Charm And Rigor — Richard Morgan

THE O'REILLY FACTOR
[Fox News, 24 March 2004]

O'REILLY: In the "Back of the Book" Segment tonight, in 1998, Dr. Peter Anderson, a Ph.D. in human sexuality co-authored a book called "Sexually Aggressive Women: Current Perspectives and Controversies." Well, this month, that theme has been picked up by "Details" magazine which puts forth in an article that sexually aggressive women are taking advantage of some American men. Skeptical?

Joining us now from New Orleans is Dr. Anderson.

You know, I was single for a long time there, Doctor.

PETER ANDERSON, PH.D., "SEXUALLY AGGRESSIVE WOMEN": Me too.

O'REILLY: I -- I don't know these women. I don't know who they are, and I find it almost hard to believe that some woman could force a guy to have sex with her. Tell me how -- why I'm wrong.

ANDERSON: Well, why you're wrong, I guess, is simply because it does happen. We know from reports by women themselves as well as reports by men that this takes place, and force becomes an interesting issue. You know, there's the issue of most women who initiate sex with a man are likely to use what we might call seductive tactics. You know, they're going to start kissing him or start massaging him or start undressing him, all of those things that we think are hopefully going to turn somebody on.

O'REILLY: All right. But let me -- let me stop you there, all right.

ANDERSON: OK.

O'REILLY: If you're -- if you're lucky enough as a guy to have some girl come on to you in that manner, but you don't want to reciprocate, you stand up, and you leave, unless the woman is 240 pounds and tackles you. The man is traditionally stronger and better equipped to leave the room.

ANDERSON: That's absolutely true.

O'REILLY: So what is the force?

ANDERSON: That's absolutely true.

O'REILLY: I mean if some woman was nibbling on my elbow or whatever and I don't want her to, I just say stop, and, if she doesn't, I get up and I leave.

ANDERSON: Right. And that's what most men do in those circumstances. In other circumstances, men are too drunk or too high or are...

O'REILLY: That's different. Now that's different.

ANDERSON: Yes, that is different.

O'REILLY: Right.

ANDERSON: Or anyone can pick up a weapon or...

O'REILLY: A weapon?

ANDERSON: A weapon. Or multiple people can control a single person. So you have all these circumstances where -- through the -- through psychological force or some level of physical force or the threat of physical force, there are women who can and do overpower men.

O'REILLY: I -- and I guess -- I guess it's possible that it happens once in a while, but, in this "Details" magazine, April 2004, they go it happens more than you think. Oh, come on. I mean, you know...

ANDERSON: Well, more than you think. I'm not sure what we think. Those of us who do research in this...

O'REILLY: Well, I don't think it happens at all, and I don't know of any...

ANDERSON: OK. Well, then -- then it is...

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: ...force you to have sex.

ANDERSON: Then it is more than you think.

O'REILLY: Right.

ANDERSON: Our research would tell us that about somewhere between 1 percent and 9 percent of women, depending upon the study that we've done and the population that we've studied, somewhere between 1 percent and 9 percent of women self-report that they have used some physical force tactic in order to get a man to have sex with them.

O'REILLY: All right. Do you have -- do you have the names and addresses of these people...

ANDERSON: I do not. I do not.

O'REILLY: ...so I can check this out.

ANDERSON: I bet if you talked just right, you could get some women to call you, though.

(LAUGHTER)

O'REILLY: I mean it's just so dopey. Now I know women manipulate men. They say, oh, you're not a real man if you don't have sex with me.

ANDERSON: Right.

O'REILLY: It's the same thing as a guy saying you don't love me if you don't have sex with me. That's not...

ANDERSON: That's exactly right.

O'REILLY: That's not force. That's just sleazy tactics that are used, you know, and...

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Absolutely.

O'REILLY: ...I can't -- I'm just not buying this, Doc. I'm not buying that there are millions of American women running around forcing guys to have sex with them. I'm just not buying it.

ANDERSON: Well, I'm not sure there are millions as well, but, when we do research about this, we look at the difference between what we might call coercive behavior and what we might call physical force behavior. Women are much more likely to use the manipulative sort of tactics, the coercive behavior, than the physical force behavior.

O'REILLY: But that's not forcing.

ANDERSON: That's not forcing. On the other hand, the classic date- rape scenario is that somebody is drunk and, therefore, can't give adequate consent, and another person takes advantage of them.

O'REILLY: Different. That's a crime.

ANDERSON: OK.

O'REILLY: That's different.

ANDERSON: So the issue is...

O'REILLY: Forcing anybody to have sex would be a crime anyway.

ANDERSON: OK.

O'REILLY: If you -- if you're foolish enough to get inebriated with somebody you don't know, yes, bad things can happen on both sides of the ledger.

ANDERSON: Exactly.

O'REILLY: All right, Doc. We appreciate your point of view. But, if you do come up with the stats about who these women are, I would certainly like to research it.

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