Objectifying women

[Eilonnwy]

Eilonnwy -

Yes I think people need to calm down and not get so emotional. Ok Eilonnwy, how am I, for example, blaming the victim? How are you getting that from what I'm saying? To recap, what I'm saying is :

Right when you said she's foolish for not minimizing the risk. First, you are making the Historian's fallacy. You're assuming with your independent and hindsight view of limited facts that she has made an error that contributed to her rape. Hindsight is 20/20 is it not?

Furthermore, we have argued the point that women who are raped by being snatched off the street, is rare. That clothing has little to do with why they are taken. You have not refuted the arguments. So not only have you decided she was foolish based on your hindsight view, you've done so on rather bad information. And how is it possible that you have all the facts to make such a presumptions? Every rape is unique, there are different circumstances that apply, and as we've said repeatedly, women are most commonly raped by someone they know.

I can see how common sense would make you believe walking around at night in a miniskirt is running the risk of being raped. I really can, but it doesn't line up with the facts, and it doesn't change the fact that you are placing responsibility on the victim for the crime someone committed against her. She didn't choose to be raped, she didn't invite the rape to happen. Statistics show they have little to do with why she's raped. When a man has made the decision to commit the crime, they will find someone.

Also, back in the beginning of this thread, before you were a member, I explained "Just World Theory", which is the idea that people who have crimes committed against them did something wrong to deserve it. Essentially, people are uncomfortable with the idea of bad things happening to good people, and there being no justice for it, so people assume the victim must have done something to deserve it. Here's the entire post, I suggest you read it.

Reducing risk is reasonable when there's actual evidence to back up the claim. Seatbelts reduce the risk of death in a car crash. There's evidence to back it up. Smoking increases the risk of cancer. Evidence backs it up. Where is the evidence that not wearing sexy clothing or walking alone reduces the risk of rape? Please, In His Mind and I have asked for it, repeatedly. (Hint: The reason you cannot reduce the risk is because the negative action is being done by the person who chooses to do it, whose reasons for doing it have been proven to have nothing to do with the risks you have stubbornly stood by. The other risks such as seatbelts and smoking are the result the actions you take for actions directly happening to you. Actions you do to yourself, your fault. Actions someone does to you, not your fault )

Also, In His Mind previously pointed out some people recommend fighting back, some recommend laying down and taking it if you want to survive. Both result in the woman possibly ending up dead. Which one is right? Neither of them. If a man has decided to rape and kill you, they have decided to rape and kill you. You have no way of knowing if fighting back will save you, or if taking it will keep him from killing you.

So not only have we explained why victim blaming is wrong, why common sense does nothing to prevent that rape, we've also shown the very real consequences of the rape culture that exists today.