I wrote a column several weeks back that addressed, among other things, the right of women to wear “revealing” clothing without being accused of whoredom or “asking” to be raped. Several individuals responded to that column and some actually made the claim that rape cases are the fault of both the victim and the rapist.
Naturally I was astounded that someone would fault one among our sisters as asking for what some might believe to be the worst experience one could suffer on this green Earth, and so I am going to respond to this popular and masculine notion now — that rape is somehow partial in its allocation of guilt, lending itself to both the raped and the rapist.
There is an intriguing story called the “Rape of Mr. Smith” that relates robbery with rape and how similarly they could be investigated in terms of fault if seen in the same light. Mr. Smith, a business man and dressed as such, is robbed while on the street. His interrogators accuse him of “asking” to be robbed because he is not only a philanthropist, already prone to just “handing out” money to anyone, but also lavishly dressed, and so it is assumed on the part of the officers that he put himself in the position of being robbed, whether he wanted to be or not.
Though consent is the real issue here, just as it is in rape, what is muddled by the officers is past behavior; by doing so they validate the erroneous and ad hominem argument that because he formerly gave out money he could not object to doing so against his will. The same thought process occurs when investigating the rape of escorts, prostitutes, erotic dancers or ladies out on the town. Because these individuals engage in what is believed to be high-risk behavior, or because they sell sex, or are looking to “hook up,” or even because they have engaged in sex with that individual before, it is assumed, and by a largely male-driven law enforcement institution, that these women are at fault for the violation of their own bodies.
If you subscribe to this silly notion, and that is the only way I can describe it since it is child-like in its logic, then I would be forced to ask the same about gun owners or hunters, or thrill seekers, or morbidly obese people, or those who have contracted diabetes by way of a poor diet.
If we are going to penalize women for rape, holding them accountable for assaults against them, then why don’t we hold the unhealthy accountable for their medical conditions by depriving them of healthcare? Or refuse insurance or any kind of medical aid to someone made a paraplegic after a failed attempt bungee jumping? What about a child who commits suicide with his parent’s gun? Should we penalize them for providing the murder weapon, even if it is done inadvertently? There needs to be intent behind actions.
Merely because a woman seeks the attention of a man does not mean she is seeking to be violated. A storeowner may seek to attract customers with his products; this does not mean he wishes to be robbed.
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So you're writing opinion articles in response to opinion articles that you yourself wrote. Way to be relevant CT, who allows this stuff to get printed. Heres an idea, not every response needs to go up you can screen a few of these out.
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Dude, that was desperate. You're just upset that you can't justifiably oppose this article because doing so would make you look like a total idiot. But you're right, the CT does suck. Except for when they post articles like this one.
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Having problems with pompous writers is different than supporting rape, nice try though. You're just upset that you can't justifiably oppose what I said about this self serving tool. If I disagreed with this article I would not hesitate to tell you why. See unlike John when I can't defend a belief I re-evaluate it.
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Thank you for your valued opinion # 3.
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Hey are you the dude that calls in from tech?
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you are an idiot...for an accurate comparison u need to create the scene where a wealthy individual travels down a bad neighborhood flaunting money, and then is robbed...the act of flaunting oneself, or in this case ones body DOES NOT make it alright for someone to abuse it...however the point of the argument is that it attracts attention, which you cannot deny
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Agreed. I don't think the intent is to assign *blame* to the victim - clearly the perpetrator is the one completely at fault - but rather to serve as a caution and point out that there may be an elevated risk if you dress or act a certain way.
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Actually, both of you missed his point.
He was not comparing rape to robbery so much as the rape of prostitutes and their treatment to the rape of a wealthy man who gives out money. No one would question the robbery of a philanthropist but people would question a person who sells sex who is rapes. That is the point...geez
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Perhaps the "flaw" in my argument is that I would not question the rape of a prostitute as somehow less valid. I agree that society as a whole would side with the philanthropist more than the stripper, but I am in agreement with the author that the two are philosophical analogues.
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If some rich guy was robbed in a poor neighborhood the cops would file it and just add it to the record if the guy was ever caught for something else. For rape you actually have the cops caring, so are you saying that we shouldn't care about rape victims?
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If we lived in a perfect world, yes - any woman could walk down any street at any time wearing what ever she wanted, completely alone, with no fear of being assaulted. But we don't live in that perfect world. Until we do - if it isn't for sale, don't advertise it. Be smart and be safe. No rape victim "deserved it" or "asked for it"...but quite often they were avoiding very simple steps to keep themselves safe. Don't drink, don't be out at night alone, cover up. Until we live in that perfect world, those are the most effective things you can do to protect yourself from rape.
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In the most oppressive, conservative, and religious parts of the Middle East, women are required to be covered from head to toe at all times in public. Even though these women are covered up to the utmost degree, women are still raped. In these cases the legal system still finds a way to blame the woman. It is not uncommon for teenage girls to be publicly whipped for the crime of being raped.
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Thank you Paul for your contribution.
