Why the hell does it seem like every time we make a small stride in feminism, shit like this happens and makes us lose our confidence a bit more?

Kudos to her for bring to light the story. It's important to tell these stories, yet I am somehow afraid that it'll reinforce rape myths that rapes only take place in the contexts of a stranger in the night, or involves physical power ...and does not bring to light the prelavence of date rape.

As well, I'd be interested in hearing about how a university reacts to stories like these. I'd like to see more rape research done on college campuses. Often times, universities are VERY apprehensive about rape research, simply because "that problem doesn't happen" on their campus, or because they're afraid of bad public image.

I read a lot of things similar to this, but this one made me physically sick. I hope she takes those m*therf*ckers to court and they all get what they deserve- in my opinion to be assaulted and humiliated. I'm just seeing red right now, I'm usually much more "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." I usually don't curse, either. Sorry.

I totally agree with you about the fact that the thing we need to combat is rape culture. The fact that a whole group of people thought the event was entertaining or were maybe too afraid to step in and go against the grain show how much work needs to be done to educate people about rape culture and ways to end it. This women is incredibly brave for sharing her story, hopefully she doesn't experience any negative backlash from speaking out.

Campuses need to step the fuck up and do something about this. Expel the fuckers and stand by the victim if she decides she wants police action instead of sweeping shit under the rug so you can maintain your "1 rape a year" statistic on the mandatory crime report. Make sure that every freshman class knows that this shit will not be tolerated and that anyone who ever wishes to come forward to report a crime can do so in a judgment free environment.

And yeah, kudos to this woman for having the bravery to share her story. I hope to God she gets the respect she deserves.

That just... ugh. I've moved beyond flash anger and sickness to a sort of slow-simmering rage. I want to take a hard copy into the univerity president's office, slam it on his desk, and ask him "Now what are you going to do?"

My father went to UConn. I'm ashamed that this happened at his alma mater. I have friends still going to UConn. I'm terrified that next weekend, this could be them. I want the men who did this arrested and expelled, with a note on their transcripts regarding the reason for expulsion. I want them to be ineligable for getting their degree from UConn, if they have enough credits to graduate.

I want the profit brought in from the sports programs put toward increased security. More patrols so something like this doesn't happen again. Security cameras and better lighting everywhere, so if it does happen it's a snap to pick up the offenders and give them what they deserve.

I can't remember if my home state has Good Samaritan laws, or if they even apply, but if so, slap the circler/observers with that, too. If dude humps chick and chick reacts violently, dude's not welcome. The least the guys could have done would be to leave her the fuck alone after pulling her off their buddy. Ideally, the drunk idjits should have stayed where they were (before travelling) until they sobered up.

Not being a law school student yet, I don't know the answer to this, but Rebecca brings up an interesting point: can the argument be made against universities that they violate Title IX requirements by not taking appropriate steps in preventing rape? I mean - having your Women's Center throwing some shit together once every April is certainly not enough, and it certainly makes sense to argue that sexual assaults and the mere threats of sexual assaults can interfere with a woman's quality of education.

i'm totally goddamn floored that a random group of males could act this way.

Here's hoping that she gets the justice she deserves

Actually, PFM, I think the answer may well be yes. Check this out:

http://ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/06/06-1184.pdf

If they know about certain things on campus that create a danger of rape, and don't do anything about it, I think they can be found liable.

i believe in karma...what goes around comes around...those group of guys definitely have it coming to them...just wait...

RCG, no offense to your beliefs, but if there really was karma, exactly how would women have been so oppressed in this country 100 years ago?

That's a really good point about the Good Samaritan law. Can't she seek protection under that? And really, a "rape trail?" how does the school not know this euphemism exists? How does that not scream "law suit?"

Ugh. Damned if you do, etc. This is just plain disgusting.

Are the police investigating this further, or have they dropped it since they couldn't find the perpetrators that night?

