Crtical thinking flaws in: "The Rape Epidemic Doesn't Actually Exist"

Critical thinking flaws in:

"The Rape 'Epidemic' Doesn't Actually Exist"

(By Caroline Kitchens)

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/10/24/statistics-dont-back-up-claims-about-rape-culture

The writer introduces the topic well with this reasonable description of the topic of her post:

               

 A group of 100 protesters – including many topless women – recently marched the streets of    Athens, Ohio chanting, "Blame the system, not the victim" and "Two, four, six, eight, stop the violence, stop the rape." Organized by an Ohio University student organization called "f*ckrapeculture," the protest was designed to bring attention to what the founders believe is a   toxic culture of sexism and sexual violence infecting their campus.

Kitchens claims that the recent efforts of rape awareness activists is, "...built on a foundation of dubious statistics and a distorted view of masculinity." She offers no example or proof of what that "distorted view of masculinity" is or how it is manifested. The link the writer uses to offer evidence of dubious statistics was written in 1994 and based on statistics from even earlier.  It would seem that the writer is picking and choosing what statistics are valid with little method.

Kitchens claims that these certain statistics are unreliable, "...primarily because of vague and expansive definitions of what qualifies as sexual assault." The assertion ignores the widely known fact that many sexual assaults go unreported, which would also skew the numbers. The writer dismisses  a poll from  the Department of Justice that the activists have used to support their efforts, but uses one of their (old) reports in the very next paragraph. 

At this point I am starting to wonder why Caroline Kitchens is so tough on the universities who, " have recently reviewed and revised their policies. " And claims, "It is not clear that these policies have made campuses safer places for women, but they have certainly made them treacherous places for falsely accused men." So I click on her profile and find this is the only blog post. I have no evidence, but I suspect a troll.

The writer chooses to relay the story of the young man featured in the post's only photo, but does not offer the anecdotes from the other perspective. The case Kitchens chooses to profile was also not one where the victim later recanted, which may have supported the argument more strongly. The author lacks any statistical evidence of the frequency of false accusations.

I believe the writer began the article with a point to prove, rather than a question to answer. This led to statistical cherry-picking and an oversimplification about the plight rape awareness activists are fighting. The author fails to prove the claim asserted in the title of the article.