General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Rebuttal to Emily Yoffee: Cockblocking Rapists Is A Moral Obligation; or, How To Stop Rape Right Now [View all]KitSileya
(4,035 posts)We've been told that ages and ages, and I'm sure there's a good percentage of women who do modify their behavior already. I am one of them. However, we also know that modifying our behavior doesn't make us rape-proof. One tablet of GHB in the one drink we have all night, and we'll look like we've over-indulged. All a rapist then needs to do, is to separate us from our friends, and get us alone, behaviors described in the article as typical strategies of rapists that bystanders should be aware of, and bob's your uncle, we've been raped, and those who stood by can say - "But I thought she wanted it." Sometimes our bodies betray us - I was molested by some classmates, and my own father walked right past it with an off-hand comment about how much I seemed to enjoy it, because the boys were tickling me, and I couldn't answer for laughing.
Being open about these strategies, and talking about it within a social circle will prevent rape much better than admonishing women not to drink. The latter is already being done. The "Don't be that guy"-poster campaign lowered the rapes being reported by 10%, which is a huge deal. Asking at the beginning of the evening how people want their friends to react should they become very drunk is also a possibility. If everyone in a group knows that a woman isn't interested in having a one-night stand that evening, intervening when a guy is too pushy might prevent a rape. It isn't nannying. It's caring for your friends.
Again, I reiterate, most women already do everything to protect themselves of rape short of wearing a burqa and staying home - and we know that doesn't protect us from rape either. Sometimes we might not be good judges of how much alcohol will get us drunk - perhaps we're stressed, or haven't had a chance to eat properly or what have you. The same goes for men - we had to tell one of the guys at work that he couldn't drink at the office Christmas party, because he was a diabetic, and when he got very drunk, which could happen after one beer if his blood sugar levels didn't cooperate, he got creepy and touchy-feely and made his female co-workers uncomfortable.
The campaign suggested monitors not so much the women, but the guys. It is all about checking whether potential rapists are pushing alcohol, testing boundaries, removing options, and trying to isolate potential victims. It is about letting people know when a guy in your social circle has been accused of rape, or of creepy behavior, instead of working around him. It is about believing women when they talk about their experience - and evicting these guys from these social circles, instead of making the victims feel like they have to leave in order to be safe.