Rape always has and always will be a controversial topic. With the recent uproar of sexual assault cases in college, many parents have become very worried. This does not include Susan Patton, also known as the Princeton Mom. The recent divorcée has shared a very traditionalist view on rape, saying that ‘date rape’ should really just be called ‘mistake sex’. When questioned on the true meaning of rape on CNN, Patton responded with, “The definition of rape is no longer when a woman is violated at the point of a gun or a knife. We’re now identifying as rape what really is a clumsy hookup melodrama or a fumbled attempt at a kiss or caress.”
Many women who have been sexually assaulted or have seen assault firsthand with a friend or family member are outraged at Patton’s views on the subject. Patton’s views shame women on the amount of alcohol that they drink, which is piece of advice that most parents share with their children before they leave for college. However, during her interview with CNN, Patton asked rhetorical questions: “why can’t the victim just get up and leave?” and “wouldn’t the victim be more afraid of rape than running away?”
Patton also has a very strict understanding about marriage – that it should happen during college. How does Patton expect people to find their “soul mate” in college if they are supposed to be expected to get up and leave if they get the paranoid feeling that rape could potentially bring on to someone? Patton, who is also looking for a new “soul mate” of her own, has high standard, saying that the man must be from Princeton, because if she does get married again, she is hoping for the Princeton chapel, complete with orange roses. All in all, she’s got high standards that are limited to a small conclave of intellectual men.
Overall, many people don’t agree with her traditionalist views. Patton’s understandings are one from a concerned parent, possibly psychotic to some, but still concerned for the well being of the victim.
Sources:
http://www.salon.com/2014/04/22/ princeton_mom_gets_schooled_at_her_alma_mater_partner/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/11/princeton-mom-cnn-campus- rape_n_6311402.html
http://time.com/21746/princeton-mom-susan-patton-boyfriends/