Do yourselves a favor and don't read the comments in the original article written by Ms. Bruen. Suffice it to say the word "whore" appears a number of times, along with "liar".

You're right that self-defense isn't sufficient in a violently misogynistic culture, anymore than owning a gun is a good replacement for laws. However, it was inspiring to read that she has been standing up for herself consistently - at the event, and after for coming forward. Here's hoping she can keep it up and pursue this to the fullest extent of the law. Places of higher learning MUST become safe spaces for women, something they often are not right now.

"I want the profit brought in from the sports programs put toward increased security. More patrols so something like this doesn't happen again. Security cameras and better lighting everywhere, so if it does happen it's a snap to pick up the offenders and give them what they deserve."

Hell. Yes.

I go to Uconn currently, and I'd be lying if I said this incident was a rare occurrence. I transferred from a school in New York and I have to say I've never worried for my safety quite as much as I have in the last couple of years being here.

Longtime lurker, first time poster.

This story made my cry. I couldn't imagine the terror she must have felt while this was happening. Kudos to her for getting a few punches off.

I know this sounds weird, but I attend a school that is 80%+ female and crap like this makes me feel like I made the right choice. Our campus is well light and the saftey officers patrol 24/7. We get escorts to our cars or dorms at all times.

I know rape/sexual assualt can happen at any college campus, but at least my school is female-centered and this crap would be squashed pronto.

I seriously can't believe it! Just when I thought things were getting better for us, I'm proven wrong. Why the hell does this shit have to happen? I've grown sick and tired of all this rape and assaults. It has to END NOW! I just don't understand why people who do this crime do it. Are they that pathetic?!?!

But I do want to say that she's a brave student. I know how difficult it is to talk about your assauly and she has lots of courage to talk about it.
Keep it up Bruen!

I went to UConn, and did a lot of work dispelling the "rape trail" myth while i was there. I spoke in classrooms and to freshmen groups about the rarity of men jumping out of the bushes on the trail and that it was much more likely that the guy who just took you out on a date would rape you. At Uconn date rape is incredibly prevalent. And people didn't realize the definitions of date rape and/or consent. Now i'm just totally shocked, disgusted, and angered. This story is awful. Spring weekend is notorious for sexual assaults but this one left me nearly in tears. I can't believe the crowd reaction!

I also have an incredibly pessimistic view of the Uconn judicial system. I had experience with them while supporting a close friend who was a survivor of rape. No matter how clear cut her rape was, the guy got off, scott free. He wasn't punished one bit. I hope that Melissa goes through any legal system other than the university one, for her own sake. I am so disappointed at my alma mater :(

This is one of those times where I wish all the women and pro-fem males would channel a little Inga Musico. You know, rally every person on campus who is sick of this shit to support this woman who made every attempt to fight off being victimized and then go sit in front of these assholes' homes with giant "SEXUAL OFFENDER" banners. Just go shit crazy with anti-rapist fun such as TPing and egg throwing. Obviously the laws and institutions that are supposed to be protecting women/children/transpeople/etc/etc/etc and committed to safety aren't holding up their end of the bargain.

This story makes me heart very sad, so I will continue to live in my dream world of grassroots action against dirtbags. I do congratulate Bruen on her ability to speak about such a horrific incident. That takes ovaries!

i'm totally goddamn floored that a random group of males could act this way.

You're kidding, right? I would have been more surprised if they'd helped her out.

oh and mizz.rush - feel free to email me at feministgal@gmail.com if you wanna talk about some awesome WS profs to take classes with while you're there. I had an amazing experience in the WS department, there are some great people there.

I hope she made him bleed.

Is anyone punishing these men?

"You're kidding, right? I would have been more surprised if they'd helped her out."

not at all. The vast majority of males I know wouldn't be able to stand by and watch something like that.

maybe i'm just lucky with my friends.

And really, a "rape trail?" how does the school not know this euphemism exists? How does that not scream "law suit?"

