Have you ever wondered what men feel about rapists? In this blogpost, I will try to explain what men really think about those who rape and why we feel that strongly about this. You might find that the truth is not like some feminists want it to be.

But first of all, a few bits and pieces of information. You’re reading this on http://www.bull-hansen.com, where all content is written by myself, Norwegian novelist and blogger Bjørn Andreas Bull-Hansen. (If you’re reading this on another website, you’re reading pirated material.) The fact that I, the writer, is Norwegian, has a lot to do with everything and I will start by informing you that the Norwegian legal system is not exactly like the system you will find for instance in the USA. First of all and contrary to popular belief, the Norwegian system is not very good at making people understand they should not do bad things. We don’t have good rehabilitation statistics. For example, about 60% of people convicted for violent crimes will be back in prison within 2 years. Secondly, those who are convicted for violent crimes normally get a very mild sentence. When it comes to rape, the statistics are horrifying: Out of the very few that are actually convicted in court, the average sentence is 3 years 4 months, but about 70% of those have their sentence reduced to about 2 years. Read that again. Two – 2 – years for raping a woman.

If you have a heart, you will agree that this is a disgrace. Recently, three Norwegian males were found guilty of raping a young girl, but they were not convicted by the court, even though they were found guilty enough to pay her some financial compensation. The girl then made their names public through social media.

Of course, the talking heads in Norwegian mainstream media condemned this, while everyone else supported her. Interestingly enough, the Norwegian feminist groups finally woke from their sleep and started protesting against the sick and twisted Norwegian legal system. Which is great! That said, the fact that the three rapists are «white» seemed to make it much easier for the feminists to protest. I haven’t heard the feminists raising their voice, not even a single time after the rape epidemic (in which men from muslim countries are vastly overrepresentated) hit Europe. But I’ll give them credit anyway, at least they are finally raising their voices.

However, what I will not accept is when some feminists claim that men don’t speak up against rape. It is a statement I’ve heard and read quite frequently during the last few days, and it needs to be answered.

Listen up, feminists. You are very, very wrong. Real men do speak up against rape! Let me tell you this: If you had been a fly on the wall when I’m with my male friends and the subject of rape comes up, you’d be shocked and maybe even disgusted. Whenever the word «rapist» is mentioned, the words «cut off» and «with a rusty axe» typically follows.
Please understand this: Men, and I’m talking about real men, despise rapists. We hate them as strongly as we love women, and it really shouldn’t be hard to understand why. The first person we love, is our mom. Then, some might grow up with a sister. When we get into our teens, we get girlfriends and most men marry and have kids, which makes you your wife’s husband and if you have a daughter, your daughter’s father. As a man, you spend your whole life caring for and loving the women in our life. Which is why it is easy for us to relate to the pain the rapist’s victim feels, and also the pain of her loved ones. This is why real men hate rapists.

So men do speak up against rape. However, our words on this subject are harsh and no Norwegian newspaper would dream of printing them. (Which is why it is convenient that I have this blog.) Let me add that in a country like Norway where serious crimes like rape are «punished» with only a two year prison sentence, if there is a conviction at all, you’ll have people taking the law into their own hands. Why shouldn’t they? Why should they «respect the law» when the law fails to respect our women and children? And what’s more, why should friends and famliy of rape victims care about the consequences for beating up a rapist when those consequences are most likely just a fine and compensation for dental prosthetics? If you want anarchy, lower the sentences to a shameful minimum. It’s that simple. If you don’t believe me, fine. But I have to use both my hands when I count the cases I know of where the rapist was horribly beaten up by friends of the rapist’s victim.

Let me make it perfectly clear that that self justice has no place in a civilized society. Innocent people will often become the victim of collective rage and I don’t like the thought of lynch mobs roaming the streets. We’re not there – yet. But at least in Norway, we do have what I call the “vigilante effect” and it’s all about revenge. Now, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Men are violent beings, we always have been. Take away our incentive to be civilized (like you do when you lower the sentences for violent crimes) and you get some very angry men who will protect their loved ones with extreme force and hunt down whoever hurts them. And if you’re now thinking this is only some guy trying to be tough on his blog, please wake up. Norway is not only beautiful scenery and fjords, there is a darker, almost medieval side to this country that tourists never see. An English friend of mine lives here and when he was a younger man, he used to be the guy nightclub owners in Oslo would call when they needed particularly dangerous individuals thrown out the door. I remember he shook his head one day and told me: «You Norwegians are so extremely vengeful.»

Maybe I should be sorry about this whole mess and the semi-anarchy that lurks in the shadows of every Norwegian city and small town. But I’m only sorry that the Norwegian legal system has been tweaked and distorted by lawyers with a twisted sense of justice and that rapists aren’t routinely convicted to a lifetime in prison. I’m only sorry about how modern society seems to celebrate selfish behaviour in young males and how politicians, journalists and feminists alike confuse masculinity with abusive behaviour. I’m only sorry about the fact that men are criticized for not speaking up against rape when in fact, we always have been.

I wish the feminists would understand that if they could start celebrating men and masculinity, like we men celebrate women and femininity, we would be allies. If only they could understand that being a man is not only a matter of your sex. A rapist is not a man, he is just a stupid, disgusting bully and a sorry excuse for a human being. Masculine power is about protection, warmth, safety and love and my life experience has taught me that those are qualities women appreciate. Rapists, wife beaters and such scum have no masculine power (and interestingly enough, those individuals tend to have a lower testosterone score than other males according to recent research). Furthermore, we actually have no obligation to «understand» them, like their lawyers and psychologists say we must. Life is hard and yes, some rapists and child molesters were themselves victims, but that does not make any rapist less of a monster and more of a human being. Let me tell you, life is hard to everybody. Being a man is about accepting that fight without becoming a monster, no matter how many blows you’re dealt. That is why a rapist can never be a man — his lack of empathy and his horrible actions disqualifies him.

-Bjørn Andreas Bull-Hansen

Read more: Once We Were Free

All blogposts on this website are copyrighted and may not be copied to other websites. However, sharing to social media is encouraged and welcomed.