Hofstra Gang Rape Hoax

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

What are the ethics of sex, beyond consent? Who dictates these? There really isn't a good ethical standard, which is why laws are based really only on consent (and related elements to protect children or the mentally impaired).

This is really confirmation bias at its finest. I have no idea how many 5-man gangbangs happen, but I can guarantee I'd only hear about the ones where something goes wrong. Kind of like how I only hear about planes that are hijacked or crash.

Yeah, that's fair enough, I'm just saying we shouldn't extend this too far, because we simply don't know beyond the specifics of this case ... and even then, we're inferring a lot.

I think most ethical conduct requires that we don't hurt other people. Sure, there are exceptions: everything from legal punishments for crimes, to war, to sadomasochistic sex.

But in most cases of human interaction, one can generally conclude that if your own behavior is likely to do another person harm physically or emotionally, it might be more ethical to avoid doing that harm. Legally, I think the standard should be based on consent and I think people should be presumed competent to give consent pretty broadly. But there's a whole lot of behavior that can be legal at one standard but actually require a higher standard to be ethical or moral, and I don't see it as harmful to address that.

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I think most ethical conduct requires that we don't hurt other people. Sure, there are exceptions: everything from legal punishments for crimes, to war, to sadomasochistic sex.

But in most cases of human interaction, one can generally conclude that if your own behavior is likely to do another person harm physically or emotionally, it might be more ethical to avoid doing that harm. Legally, I think the standard should be based on consent and I think people should be presumed competent to give consent pretty broadly. But there's a whole lot of behavior that can be legal at one standard but actually require a higher standard to be ethical or moral, and I don't see it as harmful to address that.

Just to make sure my response accurately portrays your feelings, you're arguing that the moral responsibility for the guys is to avoid having consensual group sex with this woman, because it might harm her reputation in 2009 America?

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Just to make sure my response accurately portrays your feelings, you're arguing that the moral responsibility for the guys is to avoid having consensual group sex with this woman, because it might harm her reputation in 2009 America?

No. I'm suggesting that a women who has so little regard for her social and sexual relationships that she'll willingly engage in this kind of behavior in a public restroom, I might as well add, might not be entirely healthy and able to judge what she actually wants.

The moral responsibility kicks in from the guys because it's kind of a culturally debasing act and her actual willingness is probably pretty hard to judge.

ETA: It might be cool to live in a world where everyone did exactly as he or she choose without any concern for what other people think, but I don't think most people live in that world.

Someone risk-taking enough to engage in a 5-man gangbang as I think you put it earlier is, I think, risk-taking at a level that indicates a desire for self-harm, even if the risk-taking is mainly in the social or emotion realm, rather than physical harm.