janice up at the police station after she gave her statement. Bill and Bob began to tell Janice she needs to vote for more laws and give more money for more police. Finally, Bill said “What you need to do is move to a better neighborhood, this neighborhood is horrible!†“I tried to!†replied Janice, “But because of the increase in police around the neighborhood, people think this is a bad neighborhood and so the housing market has dropped to the point if I sell the house, I will take a 30% loss on it.. and I can't afford to!â€
Finally, Thorton cleared his throat and said, “Janice, are you free Saturday? If so, I will take you to the firing range, teach you how to use a gun, help you get your CCW, and help you protect yourself. As you have seen for yourself, your neighborhood use to be a good one, but increase police activity has changed that, and the results were still the same. All it did was lower your property value, and gave you a false sense of confidence. More police didn't prevent you from getting raped again, more laws didn't prevent it, a cell phone didn't prevent it, a whistle didn't prevent it, and mace didn't prevent it. It's time you took responsibility for your personal safety, and not depend on others.†So Janice learned how to handle a gun properly, and got her CCW.
One night, Janice took another walk around the neighborhood, and out jumped the same rapist. “What do you have this time? Another whistle? Another cell phone?†The rapist laughed. “No,†replied Janice, “his name is Mr. Wesson, he's a 38 Special.†She said as she brandished her gun. “Now get on your knees!†She barked at him. The rapist did has he was told. Janice got out her cell phone and called the police. The police came and arrested the rapist, and he was put in jail for life. Janice called her 3 friends and told them what happened. “I'm feeling great! Let's go to dinner, dinner's on me!†Janice said. “Great! Where are we going for dinner?†Bill asked. “Sorry, I'm only taking Thorton to dinner.†Janice replied. From that day on, Janice was never raped again. 5 years later, the daughters of both Bill and Bob were raped. Bill voted for more police and more taxes, Bob voted again for more laws.....


Comments welcomed..
 
Reality sets in...

District Attorney looks at the case. "You were raped three times in this neighborhood. Yet you set out again, this time with a gun. Obviously, you were looking for a confrontation!" DA arrests Janet and frees victimized, alleged rapist, who doesn't get three steps out of the courthouse when Cheatum, Esq, offers to represent him in a civil suit. "You poor victim! Because of the mental trauma she has inflicted on you by threatening to shoot you, you will have trouble living a normal life ever again. She must pay for this (But I get thirty five percent )!

Janet gets an attorney, but must second mortgage her house to pay the fees....

*****

Look, I don't even need to finish-we know where this is going. :mad:
 
Hate to be this critical but...

I know it is just a story but... I actually got mad at you while reading this.

People do not act like this. I would say that the characters are wooden and two-dimensional, but that isn't true. They are as mist, and one dimensional.

I had a hard time reading it because it bears no resemblence to reality. It looks like something written by a person with no understanding of people, simply to advance an agenda. It will only serve to alienate, not illuminate.

You treat rape as if it were a savage hand-shake. While rape is sometimes more emotional than physical, Janice would have gone through periods of terror, guilt, and self-loathing afterwards. If Janice would have gotten suggestions in that tone she propably would have started crying, saying things like "maybe I could have prevented it","I must be stupid to let something like this happen". She would have left hospitals, not police stations.

Rapists are sick twisted freaks, but they do not act like this. Typically rape occurs between aquaintances. It is fairly uncommon for attacks like this to occur. Rapists sure as hell do not talk to friends about raping strangers.

Change the crime to something you know.
 
The proper response to her last rape. One properly executed Mozambique drill. Reholster .38. Continue walk, three minutes later, dial 911, and report hearing shots fired :uhoh:
 
Comments?
Constructive Criticism... too much focus on rape. Mix it up. Start w/ Rape, add car jacking or armed robbery, brutal mugging, home invasion, etc to show the whole gamut of violent crime. Focus on just one, like DW says, numbs the reader.
Everything else was spot on. 'Cept maybe the Billy Bob Thorton angle which I found cute. I'd have probably chosen William Jefferson and Hillary (or Diane) for the first two and either Chuck, Jeff or Thomas Jefferson (William's older brother) for the latter :D A little more historic symbolism that way.
 
DigitalWarrior,

So it's the rape that you have issues with?

While I agree 100% rapists are sick and twisted, I'm not so sure I'd dismiss 100% of them as having the same MO...
 
I agree with other comments. There was little believable about this story and the argument could be made that if she couldn't even get her mace into play that she'd probably not get a gun into play either.

To think, I clicked on this link because I was curious about Jance and the Papist.
 
I'd have probably chosen William Jefferson and Hillary

I think William, Jefferson and Clinton would be three good protagonists to talk about rape. ;)
 
I think Thornton should have spoken up after the first rape.
If she tries the other and it doesn't work then he should say so again.
By the third time his message will carry more weight when she finally gives in to the truth, that being only she can come to her own defense.

My $.02

Smoke
 
Not to pile on, but it has a strong propaganda feel to it without much nuance.

If you are writing this to be persuasive, it is not very effective. You are trying to hold the readers gaze and march them down a very narrow path. Persuasive writing should always recognize and speak to the questions that arise in the mind while the piece is being read.

The story tries to answer the most obvious questions, but in "too convenient" a fashion.

Again, not to pile on, but I think I could write a similar story only from the opposite side - to sound anti gun on the surface, but if I wrote it in the way this story is written, I think it would have the subtle effect of making people reading it think "is that the sum of the argument?" and it could actually make them look unfavorably on the anti argument. Sort of a straw-man argument by story.
 
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