Men should be offended . . .

[Triana]

175. My blog post/article about that:

AMERICAN TALIBAN: WOMEN HAVE NO RIGHT TO THEIR OWN BODIES, BUT THEY’RE RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS

http://www.sevenbowie.com/2012/12/american-taliban-women-have-no-right-to-their-own-bodies-but-theyre-responsible-for-his/

I can understand general safety guidelines ie: don't walk alone at night in dark alleys, be aware of your surroundings, etc. It's like telling people to lock their doors and windows to prevent theft. The DIFFERENCE is that when one's home is broken into, rarely is the VICTIM of the crime blamed for it - even if (s)he did leave a window open to let night air in. Even if the perp is caught and goes to court, charged with burglery, the victim (or what they did or didn't do or what they were wearing or not) isn't much brought into question.

HOWEVER, when RAPE and sexual assault is involved - when violence against a woman is involved - all that changes. Suddenly in this crime, we start questioning not the behavior of the perpetrator but that of the VICTIM. That doesn't happen in any other type of crime to the extent that it happens when the crime is RAPE or DV. It just doesn't. "She must have done something to provoke or deserve it" is the default attitude when the crime is violence against women.

So yea, I can understand why guys think these general safety guidelines are non-offensive. For OTHER types of crimes, they are. For the crime of RAPE, they are offensive. For the reason I stated in the paragraph above. Because until and unless the RAPIST and ONLY the RAPIST is held 100% responsible for his own behavior and choices - no matter WHAT the woman was or was not doing/wearing/whatever, or where she was or was not, then women do NOT have access to the justice or freedom that other humans have in this society.

When our home is broken into, NO ONE questions (to any great extent) the behavior of the home's occupant. NO ONE blames the occupant / resident of that home for that crime. Not the police. Not the courts. Not society. Is that true when a rape occurs? NO.

And that's why it's offensive.

Should women take precautions? YES. Should they have to? NO. And if they don't once, and something happens, is the woman at fault for the rapist's/assaultist's behavior? NO. Of course not.

But everyone in this thread knows as well as I do that no matter what the woman did or did not do, no matter where she did or did not go, no matter what time of day, no matter what she was or was not wearing, if she was raped or assaulted, SHE would be held primarily responsible for what happened to her.

THAT is the difference.