Over the past several weeks and months, I can't tell you how many times I've read or heard stories which focused on female victims of sexual assault needing to take more responsibility to prevent these crimes from taking place, and frankly, I'm sick of it.
Why, so often, do people place the full weight of responsibility on the shoulders of sexual assault victims, as opposed to the actual perpetrators of the sexual assaults?
Almost every time I hear people talking about such situations, they mention one or more of the following:
- "She shouldn't have been wearing something so revealing. She was kind of asking for it."
- "She should have known better than to have drank so much at that party. That was pretty stupid."
- "She should have come prepared, brought some Mace, a gun, or something."
- "She should have brought some friends along that she fully trusted."
- "She shouldn't have flirted with/been so nice to the guy. What was he supposed to think?"
- "She shouldn't have gone to the bathroom by herself. Everyone knows that."
The list seems to be never-ending...
According to these victim-blamers, women must: Dress like they starred on the show Little House on the Prairie, not drink any alcohol, bring bodyguards who follow them around like stalkers, carry a loaded firearm, and act like mimes when interacting with men. If they slip up in any one of these areas (or others) and get sexually assaulted, then apparently it's their fault. Why doesn't any of the responsibility fall on men's shoulders in these situations? Do men get excused from such disgusting and criminal behavior because it's somehow a scientific fact that men are "big, stupid, simple creatures that don't know right from wrong and can't handle any kind of responsibility"?
"She should have known better than to have drank at that party. That was pretty stupid."
How about this? If a man knows he gets violent and stupid when he consumes alcohol, he shouldn't drink, and whether or not a man drinks, that gives him absolutely no reason to sexually assault a woman - regardless of what she wears, who she's with, how much she's drank, or how she interacts with him. No matter what the location or occasion, a man can never be excused for sexually assaulting a woman. Period.
Why, so often, do people place the full weight of responsibility on the shoulders of sexual assault victims, as opposed to the actual perpetrators of the sexual assaults?
Almost every time I hear people talking about such situations, they mention one or more of the following:
- "She shouldn't have been wearing something so revealing. She was kind of asking for it."
- "She should have known better than to have drank so much at that party. That was pretty stupid."
- "She should have come prepared, brought some Mace, a gun, or something."
- "She should have brought some friends along that she fully trusted."
- "She shouldn't have flirted with/been so nice to the guy. What was he supposed to think?"
- "She shouldn't have gone to the bathroom by herself. Everyone knows that."
The list seems to be never-ending...
According to these victim-blamers, women must: Dress like they starred on the show Little House on the Prairie, not drink any alcohol, bring bodyguards who follow them around like stalkers, carry a loaded firearm, and act like mimes when interacting with men. If they slip up in any one of these areas (or others) and get sexually assaulted, then apparently it's their fault. Why doesn't any of the responsibility fall on men's shoulders in these situations? Do men get excused from such disgusting and criminal behavior because it's somehow a scientific fact that men are "big, stupid, simple creatures that don't know right from wrong and can't handle any kind of responsibility"?
"She should have known better than to have drank at that party. That was pretty stupid."
How about this? If a man knows he gets violent and stupid when he consumes alcohol, he shouldn't drink, and whether or not a man drinks, that gives him absolutely no reason to sexually assault a woman - regardless of what she wears, who she's with, how much she's drank, or how she interacts with him. No matter what the location or occasion, a man can never be excused for sexually assaulting a woman. Period.
Comments
Post a Comment