Conversations with Co-workers and Why I Should Eat Lunch Alone

A week or so ago I had an interesting conversation about media, literature, and rape. It sounds like an unbelievable conversation right? Women from several age groups and backgrounds. We began this discussion talking about Luke and Laura from General Hospital, Luke rapes Laura and she falls in love. I mentioned that this is an archetype for the "romance" genre. A woman is victimized by a man, and the situation bonds them together. I point specifically to Gone with the Wind; Scarlet resists Rhett, physically, and he takes her upstairs and then all is right in the world. One of my older co-workers can't believe I read that scene as a rape scene of course people can read scenes differently, but it is generally accepted in the literary community that it is a subtle rape scene. This co-worker then mentioned that Scarlet and Rhett were married, which caught the rest of us, of the feminist persuasion, off guard. I responded with a man can rape his wife, which was agreed upon by...I like to think everyone. It was an interesting situation, and because I watch far too much Law and Order SVU I thought I should write about it.