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From: ellen@reed.UUCP (Ellen)
Newsgroups: net.singles,net.women
Subject: Re: Re: boyfriends
Message-ID: <1281@reed.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 9-Apr-85 11:33:02 EST
Article-I.D.: reed.1281
Posted: Tue Apr  9 11:33:02 1985
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Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon
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> > Incidentally, now that I am more trained as a fighter, I would
> > change that one "yes" to a "no."  There are more direct ways to
> > end harassment than evasive references to mythical boyfriends.
> > 
> > Ellen
> 
> Well, Now that *I* am more trained as a fighter (4 years of Karate)
> I have a greater appreciation of of the *less* direct ways of ending
> harassment.
> 
> I might use physical intimidation as a bluff to get someone of my back,
> but for a woman responding to a man such a bluff is bound to be called...
> 
>   - Rather than fight, run.
>   - If you can't run, hide.
>   - If you can't hide, fight to kill...  but not over petty harrasment.
>                     Carlo @ the U of Waterloo

Okay, Carlo, you are correct in getting upset -- I phrased my
incidentally somewhat inaccurately.  I do not mean to imply that
I would hit a guy who was harassing me.  I include among my
training skills such as verbal assertiveness (not
aggressiveness), which was what I had in mind as an alternative
to the evasive and weak boyfriend remark.  I agree with you that
physical conflict is to be avoided whenever possible, but would
like to point out to you that, statistically speaking, most
rapists will "check out" their potential victims by talking to
them for from 3-10 minutes BEFORE the attack, and being
assertive then is known to be a deterrent.  That's all I meant,
sorry if I alarmed people, I don't go around unnecessarily
beating up men, end of clarification.

Ellen