Only you and the backward fucking freaks.
Erm...thanks?
To me, it seemed like joebbowers was making blanket statements based on the false-consensus effect. Based on his personality, I feel confident in my view.
That's how I read it, whether wrongly or rightly.
Most of us agree that if you desire to rape, don't follow that urge or we will punish you.
If you desire sexual relations with 5-year-olds, don't follow that urge, even with the child's consent, or we will punish you.
Actually the idea that most who desire to rape (I know people have 'rape' fantasies) don't rape because they'll get punished worries me. If we suddenly took away the punishment would most decide that it's okay to rape? Even rape a child?
It's akin to the argument that without God there are no morals, the one that Christians like to throw at us atheists because they have this idea that without the fear of hell to punish us, we'd do whatever the hell we want and yet we act contrary and I wouldn't say that it's because we'd be punished by law either, because there are numerous ways of getting away with certain 'immoralities' many simply do not commit. People are still compassionate and still act selflessly, I don't know what percentage of the population is 'nice', but I know that one of our basic emotions is empathy, whilst not everybody has it, but those that do tend to care about how their actions affect others. I would like to think those without empathy are in smaller numbers.
But what are you actually basing this on? Your own projected feelings or something more solid? I'd be interested in seeing how much of the world's population with the desire to rape would rape if the consequences were removed and I wonder how many would live by some kind of moral standard?
Also, just because somebody desires something, it doesn't mean they're opportunists. I might desire to eat a sandwich because I'm hungry, and as I'm out of bread, I can't make myself one, but as soon as I see somebody else with a sandwich, I'm not going to snatch it, yes, I'd probably get away with it - who's going to charge me for stealing a sandwich? But the reason I wouldn't do it is because it's their sandwich and it's not right that I steal it from them, particularly as they probably want to enjoy it.