InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'm 30"

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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	unknownscribler 2009-07-26 08:05 pm UTC (link)
	It was entirely justifiable: Spiderman was in the wrong here. If it had turned out that Spiderman had actionable intelligence he was refusing to share that may have altered the outcome of the engagement and Hill didn't do anything to retrieve it, in a just world she'd have been disciplined or sacked. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-07-27 10:18 pm UTC (link)
	And this makes what she did less wrong...how? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	xdoop 2009-07-27 11:12 pm UTC (link)
	He was withholding important information about a dangerous threat that had already wiped out an entire town and killed another superhero team. What was she supposed to do; sit on her hands? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-07-27 11:25 pm UTC (link)
	How about neutralizing the threat first, you know, for a start, and not breaking countless national and international privacy laws or undermining an ally's civil rights while she's at it? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	xdoop 2009-07-27 11:28 pm UTC (link)
	How about neutralizing the threat first If it was that easy, she wouldn't have needed the Avengers' help in the first place. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-07-27 11:32 pm UTC (link)
	Well, you know, trying sure beats keeping an Avenger from the job while doing nothing about it herself so she can assert her dominance over said Avenger. Priorities, man! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	xdoop 2009-07-27 11:42 pm UTC (link)
	Right, because she was just doing it so she could assert her dominance, and not because she trying to get important information. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

kingrockwell
2009-07-28 12:00 am UTC (link)

There are better, less entirely-skeevy and unambiguously immoral ways of doing that, and especially better times. "Awake and distracted" might include a battle against supervillains even, if the mind-reading must be done, provided it doesn't distract the target from battling said supervillain.
Don't expect me to agree with a character who constantly treats her allies as enemies.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

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