These comments have caused outrage amongst women's rape support groups and the feminist movement as a whole and 'slut' marches have been taking place all over the world. Their message is that women should be allowed to dress and express themselves however they like but this is not an invitation to men to rape or sexually harass women. The suggestion by the officer is that women are perpetrators rather than victims.
I have every sympathy with the protesters view on these comments. In an ideal world women might be able to walk down the street wearing next to nothing and no man would so much as offer a wolf whistle. Likewise in an ideal world you should be able to walk down the road waving around a grand in cash and no one should think about robbing you. The trouble is that this Utopian state does not exist yet and so it probably is best not to dress like a slut or wave large wads of cash around.
This naive officer made the mistake of of giving some practical but non PC advice. He has been discliplined for it and hopefully will learn not to offer honest advice again.
I feel very sorry for that naive officer. He was just giving advice that was sensible. The male species down the age has always predated on those of the other sex that have appeared available for sex. It's built into all animals. You can't change evolution in a few short years.
ReplyDeleteHey, I told rich people for years: "if you don't want to get robbed, then don't look rich."
ReplyDeleteSome kind of idea isn't it?
And I've expanded, "If you don't want to be treated like a retard, don't act like one."
Actually, the original organizers and protesters understand perfectly well that this is not a perfect world. But most people who have the same argument as you have missed the point. We didn't march because we want the right to walk naked down the street. (Sure, wouldn't it be nice?) We marched because it is not acceptable to be a victim of rape but feel helpless and unable to engage our protective services because they believe they'll be blamed for their attack. The reality is that most attacks are not the abstract stranger rape we're all trained to fear. They are perpetrated by people often well known by the victim and they do not involve this mythical 'uncontrollable and insatiable' male that we have turned all men into. Seriously, if you see a woman in a provocative outfit you're going to rape her because you can't help yourself?! Anyway, if the majority of rapes go unreported because victims think they'll be blamed this is something we have to change. You can't say on one hand no woman deserves to be raped but if a woman dares dress in anything other than a burka she's asking for it! We deserve to trust our protective services!
ReplyDeleteNobody would bat an eyelid if he'd told them not to flash expensive watches in the bad part of town. As my aikido instructors say - don't look like a target. Unfortunately some people see people dressed provocatively as a target for sexual assault. Respecting sexuality is all very well, but there's also sensible advice and actual reality. Although if he actually said "dress like a slut" that's a little bit blunt perhaps.
ReplyDeletePCness yes, respect for people yes, but this respect is not universal and people do need to be aware of that. Pointing out such things isn't necessarily a sign of disrespect by the pointer-outer.
Having investigated rapes in the past, you discover that in most cases it is about power, not sexual attraction.
ReplyDeletesimeon... yes i agree. i wonder if any of the people in these "slut rallies" even have any members who have actually been victims of sexual assault? do they know any victims of sexual assault? do they know ANYTHING about sexual assault crimes? if i wanted to help victims of sexual assault, there are many ways i could do it, and participating in a slut rally would not ever be on the list.
ReplyDelete@ Cheyenne - I do understand where the protesters are coming from but I think they have used the wrong issue to make their point. Like others, I don't believe that dressing like a slut makes you more vulnerable to rape but it does send out a message that makes you more susceptible to unwanted attention and more minor sexual assaults. I believe that is what the Canadian officer was trying to say.
ReplyDeleteThis post followed on from others where I have made the point that in the real world people are judged by how they behave. Personally I am fed up with the liberal attitude that you can do and behave as you like and there should be no consequences and people should not judge you. I think it is generally good for society if behaviour is controlled by the approval or disapproval of the majority.
I know we haven't always been good at it but I do believe that whoever reports a rape now, whether they are male or female, a prostitute or nun, the police deal with them sensitively and with respect. At the end of the day though, to get a conviction, we will have to convince a jury of 12 members of the public. The presentation of the case will invariably include details of the dress, behaviour and previous sexual behaviour of the victim. Juries will pay a lot of attention to this and their judgement will be swayed by it. Rightly or wrongly, if victims want justice they need to take account of this.
For the record, I loathe the burka (and hijab) and see it as a sign of the complete oppression and subjugation of women. I am fed up with seeing Muslim men and brain washed women on the TV stating that women wear it because they want to. If you are brought up in a culture where all women wear it, your mother tells you from the age of 1 that you will wear one, the Sharia police enforce it and your father/brother/husband enforces it as they will be ridiculed by their peers if you don't wear it; you don't really have much choice. That is a good example of peer pressure working, but in a bad way! Lex
My Insurance company won't pay for a stolen laptop if it is left in sight in my car (I put it in the boot).
