A Rape in Cyberspace

I do not believe that Mr. Bungle raped the two victims. At first I automatically thought, of course it's rape, as long as there is emotional harm being done as a result of some form of sexual harassment it has to be rape. But then I thought about it more. I thought about the ways in which I would react if this were to ever happen to me. Not that the definition of this act would ever depend on my own personal reactions but thinking about it helped to come to a personal conclusion regarding this horrible act. I believe it takes much more anger and hatred for a man to rape a women in reality. On the Internet, any cowardly person is capable of typing in these words with the comforting thought of knowing that they will never really be held responsible for their actions.

Also, part of the purpose of charging and convicting someone with an actual crime is to be able to collect for damages. I would imagine that in the case of a real life rape victim there would likely be medical bills incurred and almost always some sort of counseling needed. These resources cost money that the victim should most definitely be reimbursed. In the case of virtual rape, there may be real feelings involved but I would be surprised if any of the victims needed to seek counseling or medical assistance after the harassment has ceased.

Even though I do not believe that Mr. Bungle's act should be considered rape I do think that there need to be laws and regulations set up for this kind of personal violation occurring on the Internet. This is especially true given the fact that these offenses tend to be happening more and more often. Users should feel safe and able to use and create these friendly environments without worrying about others making bad decisions that sacrifice the reputations of others.