Victim-Blaming vs. Telling It Like It Is
Two different takes on women and rape. One is victim-blaming, the other is NOT. Can you tell the difference?
Example #1
On Jan. 24, a campus safety information session was held at Osgoode Hall, where members from York security and two male officers from Toronto police 31 Division handed out safety tips to community
members.
Ronda Bessner, who attended the session, remembered being surprised by what the officer suggested to women.
“One of the safety tips was for women not to dress like ‘sluts.’ He said something like, ‘I’ve been told I shouldn’t say this,’ and then he uttered the words,” said Bessner, Osgoode assistant dean of the Juris Doctor Program.
[Source]
Example #2When women are raped and harassed and catcalled, it’s not the fault of women. Repeat: It is not the victim’s fault. But walking with a designer purse brimming with cash in a dark alley at 3 in the morning is placing myself in a dangerous situation, and I know that. A good person can walk by and leave me alone, because that person isn’t a thief. But my decision makes me vulnerable to those who are thieves, and to those who would take advantage of me in this situation because, you know. They can. Women should be able wear what we’d like without fear of being assaulted or attacked or belittled, but this isn’t the reality of how the world we live in works, and so it’s up to us to remain aware.
[Source]
Maybe someone should forward this to the people with the sticks up their behind over at sf_drama.
Example #1
On Jan. 24, a campus safety information session was held at Osgoode Hall, where members from York security and two male officers from Toronto police 31 Division handed out safety tips to community
members.
Ronda Bessner, who attended the session, remembered being surprised by what the officer suggested to women.
“One of the safety tips was for women not to dress like ‘sluts.’ He said something like, ‘I’ve been told I shouldn’t say this,’ and then he uttered the words,” said Bessner, Osgoode assistant dean of the Juris Doctor Program.
[Source]
Example #2When women are raped and harassed and catcalled, it’s not the fault of women. Repeat: It is not the victim’s fault. But walking with a designer purse brimming with cash in a dark alley at 3 in the morning is placing myself in a dangerous situation, and I know that. A good person can walk by and leave me alone, because that person isn’t a thief. But my decision makes me vulnerable to those who are thieves, and to those who would take advantage of me in this situation because, you know. They can. Women should be able wear what we’d like without fear of being assaulted or attacked or belittled, but this isn’t the reality of how the world we live in works, and so it’s up to us to remain aware.
[Source]
Maybe someone should forward this to the people with the sticks up their behind over at sf_drama.