ReplyDeleteIf there was such a thing as "Rape Insurance", I'm sure, by the same logic, that they'd refuse to pay out on large numbers of rape claims, on the basis that the victim had not taken reasonable steps to protect their property.
But such logic does not appeal to the Feminists!
Whenever I see a young girl dressed in a slutty way I always rape her, as a matter of course. Old age pensioners of both sexes too. You've got to haven't you?
ReplyDeletePeter, you are a wag aren't you. Cock!
ReplyDeleteHave there actually been any studies on whether or not your manner of dress increases the risk? Do we actually know that it is definitely more risky?
ReplyDeleteI am genuinely interested to know. I appreciate that there are circumstances where, for instance, walking home alone at night, a different course of action might have meant that victim might not have met the rapist who is to blame for raping her (or him) but they would probably have found another victim since they are the one unable to control their behaviour.
@Cc - I don't believe that manner of dress actually makes you more liable to being raped which is why I think all these protests are irrelevant to the comments made by the Canadian officer. I am not aware of any studies that exist to prove or disprove this.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that manner of dress affects the attention you may get from men and some of that attention may be innapropriate. Some men will make assumptions about women who dress in a certain way and will feel that they can get away with innapropriate comments and minor indecent assaults.
Men wondering around shirtless (often with a can of alcohol) have similar problems and I would suggest are more likely to end up in violent confrontation.
The question I think society needs to be asking is do we want men or women roaming our streets in states of undress or do we make our views known and try and influence behaviour. I am not suggesting people need to be covered head to toe or wearing burkas etc. Just that people dress and behave in a civilised way.
I don't hold with this liberal attitude that you can do and wear what you like and there should be no judgement or consequences. Look where that has got us.
Sorry, Officer. You're full of crap. And, like most of the people commenting, you are completely missing the goddamn point of the march and WHY the original officer's statement was stupid, not "honest".
ReplyDeleteAs someone else pointed out earlier, the majority of rapes are committed by people known to the victim..., spouses, dates and acquaintances, coworkers, classmates, family members, etc. And women are raped in ALL forms of dress, from bathrobes to business suits. Being a police officer, I would have assumed you knew this. Guess I was wrong.
And what the heck is the official "dress code" for a slut? Slut is in the eye of the beholder. A woman walking down a street in a t-shirt and shorts in the summertime will look like a "slut" to some fools. To the rest of us, she looks like someone dressing in a practical manner because it's summer and it's too damn hot outside for a sweater and jacket.
I'll leave you with this.
When an 87 year old woman is raped in her kitchen... "Oh. what a sick bastard!!"
When an 8 year old is grabbed and assaulted outside her school... "Twisted f#@king pervert!! Death is too good for him!!"
When a 22 year old is attacked as she is walking to her car..... "What was she wearing??"
So women should be able to wear what they like; unless it is a Playboy Bunny outfit and then women will demonstrate because this is exploitation. Is this double standards?
ReplyDeleteLeonard, I think you have missed the point. Read my comment dated 27th May.
ReplyDeleteWhen 87 or 8 year old girls are raped there is generally no issue regarding consent. Consent is the major issue in rape cases and not what someone was wearing. To suggest the police or anyone else focuses on this is disingenuous to say the least.
The last rape allegation I dealt with by a 20 year old went something like this. She and her friends drank a bottle of vodka before going out. They then went out and each drank about six bottles of Wicked and shots. They went to a nightclub and drank more and our 'victim' used cocaine. She woke up in the morning in bed naked with a strange bloke. She was pretty sure she had had intercourse but could not be certain. She went home and showered and then called her friends to ask what happened. She told them she woke up in bed with a bloke who was a 'minger' and she would never have slept with him in a million years. Her friends told her she should report it, which is what she did. What she was wearing that night was irrelevant. It may come as no surprise to you that this allegation is another one of the undetected rapes that we are castigated for not detecting.
I think it's an issue of decorum really. I'm a women and I don't enjoy seeing other women walking round like a tit and twat platter, with next to nothing on - although it's a free world and all that. I'm a prude I guess, but I think fishnet stockings and hooker heals should be left for the bedroom and soicing up the lovelife, not out on the streets. People used to have more class.
ReplyDeleteThe officer is 100 hundred percent correct. The rest of you women that disagree with him are a bunch of fools because you don't understand the man's mind and i don't blame you as you are women at the end of the day so how are you meant to understand. A word of advice, there is certain things in this life that causes a man to lose his mind and make him incapable of thinking straight and acting normally and women is one of them. Simple test, if you have a brother introduce him to a hot girl, does he behave normally how he would usually no he doesn't unless he's gay.
ReplyDelete