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In most facets of life, we understand intuitively that there are things we can do to reduce the likelihood of bad things happening to us. If we lock our doors, we are less likely to have things stolen. If we avoid walking alone late at night in bad parts of town, we are less likely to be mugged. And if we choose whenever possible not to associate with people who have shown themselves to be violent, we are less likely to get hurt."
Yet, increasingly it appears that discussing steps women could take to reduce the chances of bad things happening to them is out of bounds in our society. I am here to respectfully suggest that, for all their good intentions, the actions of people concerned about “victim blaming” are ultimately making women less safe.
Saying that some behaviors make me more vulnerable to assault is simply not the same as saying those behaviors “justify” the person who assaults me. We teach our children not to talk to strangers. Does anyone believe that doing so transfers blame away from the person who commits a crime like kidnapping? Of course not. A person who harms a child is at fault, full stop. Nothing about the child’s behavior changes that. So why is it that telling young women that they can do things to decrease the likelihood of something awful happening to them is viewed as transferring blame from aggressor to victim? (read more via US News & World Report)
Talking about the
likelihood of something awful happening to a woman got ESPN's
Steven A. Smith suspended from the highly rated sports network. Here is the video of his talk that got him in trouble... and what have you... failing to put his finger on the problem... and what have you.
