The most useful function of such an article would be if readers approached it as “evil rapist thoughts ew ew” but not “rapist mutant.” (Obviously neither of these implies the other, even if they do suggest them.) Then they might be able to notice rapey thoughts when they appear and stop them with a disgust reaction. I suspect this is how most moral edification works, even.
I would argue that approaching them as “ew ew” interferes with our understanding of these thoughts, but actually I had interpreted the comment as meaning “ew a rapist” not “ew rapist thoughts”.
The most useful function of such an article would be if readers approached it as “evil rapist thoughts ew ew” but not “rapist mutant.” (Obviously neither of these implies the other, even if they do suggest them.) Then they might be able to notice rapey thoughts when they appear and stop them with a disgust reaction. I suspect this is how most moral edification works, even.
Yes—and that’s indeed what most commenters to those articles other than “how dare you point out rapists are human” said they would be doing.
I would argue that approaching them as “ew ew” interferes with our understanding of these thoughts, but actually I had interpreted the comment as meaning “ew a rapist” not “ew rapist thoughts”.