I don't know about UConn, but I know my school has several areas of campus we call rape trails/variations thereof. Not because there's a history of rapes occuring in those areas (I'm from Eastern Michigan, the University that got in trouble for lying about the death of a female student. Turns out they haven't been accurately reporting crimes for YEARS), but because it's the sort of area where a stranger rape (or any sort of crime, really) could occur - poorly lit, obscured from easy view, etc. It doesn't scream "law suit!" until something like this happens. (Not that my school would take notice even then, but I digress)

My oh my! I wonder where men get the idea that this is acceptable! Could it be from *gasp* PORN?

ismone-I am not exactly sure what you are trying to question?

From what I gather, women have always been oppressed in this country and still are, sadly, in every type of realm there is. But what I mean, is that by karma, these men will hopefully be punished as in go to court, get tried and put in prison for what they did and/or expelled from UConn or something like that. What I don't mean is that men are going to be the one's raped by women...I am not sure if this clears it all up for you, but hopefully it does.

RCG, What I meant was, I don't think people who do bad things usually get what they deserve. Sigh.

oh and mizz.rush - feel free to email me at feministgal@gmail.com if you wanna talk about some awesome WS profs to take classes with while you're there. I had an amazing experience in the WS department, there are some great people there.

horrible.

but I can't believe how strong she seems. I think I would have been taking it a lot worse, but I can't really say because it is just one statement of her's I have read.

What I am trying to say is that she comes off super brave and powerful, and it is really inspiring.

Melissa Bruen, you are my shero! you are wonderful.

Karma, like the afterlife, are ideas humans use to comfort themselves whilst living in an unjust world. It's easy to tell yourself "He'll get what he deserves!" but unless we humans enact just laws and punishments, it's not going to happen in some supernatural way.

I know a lot of men who wouldn't rape. I know a lot of men who wouldn't actively assault a woman. But I know very few men who I am certain would speak up and DO something in a situation like this. (To be fair, a lot of women wouldn't do anything, either).

I don't believe I could depend on a man for anything. Not financial support, not emotional support, not to be there fore me when I needed it, not to defend me. I really believe I will have to take care of myself 100%. Unfortunately I am straight and do want to end up in a lifelong partnership, but when I think about how I will really have to pull more than half my weight... I don't know, it just seems so exhausting and I'm not sure what the point would be. And yes, I know you can work on changing the attitudes of the men in your life, and yes, I try to do that. But with your *partner,* you want them to get it. Even if there's a lifelong dialog on these issues (and there should be) there are some fundamentals that you need to get.

This makes me very sad. I like men, but I don't respect very many of them very much.

Maybe a vigilante group with video cams to catch these worthless wastes-of-air. And tasers. And maybe a pillory, to leave the offenders in the campus quad for a couple of days.

This makes me so unbelievably angry. And this was on campus. Disgusting. I don't even have the words to describe how I feel about this.

I'm just waiting for someone to blame her because of what she was wearing. Ugh.

I can't say I'm surprised one bit by the crowd's reaction. Young males in a pack, eager to gain status over each other or prove their "alpha dog" status? Pardon me for being cynical, but the combination of testosterone, rape culture, and as MaryTracy9 mentioned, porn (and Girls Gone Wild vids) means young women should not count on any male (except maybe one who knows her personally, but even then...) to help her in this situation. That's not even mentioning the whole "bystander effect" - the more people around you that are witnessing a negative event without speaking up, the less likely you are to speak up. But I'm amazed by her bravery in fighting back and in speaking out.

Unsurprising how little coverage this is getting, especially in the light of the (multi-)girl vs. girl assault in Lakeland, Florida case.

You know what would stop shit like this? Comprehensive sexuality and gender education from Kindergarten on.
Teaching women self-defense is all fine and good, but that only empowers one individual at a time and puts the onus on women to protect themselves. Education that takes place in a group (like a classroom) and individually (between parent and child) helps everybody and puts responsibility on men to respect women in the first place.

