Using the word Rape

[Windywuss]

Aibu...to flinch when people use the word rape in contexts other than sexual assault? We've got an ongoing campaign in my area about over development of green belt and the loss of natural habit. I'm on the side of the people wanting to protect nature... (Not getting into a housing debate here ).

Some people...well, men in fact keep referring to the rape of the countryside. I hate it. It's such an emotive word and hetro men rarely experience actual rape. It really jars.

I also hate the use of porn ..food porn, property porn etc. But that's not as bad for me, I just don't like it.

Anyone feel the same?

It's used for shock value but women who've experienced rape probably don't use it as flippantly.

YANBU, it's horrible. I also dislike it being the name of a crop. Pick any other word!

I agree with this and also cannot believe that none of these upset posters have come across this usage before!

I've certainly come across it. I'm not personally 'upset' as I've never been raped or sexually assaulted. Historical usages eg in the title of paintings should be explained not sanitized.

But I cannot believe decent people would choose to use the word 'rape' now in contexts where there are plenty of other equally appropriate words, or defend its use. Tbh I'm inclined to think that as rape doesn't seem to be taken seriously enough by a lot of people, alternatives such as despoilstion or violation would have more impact, not less.

Don't use a lazy word which may hurt people if you don't have to.

I don't think there's anything particularly trivial in describing the destruction of nature.

Agree that people shouldn't use it to describe buying expensive concert tickets or losing badly at the footie, that is trivialising, mashing up thousand year old forests for shale, not so much

That's totally different. Rape is a plant that grows in fields. Its seeds produce.....rapeseed oil.

It's that bright yellow stuff that flowers in spring. That's rape. The plant.

I agree with the OP, it's a type of hyperbole that's unnecessary. And not really that descriptive when you think about it.

I don't think there's anything particularly trivial in describing the destruction of nature

I quite agree.

Seriously? FGS. 🙄

Yes YABU, the word doesnt just mean to rape as in a sexual assault, it means to ruin/despoil/steal/attack

There are lots of meanings of some words.

I don't think there's anything particularly trivial in describing the destruction of nature.

There isn't. But I'd argue that men using the word 'rape' for it now actually doesn't carry the same force as if they chose a different word. It's become hackneyed.
it means to ruin/despoil/steal/attack so why not use some of those alternatives? Pillage and plunder, violate.

'Rapeseed' is derived from the Latin for turnip ('rapum'). Are you seriously suggesting a name that has existed for centuries should change to suit you?

That said, in some countries, rapeseed is termed 'canola', as is the oil it produces. ('Canola' is the combination of two words: Canada and oil.)

It's a legitimate use of the word, they're using it in the correct context.
I do understand why it can make people uncomfortable but it is the correct verb in that situation (photo from OED online)

Oops, hopefully this is the correct picture...

"I don't think there's anything particularly trivial in describing the destruction of nature"

Neither do I. But rape means-or should mean non consensual penetration with a penis. The weaponising of a penis. Do you really think that shouldn't have its own word?

I think it is wrong, why not just say destruction of the countryside, or even to call it an environmental crime?

I'm okay with with rape in the sense of destruction, despoiling, partly because I grew up with a copy of Alexander Cordell's Rape of the Fair Country on the shelves, (most of his novels are about Wales in the industrial revolution and shoukd br far better known than thry are.)

So I probably knew of it in that sense long before I understood the sexual concept of rape. There's a long history of it being used in that context, and even if we stopped using it that way, we would still need to understand it had had that meaning, because of the context of things like the Rape of the Lock and the Rape of the Sabine Women. You can't just write them out of history, even if individuals haven't had an education that has at least introduced the name in thst context, of the ability to use a dictionary or look up the etymology.

Plus if people don't understand that many words have more than one meaning in English, they're really going to struggle with many aspects of the language. A lot of humour is based on wordplay and puns, which work because words can be understood in more than one way. (I am not advocating for rape jokes in this context, just pointing out many, many words have more than one definition.)

Having said all that, as much as I'm okay with rape in the sense of countryside (and a crop) I really don't like it in the sense of "the shopkeeper raped me" just because his prices seem a bit overinflated - that is unnecessary hyperbole, and in that context, it is offensive to me.

To be clear, I am not unaware that there is another meaning to the word. I'm well educated, thanks. @EBearhug but thanks for explaining about puns 🙈

My point is its being wheeled out by men in the group I'm on for maximum shock value/impact and it's jarring.

I'm have not actually said I'm being 'triggered' either.

I just think it's insensitive and unnecessary and actually a bit of a flippant use. It's a field. I'm as pissed off as anyone else in the group but I don't think the word is merited for this scenario.

The Rape of the Lock is an interesting example. It's possible to read it as a satire on the trivialising of the word-supporting the view some of us on here hold. The Sabine Women were, of course, subjected to real, weaponised penis rape.

That is true. I was also thinking about the Rape of Europa. And Leda. And mostly concluded looking at Greeks and Romans for a model of behaviour is not a wise path to follow in the context of sex. What was with all the turning into other animals anyway?

Yes that is one meaning of the word.