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From: ellen@reed.UUCP (Ellen Eades)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Re: "provocative" clothing
Message-ID: <1549@reed.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-May-85 12:58:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: reed.1549
Posted: Mon May 20 12:58:40 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 22-May-85 02:04:02 EDT
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Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon
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> Ross Greenberg

> David London comments on how I "just don't get it".
> I think he's wrong.
> 
> Women, solely based on their sex, have the horror of potential
> rape to live with....
> 
> And if a women wants to reduce her chances of being raped, then
> she should not call attention to her sex by dressing provocatively.
> Just like if I want to reduce my chance of being mugged, I don't
> flash hundred dollar bills.
> 
I agree with David, you just don't get it, Ross.  Women are not
victims of rape SOLELY BASED ON THEIR SEX.  Men are also victims
of rape.  Children both male and female are victims of rape.
Rape is an expression of one person's ability to physically
FORCE another person.  The only thing it has to do with sex is
that it is a sexual expression of that power relationship.  Rape
is NOT a sexual crime!!!!!

If a person wants to reduce his/her chances of being raped,
he/she should try to be as formidable a target, as unlikely a
victim, as possible.  This may or may not relate to provocative
dressing.  It does relate to things like how you walk and carry
yourself, your posture, your verbal aggressiveness, your mental
forcefulness.  Rapists are known to spend up to 10 minutes
sizing up potential victims before they attack.  If the victim
does not ACT like a victim, the rapist will probably try another
person.  Now, if the guy was just afflicted with blue balls, I
doubt that he would behave in that manner!

Men who blame rape on hormones do themselves an injustice.  It
used to be said that women could not work or think
intellectually because of their hormones;  now men cannot think
rationally because of theirs?  Come off it, guys!

Ellen Eades