attackegg

Oohh, interesting points.
I disagree- in the sense that it's possible to write about very serious topics in a not very serious manner. That's why I made the distinction between a rape scene and a rape fantasy; the latter is very obviously not something that would happen in real life (you know, the whole "but actually it feels good and deep down you start to like it and your rapist is kinda hot, too"). To me, the difference in my reaction stems from the degree of realism in the story.
Also, people have different kinks- some fantasize about being forced to submit, about pain, about being the receiving end of knife play. I, personally, am deeply disturbed by overly violent porn; screaming and pleading and crying literally nauseates me. But if someone enjoys it because they fantasize about being the one pleading and crying, does that mean they lack empathy?
And with regards to the other side:
(found on psychforums.com)
This person may have issues, but empathy doesn't seem to be one of them.
This, on the other hand, I agree with. Actual violence kinks aside, authors joyfully inflict all sorts of suffering on their characters as some quick-fix way of adding drama to their story, and more often than not I feel like if they had been exposed to any of it, even second- or third hand exposed, they might not be as flippant about it. I read (well, started) a story once where the main character had been sexually abused as a child, whored out, made into an alcoholic by age six, had a violent father, a mother in a mental hospital, had to drop out of school early to work full-time and ended up with a stalkerish boyfriend, and that was just the one character. It was completely ridiculous. You could write a whole novel about each of those issues.
I've spent the last year attending to a survivor, and yes, it has definitely made me more... more easily offended, if you will. I'm more likely to find stories downright ignorant now. My definition of what passes as a rape fantasy has narrowed quite a bit.

Fucked in the head, I except. Some sorta severe serotonin deficiency perhaps. Looks out into bright happy smiling hot sunny days in the world and sees desolation and a race bent on self destruction and the fucking up of the poor majority by the obscenly rich majority. Messed up loser scumfuck who oughta be exterminated. Get some kinda sick pleasure from trying to engender visceral reactions of disgust and revulsion in their audience, maybe even enjoy the flames. Exposed to horror stories at a young age and had 'em imprinted on the psyche. Watership Down's rabbits had it tough. No desire to hurt anybody else, but find writing helps feel better sometimes, whether gory splatterbang or just warm and fuzzy.
That's just me, of course. Only me. You with the pen and the hatchet quit getting all offended. I'm sure the others who've dabbled in dismemberment fiction are all lovely well balanced people you'd be quite happy to take home to Mother. Stephen King, I think it was, did a very good essay on the nature of writing and reading horror and such. Undoubtedly there's a few other things on it as well.

I've said that, haven't I.
...Stalker.
...so I have this really nice COMPLETE Original Fiction where I tried to explore someone's realistic reaction to the old "kidnapped by the mob" premise... ;P
I was going to be all I DON'T BITE. But I actually do!