Serious Why is rape considered "taboo"? (Hear me out)

[Snhook]

Disclaimer: rape = "bad" I'm not condoling any form of behavior.

From a standpoint of physical harm, rape and assault aren't really that different. If anything, aggravated assault tends to cause a great deal more physical harm than rape does. But despite this, rape laws tend to carry much more severe penalties than assault laws do.

This is an example of laws basing their penalty decisions on abstract ideas such as the "sanctity" and "purity" of women rather than basing it on the real, concrete physical harm inflicted on victims. If the laws were more objective, then there would be a maximum sentence for rape just like there's a maximum sentence for assault (at least in the state I live in anyways).

When people hear about someone who was beaten up vs. someone who was raped, they'll empathize deeply with both victims. But there appears to be a particularly more pronounced moral indignation in the case of the rape victim that isn't extended to the assault victim.

Again, I must emphasize that I'm not condoning any type of behavior. I'm simply pointing out that some things which society deems detestable aren't always taboo. Such as the case with assault.

For example, you run the risk of being demonetized on a platform like YouTube for saying the word "rape" but not if you say the word "assault". An odd double standard if you ask me.

 

[lumipallo]

Physical harm isn't the only type of harm or even the worst kind. You can easily imagine multiple ways of mentally torturing someone that eventually drives them to suicide and, I'd wager, most people would intuitively agree, including you yourself, that it should carry a greater penalty than simply a punch to the face.