InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "momma said knock you out!"

Doop (xdoop) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-07-24 11:31:00

Entry tags:

char: crossbones/brock rumlow, char: iron man/tony stark, char: maria hill, char: professor x/charles xavier, char: spider-man/peter parker, char: vision/jonas, creator: brian michael bendis, creator: ed brubaker, creator: mike deodato, creator: steve epting, publisher: marvel comics, title: captain america, title: new avengers

Mind rape?

While they didn't create the term, TV Tropes defines "Mind Rape" as when "a character is attacked by a villain in the most painful non-physical way possible. Their mind and soul are assaulted with painful, horrifying visions and memories, and broken until they're powerless and numb, but not dead, although afterwards they may wish they were. Nothing sexual occurs, but everything else is there to resemble a rape - violation, helplessness, and the poisoning of what could otherwise be a source of joy."

However I've seen a lot of people throw the term around whenever a character gets their mind read without their permission, as if it's just as bad (or almost as bad) as the act of sexual assault itself.

One such example occurred in New Avengers #19, by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato.

SHIELD has asked the New Avengers for help dealing with the Collective, which is later revealed to be the unified energy signatures of all the mutants depowered after "M-Day." Spider-Man and the Young Avengers' Vision are on the Helicarrier when SHIELD discovers that the energy readings match those of a large number of the depowered mutants. When Spider-Man discovers the connection to the House of M, Iron Man tells him to take the Vision and get off the ship.

Later...

Another example of when the term "mind rape" was used was in reference to this scene from Captain America #28, by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting.

So, do you think any of these examples are comparable to actually raping someone?

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	bluefall 2009-07-24 08:02 pm UTC (link)
	Not at all. A gynecologist is still operating from the clothes/no clothes paradigm. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	midnightvoyager 2009-07-24 08:04 pm UTC (link)
	Yes, but as I have said, THERE ARE CLOTHES. Unless a telepath is so crappy that they can't control any of it (probably driving them insane in the process from thought overload), reading someone's mind is deliberate. The fact that it is deliberate means that there are indeed clothes. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bluefall
2009-07-24 08:11 pm UTC (link)

That's a pretty narrow and unsupportable interpretation of telepathy. Characters who get headaches from being around too many other minds, or have to learn to establish mental shields in order to keep other thoughts out, or who complain that their friends are broadcasting their emotions too loudly, suggest that Marvel telepathy is far more comparable to vision or hearing - learning to ignore or tune a thing out or to focus more closely on it is not just consistent with canon, but consistent with the way all other human senses work.

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midnightvoyager
2009-07-24 08:17 pm UTC (link)

Yes, unshielded telepathy is seen as a bad thing.

Which would be why telepaths develop shields, lest they go insane or whatever. Where has it been shown that not having a shield against the thoughts of others was a good thing? If you don't block out the thoughts of others... that is not the norm. One of the first things a telepath learns is how to block that out for a REASON. I suppose... okay, odd analogy, but there's few that suit it well, as it can't be compared to much accurately with every nuance. It's like learning how to control when you crap. Sure, you could do without learning how, but it is not socially acceptable at all. You would suffer negative consequences.

I suppose this would be a bit more like "learning not to crap on other people."

See? There's no way to make a proper analogy, because absolutely nothing is as deep as the human mind. Not even the human body.

And on top of that, there's a vast difference between emotions and thoughts. Emotions are vague impressions. Innermost thoughts are not.

Either way... reading someone's mind without their permission is not a good thing. Not even a neutral thing. That is all I am saying. If someone read my mind, they would shortly find a neverending grudge against their very existence.

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bluefall
2009-07-24 08:25 pm UTC (link)

Yeah, they develop shields, but that's still learning to control a sense. It's the equivalent of learning how to filter out other people's conversations. Eavesdropping is rude, and asking people not to do it is one thing. Asking them to cripple their sense of hearing and never take their earplugs off without express permission is different. Forgive my unqualified response to your unqualified statement; your initial argument seems to encompass everything from an emotional surface scan to a deep memory probe, and I know of no fictional universe with telepathy where those two ends of the spectrum are comparable in terms of investment and deliberation by the telepath.

If someone read my mind, they would shortly find a neverending grudge against their very existence.

Fair enough.

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