I think conservatives want me to think about gunning down acquaintances

So I didn’t really follow the #liberaltips2avoidrape hashtag. What I know is that it was based in a Democrat, Joe Salazar, in Colorado’s opposition to concealed guns on college campuses. Also, I’m pretty sure this is the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, which were pulled from Huffington Post (because they were removed from UCCS’s website) below:

“What To Do If You Are Attacked

These tips are designed to help you protect yourself on campus, in town, at your home, or while you travel. These are preventative tips and are designed to instruct you in crime prevention tactics.

1.      Be realistic about your ability to protect yourself.

2.      Your instinct may be to scream, go ahead! It may startle your attacker and give you an opportunity to run away.

3.      Kick off your shoes if you have time and can't run in them.

4.      Don't take time to look back; just get away.

5.      If your life is in danger, passive resistance may be your best defense.

6.      Tell your attacker that you have a disease or are menstruating.

7.      Vomiting or urinating may also convince the attacker to leave you alone.

8.      Yelling, hitting or biting may give you a chance to escape, do it!

9.      Understand that some actions on your part might lead to more harm.

10.  Remember, every emergency situation is different. Only you can decide which action is most appropriate.”

The University has removed this list from their website claiming misunderstanding; I guess those of us who didn’t go there can’t read. You see all of these were last resorts when you are being raped, including number 9. So when rape is inevitable blame yourself? Those are some bad tips. Also, number 8 might get you killed. But then again, I guess if we’re using the conservative purity myth, being raped is worse than dead.

Anyway the winning combo of these two things in Colorado birthed #liberaltips2avoidrape. Abort, abort! I’m not going to bother posting any of the tweets, some were pretty bleak. Many of them were coming from gun nuts. You know those people who want everyone (who looks like them) armed.

However, I’m still confused by the argument that concealed guns on college campuses are going to protect a woman from being raped. Mostly, because we know that women are more likely to be raped by someone they know, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t think about gunning down people I know, most of the time. Additionally, this idea places the responsibility back on the victim and not on the perpetrator. After all the best #liberltips2avoidrape I’ve ever heard was don’t commit rape.

Riddle me this: if all women who make rape allegations shouldn’t be believed (see discussions of legitimate rape, pregnancy from a rape, etc.) then do we really want to arm these women and tell them to shot anyone they feel threatened by? Because I’m not sure women will receive the same protections under “Stand Your Ground.” Nor am I convinced that people in violent situations would want to bring a weapon into an already violent situation. 

Update: So after reading Amanda Marcotte’s twitter feed today, she pointed out this might actually be a coordinated effort by the Right Wing to differentiate between ‘date’ rape and what they would see as legitimate rape. Honestly, this didn’t really occur to be before, because I didn’t see anything intentional about the gun nuts and the movement to define rape on the right. However, it is a possibility I am willing to entertain. All the while, they are also able to paint this discussion around guns as being anti-feminist. Because people who want gun control is somehow in favor of rape.

So after reading Amanda Marcotte’s twitter feed today, she pointed out this might actually be a coordinated effort by the Right Wing to differentiate between ‘date’ rape and what they would see as legitimate rape. Honestly, this didn’t really occur to be before, because I didn’t see anything intentional about the gun nuts and the movement to define rape on the right. However, it is a possibility I am willing to entertain. All the while, they are also able to paint this discussion around guns as being anti-feminist. Because people who want gun control is somehow in favor of rape.

So after reading Amanda Marcotte’s twitter feed today, she pointed out this might actually be a coordinated effort by the Right Wing to differentiate between ‘date’ rape and what they would see as legitimate rape. Honestly, this didn’t really occur to be before, because I didn’t see anything intentional about the gun nuts and the movement to define rape on the right. However, it is a possibility I am willing to entertain. All the while, they are also able to paint this discussion around guns as being anti-feminist. Because people who want gun control is somehow in favor of rape.