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Would you consider castration or penectomy for sexual assault to be overly harsh?

Reaver

Staff
Moderator
I want to remind everyone of our Forum Rule regarding sensitive topics. If this thread begins to devolve into a shouting match, I will shut it down. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

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Sensitive issues include, but are not limited to:

Sexual assault (rape, molestation, incest, etc.)

Gender-based discussions

Racial relations

Sexual orientation and self-identity

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Annoyingkid

Banned
We're talking about the believability factor of such a measure in a fantasy context - not my personal views on excessive punishment. In the context of a fantasy world I wouldn't even blink at mention of a thief losing a hand, or indeed as we're discussing here, a man losing his junk for crossing a well-established societal boundary/redline.

Actually the OP didn't ask if it was believable because that goes without saying. He asked us if it was too harsh and if it fit the crime in "our" opinion. Because it is too harsh, the reader will see it as a villainous or at best anti-heroic act. What isn't believable is telling modern audiences this punishment is a good thing. It's a fundamentally evil act.
 
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pmmg

Myth Weaver
I think worse things have happened in many different cultures and many different times. It would only seem too harsh if the culture this was taking place in deemed it that way. The one to be punished might have a different opinion though. Could be it is too harsh, but it gets applied anyway, and thereby causes some societal reaction.
 

plasticroyal

Dreamer
Actually the OP didn't ask if it was believable because that goes without saying. He asked us if it was too harsh and if it fit the crime in "our" opinion. Because it is too harsh, the reader will see it as a villainous or at best anti-heroic act. What isn't believable is telling modern audiences this punishment is a good thing. It's a fundamentally evil act.

What isn't believable is an audience who would feel sympathy for a serial sex offender. IMO it fits the crime, sorry.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
What isn't believable is an audience who would feel sympathy for a serial sex offender. IMO it fits the crime, sorry.

I hate to differ on such terrible a topic, but I think an audience can be made to feel sympathy for any character, more so if the story is well written and that is part of its effort.
 

plasticroyal

Dreamer
I hate to differ on such terrible a topic, but I think an audience can be made to feel sympathy for any character, more so if the story is well written and that is part of its effort.

I find it difficult to detach myself from the reality of sexual assault I suppose.
 

Annoyingkid

Banned
What isn't believable is an audience who would feel sympathy for a serial sex offender. IMO it fits the crime, sorry.

Body mutilation as punishment doesn't fit the crime in our culture. So the OP would be making a mistake if the intention is to portray it as ethical to western readers, where it's recognised that people accused of sexual offences have the right to bodily integrity.

The OP can portray such punishment by all means, but has to recognise that he or she is portraying a dystopian legal system.
 

plasticroyal

Dreamer
Body mutilation as punishment doesn't fit the crime in our culture. So the OP would be making a mistake if the intention is to portray it as ethical to western readers, where it's recognised that people accused of sexual offences have the right to bodily integrity.

The OP can portray such punishment by all means, but has to recognise that he or she is portraying a dystopian legal system.

OP outlined the culture involved in this hypothetical and I don't think the reader would find this out of line, in that sort of a society, in a fantasy novel, is all.

I don't think OP felt for a second that this would ever be regarded as just in our culture in the real world, of course not and I apologise for not being clearer on that point.

Edit: to be clear I see this along the same lines as Daenerys burning her enemies alive. Fit for fiction.
 
0.0

I think it's up to you as a writer, but at this point with George R.R. Martin having popularized the eunich you might want to consider how you implement it if you intend to use it. This political edge is interesting, the overly harsh measure sounds more like an implementation of the politics and politics has never been kind so. Consider your writing.
 

Annoyingkid

Banned
Edit: to be clear I see this along the same lines as Daenerys burning her enemies alive. Fit for fiction.

Portraying it as too harsh is fit for fiction. Portraying it as not too harsh is not. Either the OP understands that it's too harsh, and portrays it as such, for example by having those who do it go through comeuppance or development, or he doesn't realize it and portrays it as fine and dandy, and maybe even goes as far as to portray the victims of it as wrong for complaining, if they ever complain at all.
 

James Wilson

Dreamer
In one of the realms in my Sundered Spheres, the punishment for rape is to be cast into the sea with a water-breathing spell and a sort of watery featherfall spell so that the perp slowly sinks until he’s crushed in the dark depths. It might be overly harsh, but personally I think it’s too good for ‘em.
 
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