I can't even think straight until I get this out of my brain.  The tweet below was RT'd to my home twitter feed and my head nearly exploded.  My first response to this was - are you actually kidding me?  Followed by; I have to have woke up in an alternate universe; and surely no one in this day and age - 2013! still considers this to be a valid opinion or view point - and who on this earth would vote YES?!?!?!?! (previously accused attackers maybe?).



I want to know why it isn't accepted that victims of crimes, whatever they may be, shouldn't be held responsible.  But then, they're not are they? People who are the victims of home burglary's aren't blamed - they aren't told, "well maybe you shouldn't live in such an obviously nice house, it's a bit enticing to people that want to steal.  If it's nice on the outside, you're basically advertising that you've got stuff inside it for them.  If you want to protect your house from burglary make it look like shit.  Maybe a boarded up window, overgrown hedges and the paint peeling from the front door should be enough to put them off."  That's just madness right?  So it should be accepted by now that women that are the victims of sexual assault aren't to blame.  We often read it in the papers or see it on the news, people saying "well maybe she shouldn't have been wearing such a short skirt"; "if she didn't want people looking at her she wouldn't have her cleavage out.  It's her own fault".  As far as I was aware, women don't dress themselves to advertise themselves to men.  Women dress for themselves, in clothes they like or ones that are in fashion or both.  If you read the fashion magazines women are shown that these are the clothes they should be wearing - then as soon as they become a victim all of a sudden they should be leaving the house wrapped in curtains to hide every single part of their skin, or better yet - maybe they just shouldn't go out at all.  So for example, crop tops are in fashion just now and have been for a little while - so in theory of this argument should women not wear them because exposing their stomachs could be seen as enticing to men?  No, because that's stupid.

As far as blaming a woman for being drunk.  I AM SICK OF IT.  This is probably the longest standing argument for people that victim blame. Blaming someone for being drunk is not an excuse.  They still didn't ask for it, possibly they probably didn't have the capacity to even say no, but when someone's not saying yes - take it as a NO.  While it's important for women to be self-aware and obviously try not to over do it - the same could be said for anyone that drinks alcohol.  When men get absolutely out their mind drunk, say they get seriously injured by someone else - like getting stabbed or something - is it okay to say, "they shouldn't have been so drunk and it wouldn't have happened".  No.  You'd get hung and quartered for saying that about a stabbing victim.  It's obviously the knife wielding maniacs fault, right?  So why do people continue to say that women shouldn't drink alcohol because it makes themselves vulnerable to being attacked?  When I've got my back turned to someone, I'm vulnerable to them - they could sneak up behind me and wring my neck.  The point is, attackers seek out vulnerable people, and you're not only vulnerable if you're drunk.  You may as well wrap yourself up in ten layers of bubble wrap and hide in your wardrobe.  And why should you deny yourself a socially accepted method of socialising, it's normal to go out and have a drink with friends - it shouldn't be considered normal to sexually assault someone.

I nearly lost my eyebrows in my hair I was so shocked when I seen that "flirty" behaviour was a cause for blame.  And the general outcry on twitter about this tells me I wasn't the only one.  Since when was flirting with someone a free invitation for them to do what they like with you?  Flirting ain't permission for sex, just FYI.  It's the first step in expressing an attraction to someone, and just because a woman is attracted to a man doesn't mean she wants to sleep with them.  And in my experience, friendliness is often confused for flirting.  You see it all the time on TV and in movies, a guy or girl leans in for a kiss and the other person freaks out because the other person is like a sibling to them or whatever.  So for starters this person you assaulted, may not have even been flirting with you in the first place.  It is just so ridiculous that I'm running out of words to explain how ridiculous it is.

These tend to be the main victim blaming view points, but what about the women that are raped when they're wearing "unattractive" comfy clothes; or that are sober; or that are a bitch to everyone?  What I can take from the media's view on female rape victims - Dress badly, and in general don't look after your appearance; try and make yourself as invulnerable as possible at all times - maybe take up martial arts?; and don't be friendly to anyone - y'know just in case you cross paths with a sick fuck that will rape you.

Rant. Over.