I, too, go to UConn and had read about this in our newspaper the week following Spring Weekend. And actually, it was brought up in one of my WS classes too. I always hear stories of sexual assault occurring but never hear about anything being done about it. I was glad to see Melissa's story being told on the front page and hear her speaking out. I just wish our school would being do more for preventative methods instead of dealing with the things after the fact.

Melissa Bruen is my new heroine. Speaking out afterward, and fighting back in the moment? I am awed by her stregnth. I went to UConn, did feminist organizing at UConn, and loved me some women's studies classes. There is some amazing women's community there, and certainly activism is happening on the campus to take women's safety seriously. Universities are always trying to keep reports of crimes like sexual assault on campus. Reporting to police off campus can really put the heat on to the University because they get all that nasty press. But we can keep on reporting sexual assaults, and organizing, and fighting back forever and ever, and still the rape culture dominates. As a feminist at UConn, I didn't feel I could organize within the dominate culture of the school that thrives in frats, and spring weekends and other spaces that can be really dangerous for women. We need men to start holding other men accountable. You know, instead of watching and laughing and cheering.

Unbelievable. If she'd let it happen and let herself be 'rescued' (meaning hoping to God that someone came along to help her, because there was no guarantee anyone would come along), they would have been sympathetic. These alpha-male assholes would have chased the other guy off and felt REALLY fucking macho and good about themselves. It's a woman's place to get attacked, and a man's place to rescue her. If she says 'NO I don't need rescuing, because this assault isn't going to fucking happen', she gets punished.

What's worse, when I read comments on stories about harrassment etc, there're always people who say 'well why don't you women grow some balls and stand up for yourselves?'

We have a stretch of our joint campus we call Rape Road.

It's very easy to lose hope, I think, when something like this happens, but by refusing to fade quietly into the night Melissa Bruen is doing an enormous amount of good for women and men.

I found this site through my daughter and am so impressed with some of the comments posted here, sans some of the language. I felt that I was back in 1975, when we first took on the battle of rape and atttempted to change the conversation on it. Back then, the word rape elicited chuckles from men of all moral standing. No one, except feminists, got it. Rape is power and aggression against another in its worst form. I am so proud of the young woman that fought back but she needs support from this community. Is it possible that everyone on this site could write their own personal letter of shock and disapproval to the president of UConn? In your letter you may suggest that the university president require a mandatory course on aggression against women for all entering freshman. Including the female students would encourage recognition of abuse for young women away from home for the first time. It would certainly start a dialogue between the two genders and that is where any change must start. I am so pleased that there are young women and men like you on this website that will not tolerate the abuse and discrimination that has been poured on women for centuries and continues today. If someone would please share the name and address of the UConn president, I will write my letter today. All of you have made my day with your passion and enlightenment. Thank you.

I am appalled! What is wrong with people? I think its beyond being related to porn. A lot of men are being fed the bs that its okay to disrespect women. I call it dumbing down of people. I swear we have gone 2 steps forward and 3 steps backwards rapidly. And it goes to blaming the woman. I see more misogynistic commercials on tv than 6 years ago. This incident reminds of a woman who was in central park that was assaulted by a group of men. And there was a movie starring Jodie Foster, "The Accused." It was about a girl who was gang raped in a bar and there was a group of men who cheered. They were prosecuted. I hope that girl who was assaulted files charges. Good for her for writing about this.

I found this site through my daughter and am so impressed with some of the comments posted here, sans some of the language. I felt that I was back in 1975, when we first took on the battle of rape and atttempted to change the conversation on it. Back then, the word rape elicited chuckles from men of all moral standing. No one, except feminists, got it. Rape is power and aggression against another in its worst form. I am so proud of the young woman that fought back but she needs support from this community. Is it possible that everyone on this site could write their own personal letter of shock and disapproval to the president of UConn? In your letter you may suggest that the university president require a mandatory course on aggression against women for all entering freshman. Including the female students would encourage recognition of abuse for young women away from home for the first time. It would certainly start a dialogue between the two genders and that is where any change must start. I am so pleased that there are young women and men like you on this website that will not tolerate the abuse and discrimination that has been poured on women for centuries and continues today. If someone would please share the name and address of the UConn president, I will write my letter today. All of you have made my day with your passion and enlightenment. Thank you.

