The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Every now and again, I bump into someone (usually a guy) who at least partially blames rape victims for the crime. I can just imagine the look on my face as I'm hearing the partial defense of rapists - one which religious mothers may give after they've lost their voice and caught their son masturbating - confused, silent, shocked, and disgusted. Of course, when hearing such opinions, it always starts like this: "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that rape is right or anything, but come on... I mean..." ...and then comes the alleged rationale of the rapists and the critique of the victims. "When a woman wears something like that and shows that much skin, she's just seeking attention and what's a guy to think?" Sure, she may want to get looked at, but seeking attention as far as admiring eyes goes is far different than forced sexual intercourse. "She got wasted. She put herself in that position." I don't care how d...

I, for one, am sick and tired of the victims receiving the brunt of the blame. Jhana - "an online resource with articles and tools for managers used by employees at Google, Groupon, Eventbrite, Modcloth, and Ask.com" - recently published an article entitled, "What if a male colleague gets the wrong idea?" Yes, I'm sure you read that correctly and got the right idea upon reading it. The article dealt with how women should deal with and how they can prevent unwanted sexual advances while at work. Fortunately, the article has been taken down, but here was some of the advice it laid out for women and how they can prevent such unwanted advances in the workplace: "- If you act the same way - always professional, but also always like yourself - around everyone, the problematic colleague will be less likely to get the idea that you're coming on to him. One caveat: If you're touchy-feely or flirtatious by nature, you might want to dial it back around h...