Cyber Rape vs. Real Rape

We met in a small group of three, and we were somewhat divided on whether or not cyber rape was similar (and how) to real life rape. We were divided by whether or not the physical aftermath of rape is stronger than the emotional. I feel that the emotional side is very important and it is the same as real rape. Cyberspace gives an individual a sense of power that he may not have in real life, therefore, his words have the potential to become extremely strong.

• Emotional investment with the people "living" in the online world. Think about novels and things we've read and watched that have traumatized us. Some of these things can be life-altering-- and they're in made up worlds!!!!
• What kind of mind could imagine creepy things like this?!
• Human confrontation with a monstrous imagination
• There is an emotional investment in watching or reading about a character. What is the emotional investment in BEING character? Is there something different about being an avatar?
• What is a REAL person's relationship with his AVATAR?
• Think about people who kill themselves and are severely emotionally injured by Myspace and Facebook interactions
• Are there more emotional involvements when being the avatar than when reading and watching a character?
• "Computer Fraud"... mother told the girl that the world would be a better place without her
• Emotional investment of people with avatars
• Before the avatar, writers could not write in this way...
• Trauma during 9/11. People watching TV and seeing the horrors of what people did and what happened. It is depressing for many people, but why do we need to see this? We don't need to be traumatized. News is traumatizing for many people. So many horrible images are replayed again and again. Violence sells.