10 tips to end rape

[Silent3]

73. Rightly or wrongly, we do chastise people who don't lock their houses who end up getting robbed...

...and we don't broadcast public service announcements informing our citizens, "Just because the house is unlocked, that doesn't mean it's OK to take the things inside it. Don't steal!"

I think a lot of people would, in fact, without any hesitation or worry that it would sound callous or politically incorrect, call a person who always left their house unlocked and who eventually got robbed "an idiot".

I don't think people should have to lock their houses, I do indeed put the blame for theft totally on the thieves... but that doesn't change the fact that you're safer from theft when you lock your house than when you don't. We expect people to understand that there are bad people out there in the world, and to at least take some small measures to protect themselves.

If merely acknowledging that there are ways to increase your safety that aren't dependent on the good behavior of others isn't "blaming the victim" in the case of theft, why is it blaming the victim in the case of rape?

I realize the parallels aren't perfect. Some of the things recommended to reduce the risk of rape represent a woman sacrificing a degree of freedom well beyond merely keeping a door locked. I certainly understand a woman saying, "I refuse to live in fear. I'll dress as I want to dress, I'll go where I want to go and go alone if I like, anytime day or night, I'm not going to give up freedom for safety."

That's brave, not foolish like leaving your house unlocked. What would be foolish, however, is to not realize that what makes bravery bravery is acknowledgement of risk. Being angry that such a risk exists doesn't make it go away, and I really don't see anything like the OP public service announcement being an efficacious method of reducing that risk.

The OP hardly seems at the level of "loopholes" of the kind that some people might use to fool themselves that rape isn't rape. To the extent that it might be, it's not going to overpower the human power of rationalizing bad actions. I'm sure there are plenty of thieves who say "The house was unlocked. Those people were practically begging to be robbed!", and they might have a bunch of asshole friends who'd get a big laugh out of that too.

You aren't going to reach people who think that way, be it about theft or rape, with naive public service announcement which do little more than help make people taking the not-so-controversial stand "Rape is bad!" feel good about themselves.

I think there are consciousness-raising efforts that could help, of course. You certainly can take a society like India and make it better about rape than it is now, and ours can be made better too. I just don't think that tactically the OP represents a useful step forward. It's too naive and self-congratulatory for the people delivering the message than helpful to anyone who might receive it.