I found this site through my daughter and am so impressed with some of the comments posted here, sans some of the language. I felt that I was back in 1975, when we first took on the battle of rape and atttempted to change the conversation on it. Back then, the word rape elicited chuckles from men of all moral standing. No one, except feminists, got it. Rape is power and aggression against another in its worst form. I am so proud of the young woman that fought back but she needs support from this community. Is it possible that everyone on this site could write their own personal letter of shock and disapproval to the president of UConn? In your letter you may suggest that the university president require a mandatory course on aggression against women for all entering freshman. Including the female students would encourage recognition of abuse for young women away from home for the first time. It would certainly start a dialogue between the two genders and that is where any change must start. I am so pleased that there are young women and men like you on this website that will not tolerate the abuse and discrimination that has been poured on women for centuries and continues today. If someone would please share the name and address of the UConn president, I will write my letter today. All of you have made my day with your passion and enlightenment. Thank you.

"but by refusing to fade quietly into the night Melissa Bruen is doing an enormous amount of good for women and men."

Thank you. This isn't a "step back"; this is simply a grim reminder that "it" is still here.

Pax (and everyone else) - Michael Hogan, the UConn president's email address is president@uconn.edu, his professional website is http://president.uconn.edu/, his press release "blog" is http://blogs.uconn.edu/president/, and his phone number at work is (860)486-2337, his fax number is (860)486-2627, and his mailing address is:

President Michael Hogan
University of Connecticut
Gulley Hall, Storrs Campus
352 Mansfield Road, Unit 2048
Storrs, CT 06269-2048

Tell him what you think. While you're at it, contact the campus police and tell them that the nation is watching how they proceed very carefully.

Division of Public Safety

Associate Vice President Robert Hudd
(860)486-4806, fax (860)486-2430
Public Safety Complex, Storrs Campus
126 N Eagleville Rd., Unit 3070
Storrs, CT 06269-3070

btw you'll have to copy and paste those websites, since it's accidentally counting the commas as part of the url if you simply click on them. oops!

While we're at it:

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Merrill/index.asp
http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Williams.html

Thanks for posting the president's contact info. I placed my call, and will distribute it the info to everyone I know that graduated from UConn.

This is sick and fucked up on so many levels. I have to give Melissa props for fighting back .

Can I please point out that karma refers to people getting their due... in their next life? RCG, you can believe in what you described if you want (though I find it incredible anyone could believe that) but it is NOT karma

And another voice to the slowly simmering with rage crowd

Horrible story, and the comments on the UConn student paper site are particularly disturbing.

However, let's not slip into offensive overgeneralizations, exelizabeth: "I like men, but I don't respect very many of them very much."

I'm glad people picked up on the male dominance aspects of this altercation. So often I hear people say that our society is "feminized", when clearly in many ways it is hyper-masculine.

Why didn't anyone step in earlier? Could be the bystander effect. But my take is that the onlookers intervened perhaps only when it was clear the dude was losing. He needed to be rescued from the continued humiliation of being beaten by a female.

Furthermore, after separating from her attacker, she broke a "male code" by calling him out.

At this point it was clear that she was going to be some kind of snitch, if you will.

The punishment for this violation in "manly-man land" is usually more violence. And that's exactly what she got.

Brava to her for standing up and telling her story.

This incident reminds of a woman who was in central park that was assaulted by a group of men.

Actually, they're not sure who assaulted that woman. A group of young black men were suspected and the cops coerced confessions from them. I believe they were recently exonerated. The central park jogger doesn't remember what happened and they're not sure who truly did commit the act.

