Communication FAIL
This post inspired by: this Althouse post and its comments. Especially commenters "DADvocate" and "wuzzagrunt".
Just because you have a right to do something doesn't make it a good idea; ignoring the very real evil in the world and taking no steps to protect yourself from it is a very GOOD reason for other people to not have very much sympathy for you. Not so much blaming the victim ("you asked for it!") as recognizing that there are very real dangers and that failing to protect oneself is just plain stupid.
I find arguments about appropriate clothing to be very interesting, especially since such arguments are entirely culture-dependent. But there's one thing that I think these "dress like a slut" people are willfully ignoring. Clothing is a part of nonverbal communication - and like all language, the individual does NOT get to decide what meaning is assigned to what "words" - and in this case, it's pure idiocy to dress like a slut and then expect drunken assholes to respect you and your person. So if you're going into a "bad" part of town (or a bar filled with jerks), and you dress provocatively, don't come crying sexual assault when you spend the whole night getting felt up by every guy in the bar. (Actually being raped, on the other hand, has nothing to do with how you're dressed - but don't cry rape if you get drunk and end up having sex you regret in the morning, either. But I digress.)
Basically, there's good reasons for most of our "traditional" Western culture's limitations on dress and behavior. If you're going to deliberately flout them, keep in mind that what other people assume about what you're communicating about yourself, and how the bad people are likely to react to that communication. YOU are responsible for protecting yourself. If you're going to dress like a slut, carry a gun. ;)
Just because you have a right to do something doesn't make it a good idea; ignoring the very real evil in the world and taking no steps to protect yourself from it is a very GOOD reason for other people to not have very much sympathy for you. Not so much blaming the victim ("you asked for it!") as recognizing that there are very real dangers and that failing to protect oneself is just plain stupid.
I find arguments about appropriate clothing to be very interesting, especially since such arguments are entirely culture-dependent. But there's one thing that I think these "dress like a slut" people are willfully ignoring. Clothing is a part of nonverbal communication - and like all language, the individual does NOT get to decide what meaning is assigned to what "words" - and in this case, it's pure idiocy to dress like a slut and then expect drunken assholes to respect you and your person. So if you're going into a "bad" part of town (or a bar filled with jerks), and you dress provocatively, don't come crying sexual assault when you spend the whole night getting felt up by every guy in the bar. (Actually being raped, on the other hand, has nothing to do with how you're dressed - but don't cry rape if you get drunk and end up having sex you regret in the morning, either. But I digress.)
Basically, there's good reasons for most of our "traditional" Western culture's limitations on dress and behavior. If you're going to deliberately flout them, keep in mind that what other people assume about what you're communicating about yourself, and how the bad people are likely to react to that communication. YOU are responsible for protecting yourself. If you're going to dress like a slut, carry a gun. ;)