Viewing rapists as monsters?

Here's an interesting article out of South Africa. The writer considers the labeling of rapists as "monsters" troubling and makes a pretty decent case for why we as advocates should work to humanize rapists.Pretty much, he argues that rape is a product of extreme masculinity. And, since masculinity is a product of society- the dehumanizing of rapists prevent us from being able to really acknowledge the problem: the way boys are socialized to behave.

A couple interesting quotations:

• But seeing rapists as monsters, or as a separate category of people, means that we miss the very simple observation that rapists are men.

• To cut a long story short I would argue that the act of rape embodies much of what is associated with (a particular version of) masculinity: power, virility, domination, sexual prowess, control over women. 

Take a look at the article and share your thoughts in the comments sections!