The point is not that we should live in a perfect world, or that dressing scantily does not attract attention, but that there is no excuse to rape a woman. It does not matter what she was doing.
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At the same time though you make it sound like it's wrong to encourage women to be safe. If you don't attract attention to yourself you're less likely to get raped. Same reason I put my digital camera away in poor neighborhoods.
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First of all, rich people steal things too. So if you hide your nice items only in poor neighborhoods you might want to evaluate what stereotypes you have about the working class.
Secondly, as someone who recognizes the dangers dressing provocatively can bring about, I do encourage women to be safe. If there are men that believe a scantily clad woman is asking for rape then clearly, women need to be careful.
But the POINT is that they should not have to. The POINT is that men need to take responsibility for rape, not women.
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Sorry. I no take more respnsibility for rape than I do for slavery, armed robbery or grand theft auto. I don't do any of those things and the idea that I should take responsibility for the actions of others just because I have a penis is asinine. Now go back to your "I hate men" NOW meeting.
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Then don't bother apologizing you inquiline.
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I'm not talking about the working class, I'm talking about the poor. They do steal and at disproportionately larger rates so don't tell me that I'm stereotyping. You make it sound like like it's wrong to encourage safety in women. We live in the real world where bad things happen and women can take simple steps to avoid being hurt. If they ignore those steps and dress like hookers and get drunk and walk alone at night then I feel as bad as I do for someone that gets hurt for not wearing a seat belt. Sure you should have the ability to not wear it but don't be surprised when you get hurt.
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White collar crime...that is crime generally committed by wealthy (and often white men) destroys millions of lives. Need I remind you of the depression we are currently facing or ENRON or...oh I dunno Bernie Madoff...have rendered destitute millions...one man...stealing a camera hurts no one. You move on with your life. But a member of the upper class quickly gains headway over all those poor thieves by hurting millions. Madoff is one man who literally destroyed hundreds of livelihoods if not thousands.
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I'm not denying that the rich steal but many more poor people steal than rich. In the black community for example 1 in 3 black men are in some stage of correctional treatment. White collar crime does hurt but our prisons are overcrowded with blue collar criminals.
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ANON # 21, there are so many black men in our prisons because of the utter and profound RACISM in our system. It can be proven if you choose to educate yourself about it.
And I am not Black. So I have no reason to be biased.
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How is there racism in the justice system. It's not racist to imprison guilty men it's not the cops fault that certain crimes are almost exclusively committed by blacks.
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America has more gun violence than all of Europe combined. Now, do you believe that is because American's are innately bloodthirsty or is it because there are social factors that make it more likely to occur here? The same can be said of crime and poverty in the Black community. America pushes certain groups in specific directions. I am not saying all Black people are forced to commit crime but I am saying America corners that community in a very insidious way.
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Then you're admitting that I'm right to be cautious with valuable possessions around the poor. We don't force or corner blacks, that's a very elitist and paternalistic view towards minorities. They are given more opportunities than poor whites to succeed yet they don't. We don't live in a land where you are guaranteed success. If they can't get their act together than they can only blame themselves. This isn't the 60s.
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"Women is asking for it" yea... you just made your argument less valid.
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I thought all people who got raped were asking for it, ie it was the victim's fault...where am I going wrong?
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A girl dressing like a whore and walking drunk and alone at night does not mean she wants or is asking to be raped. However, it's not smart. In fact, it is truly stupid. I do not feel sorry for a girl who is this dense. You're right, writer, no rape victims should be held accountable. But if you got raped because you were drunk, walking alone, AND dressed like a whore at night in an UNSAFE place, then you must be the STUPIDEST person I know, and it's VERY hard to feel sorry for someone like that.
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You may not feel sorry for stupid people, but I pity the fool.
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Are you saying if you lurk around a dark street until you see a woman dressed in a way you consider "improper" that you are allowed to rape her? Try telling that to the judge.
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No we're saying it's like seat belts. Sure you can chose to ignore good judgment and not use them but you're an idiot to do so.
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Leave your valuables in open view in your car at the mall. Not one day ....every day. Then when the item is stolen ... demand your rights! It's the Mall's fault for not protecting your right to display your "goods" where you want to.
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The following article raises some interesting questions reagrding this column:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/12/proof-in-the-heart-of-the-muslim-world-veiling-does-not-gain-women-more-respect.html
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I do love how you several times blame rape on men. Speaking as a man who has been raped by a woman (kind of. I did not really mind but I was too intoxicated to give consent so technically rape.) I find that sort of attitude disgusting.
I will however say though that if someone, man or woman, goes to a bar with no one to make sure they are taken care of, drinks so much that they pass out, then they morally do have to accept part of the blame in what happens to them.
This modern notion of people not being responsible for their own safety is ridiculous.
Sure, we can pass all the blame onto the rapists. But, you know these people exist, you know that if you do drink so much you pass out what will more than likely happen to you. You may not like that these people exist but you know they do and so know what will happen. Thus, if you put yourself in this position then you have no one but yourself to blame.
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