And there was a movie starring Jodie Foster, "The Accused." It was about a girl who was gang raped in a bar and there was a group of men who cheered. They were prosecuted.

That's what this reminded me of. That was a true story, too. Only it was a young Portuguese woman who was attacked by men in her community (also Portuguese). Events played out in the courts and she was reviled in her community for sticking up for herself. If I remember correctly, she eventually committed suicide.

Both stories are just so sad.

As is this one. But it still feels uplifting to me that Melissa Bruen is continuing to fight back.

This is very very very sad! I stand with her. Strong sister she is! I sent her an email to let her know another sister is here for her and hears her!

I do not believe these men can keep their involvement secret. Work your contacts at UConn, those who have them! Someone knows! If someone gives up the identities of the assailants, the police can follow the lead!

In conjunction to teaching women self-defense, how about there be a programme to teach men that women are NOT tbeir sex toys, are human beings and should be respected as such. i really get angry at these rape stories and those including drunk women. despise the fact i loathe alcohol and don't drink it for religious reasons i hate the fact the woman is always blamed that she was raped because she was drunk and that that is the major problem. no.

the major problem is that she was raped because someone though it IS PERFECTLY OK TO SEXUALLY ASSULT SOMEONE WHO IS IN A VUNERABLE POSITION, AND SOCIETY DOESN'T GIVE A FUCK TO CALL OUT THIS BEHAVIOUR. THAT is the major problem. THAT is why i hate patriarchy.
(ps-sorry about the caps-just so angry after reading that, i hope she gets justice, either in this world or the next).

I still maintain that until society and culture as a whole does a 180 and stops treating women like toys, the best thing to do is to fight back. In the moment no one is thinking, "is this fair? is this right that the onus is on me to do something about this?" Hell no. The alternative is to just take it or hope to god your never attacked? Of course we need to educate and model humane treatment of one another. I simply don't see how arming yourself with tools to beat the crap out of your attacker puts the "onus" on the victim. People wear helmets when they ride a bicycle in case they get in an accident right? Melissa is my hero!

Porn, rape myths, the constructions of masculinities, the lack of voice for survivors, a lack of education, false representations of women's standpoints and laws that do not stand on the side of women all contribute to this. Fighting it won't be easy, but we take it one step at a time.

Ideas as to how to prevent rape?

Pax, I hate to say it, but my college out in the midwest tried to do that sort of education with entering freshman...starting in 1990. Unfortunately, by then it's too late. It had no effect on crime at all. In my experience, it doesn't matter how much of a "stand up guy" he is, there is a strong possibility that his attitudes are different when he's around the guys, ESPECIALLY if he's drinking. I've unfortunately seen it too often. The only way to affect these attitudes is a change in how children are raised in our culture, both genders. This has to start with the parents. In my view, the best way for us to combat it is to raise our sons to not need to follow the pack to validate their manhood, and for our daughters to learn that it's OK for women to be aggressive, as much so as men (especially if danger lurks). And we must be as vigilant in monitoring our sons' activities as our daughters, to make sure that they behave well and are around good influences. If you've done all of that, then likely you won't see this idiocy happening later when they're let loose.

this is so terrible and disgusting... i can't believe shit like this is still happening in the world. why does it feel like, as feminists, we're still moving 5 steps back? what can we do? we need to start a revolution!

"Kudos to her for bring to light the story. It's important to tell these stories, yet I am somehow afraid that it'll reinforce rape myths that rapes only take place in the contexts of a stranger in the night, or involves physical power ...and does not bring to light the prelavence of date rape."

Good points. It's tougher to get a complex set of facts (such as both stranger rape and date rape existing) across than a simpler story :/ , and so important at the same time.

"Karma, like the afterlife, are ideas humans use to comfort themselves whilst living in an unjust world. It's easy to tell yourself 'He'll get what he deserves!'..."

