Now the cruel patriarchy (if by “patriarchy,” you mean Emily Yoffe and Ruth Marcus) is suggesting that maybe getting plastered at college parties isn’t the greatest idea:
If two people rush into a lion’s den and one decided to wear a dress made out of thinly sliced prime rib, she’s probably the one who is going to get eaten. This isn’t blaming the girl… it’s teaching her not to be the one wearing the Lady Gaga meat dress. But apparently offering any sort of parental advice on risk avoidance and minimization is crossing a line for some people. Maybe it’s a tacit admission there are parents who fail to do a good enough job preparing their children for the world. Perhaps it’s viewed as depriving their young freshmen offspring their “rights” to go out for the “fun” of “having a few too many” which is a “right of passage.” (I actually saw that one in one of the comments. I couldn’t make that up if I tried.)
This is obviously even more outrageous than not forcing Catholic law schools to give their students free contraceptives.
I guess none of those feminists have ever taken a self-defense class. A big part of the lessons involves being aware of your surroundings (hard to do when you’re very drunk) and avoiding obviously dangerous situations. Perhaps they think their self-righteousness is all the self-defense they need. Unfortunately, crime statistics show otherwise. When you’re plastered, you leave yourself vulnerable to people who don’t have your best interests in heart. There are some bad people out there and many of them will go after the target that can put up the least resistance.
Support the war.
Doesn’t include the best part… the guys taking a seat to watch.
We also need to keep in mind that a lot of the complaints might be self-interest – people who want to do drunken binges or exploit those who do, and can’t be bothered to think about the consequences.
The cognitive dissonance is bizarre. There appeared to be a number of people in the Slate comments section who would simultaneously admit that drunken binges make you vulnerable to rape and other crimes and claim that no one should actually make that truthful observation because it is “blaming the victim”.
If we lived in a perfect world where all people were angles, a person would be able to go anywhere at any time without fear of attack. There would be no crime and everyone would be perfectly safe. Obviously, we don’t live in any such world. There are bad people out there. They’re the ones who will rip off anyone they can and won’t hesitate to hurt others. Most of the time, they look for the easiest targets. If you car is locked and the car next to it is unlocked with the keys in the ignition, they’re far more likely to go for the unlocked car. If one house has a security system and the one next to it doesn’t, they’re more likely to hit the unsecured house. If they want to rape a woman, one that’s passed out or is so drunk as to be senseless is a far more likely victim than a woman who is awake, alert and aware.
Should a woman be able to be passing out drunk and have the expectation of not being raped? Sure. But there are people out there who don’t have the best interests of others in their heart. Binge drinking is not only potentially dangerous to your health by itself, it makes you much more vulnerable to crime. Being female isn’t an excuse for stupid behavior. If a man walked in the “baddest part of town” flashing money, he’s putting himself in a position where being robbed or killed is a real possibility. That’s stupid behavior, too.
I’m round. I have no angles.