Rape and Rhetoric

To the editors:

Jordana R. Lewis's clearly heart-felt concern for what she describes as the "epidemic that preys upon the Harvard campus" ("Date Rape Happens at Harvard," Nov. 30) is not altogether reasonable. No doubt there are grains of truth in her sincere conviction that there are many more cases of date rape than the Harvard University Police Department or the University acknowledge. However, she should refrain from using words such as "epidemic" when she can offer readers lots of speculations but few hard facts.

Highly charged and unsubstantiated rhetoric is misplaced in any reasoned discussion of rape at Harvard, for it abstracts a very important issue into so much public hysteria and paranoia. Of little help to rape victims themselves, it only serves to brand our population of young men--most of whom are not brutes and cads--with undue suspicion.

Bronwen Catherine McShea '02

Nov. 28, 2000

Populist Nebraska

To the editors: