Recent news articles and radio programs have covered the growing backlash to the comments made by a policeman in Toronto. He was speaking on a college campus about the need for personal security and the ways in which women in particular can help protect themselves from becoming the victims of crime. He stated that if a woman wanted to lessen the risk of being raped then she should "not dress like a slut".
From this comment arose the Slut Walks organised across America, Canada, Britain and Australia to "reclaim" the word "slut" and highlight the fact that women should be able to wear clothes that are "sexy" and "revealing" and not be blamed if they become the target of sexual assault and rape.
Lets get one thing clear from the start here and that is, to sexually abuse, assault and rape is never justified. It is wrong and the perpetrators of such crimes need to be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law, and in some cases further than the lenient judicial system allows.
But the attitude of some of the protesters and women that publicised the events makes me question there motives and not to put too blunt a point on it their sanity.
They are of the opinion that women are not in any way responsible for the way that other people will interact with them based on how they look and how they dress. In one case a woman was questioned and said that "if I wanted to I should be able to walk down the street naked and not fear any sexual harassment or assault". If we lived in an an ideal world she has a point, however we do not. The society we live in is constantly bombarding us with images of beauty and sexual attraction. From the food we eat to the car you drive, from the shampoo you use to the computer you buy, these are all sold on the back of making you more attractive. So if we choose to follow the promptings of advertisers and the consensus of local opinion then we can not help but draw sexually motivated attention to ourselves. If women(and men) then go on to add even more emphasis on their sexuality and are seen to be available then they are responsible for the reactions they cause in others.
The argument that women have the right to dress in an overly sexually inviting way and then complain that they elicit a negative reaction from the men around them is both wrong and naive.
We all are judged, rightly or wrongly on how we dress, look and act.
How many of you would walk passed these talking on your Blackberry, have your i-pad in hand and park your car next to where they are handing about? If you did and you were robbed and beaten are you in no way responsible for making poor judgement?
9 comments:
Totally agree. Trying to reclaim the word 'slut' is like trying to reclaim the words 'nigger', 'wanker' and 'stupid fucking idiot'. They cannot be reclaimed. They are stained with negativity and it won't wash out no matter how many 'wanker walks' you go on. The police man was merely suggesting a sensible way to reduce the risk of attack in this horrible, unfair, violent world of ours. Don't shoot the messenger.
Steve-The feminists who support the extreme view are not fighting for equality they are looking for the upper hand. Those who fight these campaigns can soon find themselves in the same situation as the supporters of Mugabe and the Libyan freedom-fighters, the oppressed becoming the oppressors.
Should the policeman have used the word "slut"? That's obviously what they were upset about, even if they chose an odd way to complain about it. A gentleman does not call women "sluts", however they dress.
GB-If the aim of the "slutwalks" was to reclaim the word Slut and reduce the negative impact and connotations, then yes taking to the streets marching in underwear and such is indeed a curious way to achieve this. It would seem that these sentiments and objectives may have been hijacked by the more radical elements of feminism that demand the rights but refuse the responsibilities.
Would thousands of young Black and Asian men in baggy jeans, hoodies and bandanna on their faces marching through the major cities of the world change the public's perception that they are being unduly harassed by the police and that they should be able to dress as they want without taking the responsibility of the messages their clothes send out? I think not!
After all as Ms Palin knows all to well " you can put lipstick on a pig...."
The SLUT walk in london recently
its objective was just to gain headlines
WHICH IT DID.
hey ho
i saw the coverage of the slut walk in melbourne....let me just say that most of the marchers would be pretty safe no matter how provocatively they dressed.
John- I guess even bad publicity is good publicity. If these women wanted to parade in "slut" clothes then they should of waited till Saturday night and staggered around many local town centres, they would have been in good company.
DBoy-Many of these women Did have lots of bruises where men kept pushing them away with 10 foot barge poles.
no blogs in a while?
John- hi, thanks for concern. Just been busy with school hols, work and being a bit poorly but mostly in a bit of a slump. There's a hundred unpublished posts and not one of em worth reading.....heaven forbid I clog up the internet with rubbish !!
Normal service will resume shortly, I apologise in advance :)
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