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From: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Rape (The nature of reality)
Message-ID: <1652@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 6-Sep-85 00:19:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.1652
Posted: Fri Sep  6 00:19:55 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Sep-85 05:53:29 EDT
References: <25100002@smu> <25100003@smu> <2569@sun.uucp> <761@masscomp.UUCP> <1599@watdcsu.UUCP> <532@h-sc1.UUCP>
Reply-To: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Organization: none.  Entropy: maximum possible.
Lines: 46
Summary: 

In article <532@h-sc1.UUCP> desjardins@h-sc1.UUCP (marie desjardins) writes:
>> Any statement to the effect that women can do something about rape is
>> always automatically interpreted by somebody as "blaming the victim."
>> Saying that women can do something about rape does in fact imply some
>> responsibility on their part.  This is not the same as saying that
>> when a woman who has made some effort to avoid rape gets raped anyway,
>> that it's her fault.
>
>The problem with this reasoning is that it's true that an individual
>woman may be able to protect herself from being raped (at least to
>some degree).  However this does not mean that women as a class can
>prevent rape this way, because I am not sure that the rapists will
>not just try harder (or pick on the few leftover victims who for
>some reason do not protect themselves).

Women as a class can only protect themselves as a class by acting as a
class.  In the meantime, until this marvelous global consensus is
reached, women can only protect themselves individually.  Those who do
are less likely to be victims.  For your purposes, my conclusions are
inadequate.  This doesn't make them false.  If the truth is inadequate,
it is still the truth.

Some women shout "blaming the victim!" in response to any suggestion
that they can or should do anything to avoid rape.  Some women say
things like "It's not our fault, it's the rapist's fault." They seem to
feel that, therefore, they are under no obligation to do anything to
avoid rape.  It's all up to the rapists.

If these women act on this belief, they are more likely to become
victims.  Their moral superiority won't protect them.

>                                         Although I have never been
>raped, and even if I never am, I will still worry about the problem.
>One of the few ways that rape can really be stopped (or at least
>cut back) is to find what leads men to rape women, and to try to
>stop it at its source.  It's rooted in sexism, y'know.

If you're talking about ending sexism, be aware that this is definitely
not a weekend project.  While working towards this goal, shorter-term
rape avoidance techniques will be necessary.

-- 
David Canzi

This has been a test of the emergency broadcasting system.  It was only a test.
Repeat: only a test.  If this had been a real emergency, you would be dead.