...and easy for some people to tell themselves "she deserved what she got!"...

"Pax, I hate to say it, but my college out in the midwest tried to do that sort of education with entering freshman...starting in 1990. Unfortunately, by then it's too late."

Which reminds me, what about "nontraditional" entering freshmen, who were already let lose for years before going back to school? Would they be more or less receptive to these warnings, do they need them more or less, etc?

This is fucking disgusting and I'm happy that she had the courage to stand up for herself, both in the physical and emotional self defense. It's a testament that we've come this far and still have so, so far to go. Forget jetpacks and condos on the moon, I'd settle for some human fucking decency.

And yeah, RCG, karma happens after you die and as SarahMC pointed out, it's something people use to comfort themselves. We've got to get out of that mentality and be able to punish assholes like this in the here and now or else it will never end.

Bruen is a truly amazing woman. Please stay strong! We're behind you 100%!

All these frat boys need to die. "You think that was assault?" Wait till I hold you down, you sexist fuck, and ram a sword up your ass. Slowly. While people cheer all around you, while you struggle, scream, and bleed.

Well, that would be Hammurabi-style justice, anyway.

This is one brave chick. She absolutely rocks. I'm inspired by her.

Less about this specific situation, but I've never understood why a crime like rape or sexual assault should be appropriate for a University judicial proceeding. That's for schoolkid stuff like plagiarism and cheating on tests and playing music too loud in your dorm room late at night, okay?

Attacking a woman in the woods is a fucking FELONY okay? And, I'm sorry, you wouldn't let a podunk university judicial system handle a murder case, so I don't understand why we've somehow been convinced it's the least bit appropriate when it's rape and assault.

This is a case for real police, and the real courts, and they should investigate it and put people on trial and then in jail. And if the University doesn't assist, then those people should go to jail for obstruction of justice.

Grrr.

My disgust (though, alas, not surprise) that such a thing can happen has already been amply expressed in the preceding posts.

However, I have to say, I'd like to take lessons from Melissa Bruen. Whenever I hear of a woman who didn't freeze in a situation like that, I just want to know how she did it, because it's a skill I have yet to learn (despite, I might add, a black belt in taekwondo).

Janetfaust brings up the "Girls Gone Wild" fad on campuses, and she has a point. But I don't think the point applies to pornography generally. GGW is not the same as your grandparent's porn. I hesitate to even call it "pornography", except in the most nebulous kind of definition (sex/nudity = porn, QED.) Erotica and pornography is based on fantasy - in fact, fantasy is a fundamental characteristic of the genre. The performers are paid professionals (regardless of what one may think of it, it is a profession) that (usually) do not have the actual relationships or even exhibit the same behaviors outside the movie set that they depict on screen. And all fans of pornography used to know this intrinsically, just like they know that an actor that portrays a murderer on screen isn't a murderer in "real life".

But "Girls Gone Wild" and it's imitators are far more damaging and insidious than what we might as well call "traditional" pornography of the "Behind the Green Door" type, or even "Buttman Does Brazil Part XIII".

GGW is "real people" - in this case, drunken college women with colossally bad judgement, being misled and misused by video voyeurs to make a buck. Who are the biggest consumers of GGW videos? College men, of course. I'd wager that in most cases, a GGW video is the only "pornography" that the typical buyer owns. (It would be an interesting consumer poll.)

GGW and its ilk sends a terrible social message to young college men, who are typically living on their own for the first time, with all the crazy behavior and limit-pushing that entails. It sends an equally bad message to college women, who are apparently hearing it: aside from the rare underage girl or case of coercion (for which GGW has been prosecuted and sued), there seems to be no shortage of college women willing to make fools of themselves on camera in exchange for a baseball cap and their 15 minutes of fame.

Educating college men on the realities of date-rape and the need for sexual respect is important, but shouldn't there be an equal calling to feminists to teach college women to refuse to participate in these kinds of videos? Have there been any "Girls Gone Wi