100% Fool Proof Tips to Prevent Rape

So preventing rape is pretty important, and too often the burden falls on women to protect ourselves.  Essentially promoting rape culture: women who aren't being safe enough deserve what they get.  Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti address this in their book, Yes Means Yes, and Friedman also discusses the topic in an article, "Combating the Campus Rape Crisis," in the American Prospect.

To keep with this theme, Lynn Harris, posted on the Broadsheet a few suggests to prevent rape.  I thought they were brilliant and couldn't help but share them:

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work!

1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.

2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!

3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!

4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.

5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!

6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.

7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.

9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!

10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

And, ALWAYS REMEMBER: if you didn’t ask permission and then respect the answer the first time, you are committing a crime--no matter how “into it” others appear to be.

Rape Culture:Sports Edition

This may be a segment...

One more reason to hate the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger is accused of raping a woman, Andrea McNulty, and ESPN executives decided ESPN was not going to report on it, so ESPN being the go getting journalist they are didn't.

McNulty claims she was raped by Roethlisberger while working at Lake Tahoe Harrah's. She attempted to report the rape to a supervisor, but was told that Roethlisberger was friends with the owner of the hotel. McNutly was then told that she should feel lucky lots of women would like to be her...Yeah you read that right.

Jaclyn Friedman wrote an amazing piece on rape culture discussing what actually constitutes as rape culture, and no it isn't just rape. Rape culture tells women who flirt they deserve it, that women have to walk with keys in their hands, if they drink too much then what else can they expect, or really engage in any activity Puritanical culture frowns upon. It is particularly horrifying to think that we're all just supposed to go with it.

Disgusting...

Book Review: Yes Means Yes, by Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti

Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape by Jaclyn Friedman

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoy Feminist literature, but it isn't the best. Several of the essays seem to draw on forever, but others are simply incredible.

Perhaps my favorite essay, "Hooking Up with Healthy Sexuality: The Lessons Boys Learn (and Don't Learn) About Sexuality, and Why a Sex-Positive Rape Prevention Paradigm Can Benefit Everyone Involved...," was written by Brad Perry. I enjoy reading about rape, sex, and gender relations form a male perspective because I am bombarded with the female feminist perspective. Perry argues that he had unrealistic expectations of sex and "the game," which is of course the only way men can obtain sex. Perry explains that as he evolves as a person he develops a better understanding of sex and rape. He then moves onto abstinence only education, which was entertaining as always.

Another awesome essay, "The Not-Rape Epidemic...," written by Latoya Peterson. This essay expressed the dangers in our culture of the "non-rapes." These experiences permeate many people who recognize that it wasn't rape, and thus he/she is lucky, and should just deal with it. Peterson detailed experiences not only of her own, but of many of her friends. She goes onto say that in retrospect one can identify what had happened, but at the time he/she is just so thankful that it wasn't worse that reporting or even speaking about it aloud didn't register. Only until after it was too late for others did she personally think that she should have said something.

View all my reviews.