gain more satisfaction

Hi,

Because anything posted on the Web is available forever through an Internet search, a rape survivor must consider how they would feel if that information were dredged up in the future, counselors said. By making themselves -- or their IP address -- available, victims open themselves to unreliable and unprofessional advice and the harsh judgment of their peers.

Perhaps worst of all, they could give their perpetrator a chance to find them again or gain more satisfaction.

1. Can I pluralize perpetrator? First, I wouldn't say 'their perpetrator'. The possessive sounds inappropriate here. I'd just say 'the perpetrator'.       ' . . . of this particular rape' will be assumed by the reader.

You can pluralize the word if it was multiple people, or say 'perpetrator or perpetrators', but that seems cumbersome, so I'd just leave it as singular. 

2. What's does the phrase "gain more satisfaction" imply, rape? No. The idea is that the perpetrator may possibly enjoy reading the victim's comments and feelings about the rape.

Best wishes, Clive

Hi,

No, your first assumption about locating them physically is correct.

He might find them physically or enjoy reading what they say about the rape.

Best wishes, Clive

Hi,

Perhaps worst of all, they could give their perpetrator a chance to find them again or gain more satisfaction.

This passage is making my head spin. I wonder which part of the passage infers that the perpetrators may locate their victims physically instead of their message on the Internet.

When one speaks of 'finding someone', the usual implication is physically. If the intended meaning is other than physical, the words should show that, eg a chance to find them again on the internet.

Actually, the wording of the original is not good, because by presenting the two alternatives it seems to suggest that the alternative of finding the person would not bring satisfaction. It would be better to say a chance to find them again or to gain more satisfaction by reading what they write.

Best wishes, Clive 

New2grammar

By making themselves -- or their IP address -- available, victims open themselves to unreliable and unprofessional advice and the harsh judgment of their peers.

 

This journalist didn't know what she is writing.  Making an IP address available means nothing except to law enforcement.  Only your ISP can determine where you physically are from the IP address and law enforcement needs a subpoena from the court to ask the ISP to disclose such information.  No one can contact you just through an IP address.  She should have written "By making themselves available through the Internet (e.g. MSN, facebook, other online communities), ....."

New2grammar

Perhaps worst of all, they could give their perpetrator a chance to find them again or gain more satisfaction.

We can only guess what she means.  Clive already offered his interpretation. However, the whole thing just doesn't make much sense to me.  Somewhere else in the article mentioned that "Most sexual violence is acquaintance rape".  An acquaintance knows where the victim is and does not need to find the victim through the Internet.  The article mentioned a case in which the attacker continued to go to the same class as the victom.  Perhaps, this sentence means the attacker may find the victim on the Internet and gain more satisfaction by pretending to be someone sympathetic and then luring the victim to re-tell and re-live what happened.

She began instant messaging in chat rooms but quickly realized that many people who initially seemed sympathetic were only pretending.

"The next thing you know, they are making it seem like they are turned on. They were asking me for details of my rape. It was very disturbing," she said. "I had to block several people. After that, I thought the worst of the world. I thought everyone was a perpetrator, and I trusted no one."

Perhaps, the journalist is using the language like a digital native.  A digital native means someone who grows up taking for granted everything digital.  They call a digital camera just "a camera" while a digital migrant calls that a "digital camera".  "Finding some" is then by default finding someone on the Internet.