How To Change Rape Culture In America
I have a lot of feminist friends on Facebook, thus I see and hear a lot of post about the “rape culture” in America. Even knowing the statistics, I have never really felt that way here. I have not lived in fear while I walked down dark alleyways (which I never do) and I certainly don’t worry about leaving my drink with someone because I simply don’t inebriate myself around people I do not trust, male or female. So it got me thinking, how do we change the rape culture in this country that has so many women scared and up in arms?
The answer is a question. What is easier, to change yourself or to change all perpetrators and the society and world as a whole?
While we may all find it wonderful to think that we can live in a world without rape and assaults on women. This may never happen, the likelihood of this happening at our present evolution is miniscule at best. So to really keep your daughters and mothers safe, we must change them. Changing our women would be the best chance of changing our world.
SELF –DEFENSE
While the statistics is that a woman is assaulted every two minutes, there is also statistics which state you have a 90% better chance of stopping an attack, if you fight back. This in itself poses a problem of sheer size, men by nature are larger and stronger. Women should learn self-defense techniques, as well as consider easy to use weapons to better her chances. Anything chosen, practice and train until there is comfort and ease in its use. While rape and assault are never 100% preventable, most of the time, fighting back can lessen your chances.
EXCEPTIONAL DECISION MAKING
While not all rape can be prevented, most can be. Now I know this may piss off the feminists, they may say I am adding to the “blame culture” and so on. My prospective is, Don’t Be A Victim. Don’t go out and drink to inebriation with people you don’t know. Don’t leave your drink around people you don’t know. Stay focused, handle yourself in a safe manner. If walking down a dark alleyway freaks you out, in some places it should. Plan your movement as to not do this, go with friends, there has always been safety in numbers. The reality is, some decisions will leave you more vulnerable to assault than others. While a rapist taking advantage of your bad decisions may be completely his fault, it will not change the fact of what will happen to you.
DATING
Dating can be difficult, especially since a lot is done online now. Meeting random people off of the internet is dangerous, plain and simple. While I know that some see it as a way to meet people with our busy lives, some precautions must be made. If this results in less dates, so be it. Always meet your date at a well lit area, that you know, which is full of people. Always pick the spot, rule number one. Never go home or to another place with a man until you feel completely comfortable and I am not talking about after a few hours where you feel like you have known each other forever, you haven’t.
Go with your instinct, if you feel like it is a bad situation, get out of it. That voice and feeling is there for a reason.
DON’T BE A TEASE
This may piss a few people off, I am sorry but it shall be discussed. Whether it is fair or not, certain actions will greaten your chances of assault and rape. Teasing a man is one of these actions, I will not go into it on the what, because ladies, we know what. Now I am not saying any women owes any man sex, however be clear and don’t lead someone on. It is rude anyways.
Please understand my reason for writing, it is not to pass blame. I want as many women to prevent this from ever happening to them as possible. To invoke your thoughts, plant a seed. We need less pain, less broken women. We need less victims and if we can make a choice to prevent such a violation, we should do everything in our power to do so.
