A Feminist's Blackboard: 7 responses to rape victim blaming
- When someone says something which helps support an anti-rape culture, thank them and praise them to others.
- When someone says, “Boys will be boys,” when they learn a boy has been accused of rape ask them, “Do you really believe all boys are rapists?”
- When someone says, “The only way to prevent sexual violence is to teach girls and women how to avoid danger,” respond with, “And I suppose the only way to prevent gun crimes is to teach people how to dodge bullets.”
- When you encounter someone who seems to be otherwise caring saying something which supports sexual violence, use the phrase, “Excuse me?” as if someone just said, “You should drink 5 glasses of vegetable oil every day if you don’t want to die next week.”
- When someone says, “I don’t understand how a real rape victim could ___ (fill in the blank with any common stereotype) so I believe she’s not a real rape victim,” respond with a parallel statement such as “I don’t understand how a real human could walk on the moon so I believe no humans have ever walked on the moon.”
- When someone calls a woman who is vocal against sexual violence a “man hater,” ask them, “Is that really the only reason you can think of for why a woman would find rape repulsive enough to speak up against it?”
- When someone says rape is just illegal sex respond with “Yeah, and hitting a pedestrian with your car is just giving someone an illegal car ride.”
._. People… say these things?
I’m glad I’ve never met someone who said any of these things. I guess the good thing about the small town culture here is we don’t dehumanize like this.
… I think my head exploded. *wanders away*
(via idginator)
