that_punk_guy wrote:
Karlos wrote:
Well, I think it's not so much sex as rape, really - after all you never hear people say "We screwed me over", it's always "You screwed me over". Rape is one of the vilest things one individual can do to another, hence I think it's being used ain this way to express one's sense of being abused.
Perhaps, that seems quite logical. However I've never heard someone actually use the word rape in that context. Wouldn't that suggest that the word "rape" is more of a taboo than the actual act? I'm not so comfortable with that notion. 
Well, it was only a guess :-) That said, I have heard people use "the R word" in a similar context, eg "that policy raped the company". Of course, again the F word is used far more frequently.
-edit-
Of course I also heard the word used to describe the invasion of a country for it's resources.
The other point that I would add is that rape is usually about power and dominance rather than sexual gratification. This would seem to fit the idea that someone rips you off or treats you badly because they can and it gives them some feeling of power.
-/edit-
I think you have a point but perhaps its not a taboo per say, just that maybe people recognise at some subconcious level that actual rape is *far* worse than being ripped off financially. That is to say there's a sort of unwritten rule not to use the word lightly and therefore belittle the seriousness of the crime. Pure conjecture, mind...
