[SebC]

Originally Posted by rubecube

So your suggestion then is for women to just not do things that puts them in proximity to rapists? I guess if black people would do a better job of covering up their blackness, maybe they wouldn't have to deal with so much racism, right?

That's not my suggestion. What I'm saying is that it's a fact that risk factors exist. Maybe the benefit of "doing things that put them in proximity to rapists" is worth the risk. It's up to the individual to decide that, and they can't do it if nobody gives them the facts.

I wouldn't recommend that black people visit KKK rallies, but maybe that's just me.

Originally Posted by rubecube

Except you need to prove that these things are actually significant risk factors if you're going to say it's a woman's responsibility not to be raped. Furthermore, why is the onus on women to adjust their behaviour so that men won't rape them? Why are we not addressing the cultural attitudes that make men thing rape is acceptable (such as victim-blaming).

Well, alcohol in particular is well established as a risk factor, but I'm not saying that it's a woman's responsibility to not be raped. But she does have control over some of the risk factors. It's not something that she has to do, but something that she can do. It's not her fault that she got raped if she doesn't mitigate her risk factors, but she did contribute to the likelihood of it happening.

Originally Posted by rubecube

Why are we not addressing the cultural attitudes that make men thing rape is acceptable (such as victim-blaming).

False dichotomy. Do both. Education around risk factors isn't victim-blaming.

Originally Posted by rubecube

If every single woman started dressing in modest clothing do you think rape rates would actually go down? What about if all women gave up drinking?

I would guess that they would.

Originally Posted by rubecube

Do you realize what a myopic, patriarchal, and ethnocentric viewpoint that is?

I honestly have no clue how you lept to this point.

Originally Posted by rubecube

Ridiculous analogy. Children aren't expected to behave differently than anyone else when crossing the street. We also don't have an epidemic of people trying to run over kids.

Does it matter if the threat is actively hostile? As a pedestrian you look for cars to mitigate the risk of getting hit (even though if you do, it's typically the driver's fault).

For another analogy, assuming that homes with burglar alarms get robbed less. It's good advice to get an alarm. It's not your fault if don't have one and get robbed, but you increased your odds. There, now it's an actively hostile threat. Nothing changes.

Originally Posted by rubecube

I think there is something to be said for educating women on the tactics of manipulation and coercion employed by rapists vs. telling them why it's their fault they were raped.

There's lots of things we can do. What you're doing in this thread is counter-productive.