Dear Editor,
I write in response to the editorial 'Rape - a human issue,' published in the Wednesday, July 19, issue of The Universe.
Let me preemptively disabuse anyone of the notion that I am attacking the message of the article; I couldn't agree more that males need to take a stronger stand against those who would debase women. Rape is a terrible thing, a despicable means of self-gratification at the expense of others, and I am in favor of harsh punishments for those who commit rape.
The statistics quoted in the article support the idea we must all be very careful, lest someone decide to rape us. I fully agree with that message.
However, having learned something about statistics (the science of making a set of data say whatever you want it to say), I am curious about the source of a few statements. For example, one statistic was that 'one in seven men will be raped in their lifetime.' If possible, I would like to know where that piece of information (and the rest of the statistics in the article) came from. Knowing how that number was calculated will give me a better idea of the scope of the danger to me and my fellow non-incarcerated, heterosexual males.
The point is it is inherently difficult to trust statistics when they are reported without a clear statement of how they were calculated. I ask that in the future when the editors include statistics in their articles, they also give the source of those statistics.
Glade E. Roper
Porterville, Calif.