Just when you thought it was safe to continue to blame crazy on Arizona state legislators whenever we make the Daily Show or national news, along comes an opinion piece in the Arizona Daily Wildcat and the national venue is feminist blog Jezebel.
In the opinion section of the student-run newspaper comes a piece by a male student on how women are responsible for their own rapes and some sage advice on exactly how they can do that, after all if the guy was drunk too, well … (shoulder shrug).
To be fair, the piece is part of a package:
EDITOR’S NOTE: This column was presented in the Sept. 2, 2014 print edition of The Daily Wildcat as part of a “head-to-head” feature on the Opinion page. These were companion columns addressing an important campus issue and not intended to be read separately. To read the companion piece click here.
The other editorial by neuroscience and cognitive science sophomore Elizabeth Hannah supports what most folks consider to be the norm in rape and perpetrators. Alcohol, this obvious science-savvy student writes, doesn’t absolve anyone of their actions—perpetrator or victim:
Let’s get one thing straight: Alcohol does not absolve a person of responsibility for their actions. A drunk driver bears full responsibility if they injure another person. Being convicted of committing murder while intoxicated still leads to life in prison.
With these precedents firmly set, it seems obvious that perpetrators of sexual assault should be held to the same standards. If a drunken man rapes his girlfriend, he must be punished accordingly. Why, then, does society excuse the behavior of young men who commit acts of sexual violence while under the influence of alcohol?
The other editorial by general studies senior Rob Monteleone, well, takes a different approach:
Only 6.6 percent of women who smoke will develop lung cancer. A woman who smokes is more than three times as likely to be sexually assaulted than she is to develop lung cancer. We turn our noses up at smokers and just made our campus tobacco-free. Yet, nothing is done about sexual assault, short of blaming the “attacker,” a guy who was likely as drunk as his “victim.” We do everything we can to mitigate the small risk of lung cancer, but nothing at all to mitigate the much greater risk of sexual assault.
We all make mistakes, and we all want to be understood, consoled and forgiven, but there’s a double standard here, and it needs to be addressed.
If drunk women who have sex are able to claim “rape,” why aren’t drunk men alleviated of responsibility for the poor decisions they make?
And someone was paying attention—Jezebel, who rightfully and gleefully raked Monteleone over some nice hot feminist fire:
Women, rejoice! We’ve finally solved rape, thanks to the brilliant and groundbreaking words of Rob, a University of Arizona senior who has written an op-ed in his school newspaper entitled “Only Responsibility Can Stop Rape.” In it, he urges women to consider preventing their own rapes by simply taking responsibility. (sound of a million Beyoncés singing “THANK YOU ROB FROM ARIZONA!” in perfect harmony. All the ladies line up to french Rob in gratitude.)
Yes, always nice to have both sides in a series of opinion pieces, but when it comes to rape, how exactly does Monteleone’s handy list contribute to preventing rape? They read like a courthouse playbook victims have had to encounter when they have the guts to take their perpetrators to court, once again proving why it’s so fucking hard for many women to come forward to begin with.
I mean, why bother, when our institution of higher learning produces students who really feel it’s all so simple if women listened to what he had to say:
don’t go to a guy’s room at 2AM
go out in groups and don’t get lost
tell your girl friends if you plan on hooking up before you leave to go out.
I guess if your girl friends see you making out with a guy when you didn’t get your hookup pre-approved, they’re supposed to karate chop him or something? Rapists love being cock blocked. I’m sure this couldn’t end terribly.
Rob Monteleone, this isn’t a piece that needed to be written, but even more so, the Opinion editor at the Wildcat should learn something from all this about discretion in what should be run in the first place.
This article appears in Sep 4-10, 2014.
Are you sure that this turkey doesn’t go to ASU?
He was a transfer.
Surprise, surprise, he’s got all sort of racist and sexist stuff on his Facebook. For example, an article about animal mating rituals with a picture of gorillas, and his comment is “Proof that the Williams sisters favor grass courts.” And, regarding the WNBA: “REALLY?! How much market research had to happen before they stumbled across the realization that only other ugly lesbians want to watch ugly lesbians play basketball badly?!”
He seems lovely.
Nice job taking the article out of contest. I’m a girl and I agree with the article. I do believe in being prepared and being careful. Safe better than sorry. I’m responsible for the risk I take. Im responsible for how much I drink, where I choose to go and with who I choose to go with. There was one comment of a girl saying that she liked to stay up until dawn with a complete stranger. Why on earth would I do that? My mom thought me better. Why would I make myself that vulnerable and such an easy victim? There’s a saying in Spanish that goes “the truth doesn’t kill you but makes you uncomfortable.” Girls, let have some common sence and be responsible. We can’t control the actions of rapists but we can control how exposed and how easy target we are. Maybe it’s an inconvenience to have to be careful all the time, but that’s reality. Let’s deal with it.
Okay, noe, but your grammar and synatx suck. So you come off uneducated and ignorant, the perfect poster child to support points of view such as the subject of the Jezebel article.
True, I’m still working on my grammar and syntax. English is my 3rd language. I still agree with the article and also believe it was taken out of context.
The best way to reduce rape is to legalize prostitution! They prove this beyond a doubt in the Netherlands!
Now, no matter what language you speak, you speak like a good girl strained to tak responsibility for those who victimize you. Don’t feel bad; the patriarchy has has millennia to make sexual discrimination a cultural cornerstone.
Explain to me why a woman should fear sexual assault as a part of reality. Then explain to me why men DON’T have to walk in groups or be careful. That’s because th only way to stop rape is to NOT RAPE PEOPLE. You are not helping; you’re showing why jerks like the above author still feel comfortable tryin to blame their lack of self control on a woman’s level of intoxication.
Did I mention you’re not helping?
Who else loves autocorrect?
Taking precautions and taking responsibility for someone raping you are VERY different things. It doesn’t surprise me that this was written by a man. I happen to LOVE being an open and trusting person. The beautiful experiences I have had because of it are priceless. So this article and those who agree with it have lost the point. Rape happens. Not because you decided to spend an evening with someone you just met, not because you had something to drink, not even when you fall asleep and wake up to someone on top of you. These inexcusable actions are made by someone who does not value honor, who does not care about anyone but themself, and also has twisted idea of entitlement.
Maybe when you all grow up you will understand? I love the new law that says “yes means yes” in its absence it means rape. And above all girls, don’t rape women a second time by saying they should be more responsible. As for this guy’s article, and the editor.. wow, they will get theirs sometime in spades, like taking a shower in prison…
What to do, though, if you’re the Wildcat editor? Do you reject the piece because it is so completely indefensible in its “logic” (or lack thereof) and so obviously morally reprehensible? Or do you err on the side of freedom of speech and give the asshole plenty of rope with which to hang himself in the public square, thus setting off a firestorm of discussion on campus (not unlike the one happening here)?
The former seems pure and right, but the latter is tempting, and has its own benefits as well. Collectively, as a community, calling this guy out for the asshole that he is and publicly repudiating his stupid and dangerous ideas serves a purpose, at the very least a “teaching moment”.
Great article. You’ve done a great service to women everywhere, particularly the naive 18-19 yr old freshmen, living on their own for the first time.
“teach men not to rape!” How’s that been working out? Swimmingly, huh?
Well, juuuuust in case you don’t want to trust a party full of drunk people, a little personal responsibility can go a pretty long way.
Leave your doors unlocked tonight. It’s ok. We’ve told men not to steal, too.
Cops, take the night off! We’ve already told people not to drink and drive.