General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Stop Telling Women How to Not Get Raped [View all]Tansy_Gold
(17,855 posts)You've missed the point.
The education strategy targets the "normal" guys who are not "animals" but who are nonetheless rapists.
I would recommend you do a little more study of the subject before you make these simplistic remarks. Many rapists are "normal" guys who do not consider what they do to be "forcing" sex on their victims. They believe -- because they've been culturally accustomed to that belief -- that if a woman is drinking in a bar, she's asking for sex. They believe that if a woman is wearing provacative clothes, that she is asking for sex. They believe that if a woman agrees to go on a date with them, that she is consenting to sex with them. They believe that if a woman is at a party and does not have a date, that they are free to have sex with her. They believe that if she has had sex with them before, or with a friend, or they think she had sex with a friend, that she is required to have sex with them and she has relinquished all rights to say no.
These are the guys we're talking about. We're not talking about raving lunatics who skulk in parking garages and on deserted subway platforms or brain-damaged parolees who wait until the all the library patrons have left and it's just librarian there by herself. These people are actually a very small percentage of rapists. Most are "ordinary guys" who have internalized all the messages thrown at them by movies and magazine ads and popular music and tv and even DU discussions, that they're entitled to sex and women have no right to say no and mean it.
We don't have enough "propaganda" about rape being evil. What we do have, however, is tons and tons and tons and tons of propaganda that women are there for the taking, that women are suitable victims, that women are only good for one thing, that women are worthless and useless and objects, that they don't count and don't matter.