Phi Kappa Psi at U of Virginia Voluntarily Suspends Activities

[33girl]

Originally Posted by 1964Alum

This DOES happen! There was an incident on the news just the other day about a woman who was attacked just this way. Of course I "get it". Rape can and does take place in many, many different situations. But I also "get" having some common sense about what kinds of situations you expose yourself to as a woman. And what the attendant risks are. Also what self-protective measures we as women can take. IMO to think otherwise is very naive and unrealistic.

I didn't mean you, I meant if the mother thinks her daughter is covered solely by having a police whistle and pepper spray, she's deluding herself. All women need to know how to combat the physical, mental and emotional forms of assault.

[1964Alum]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I didn't mean you, I meant if the mother thinks her daughter is covered solely by having a police whistle and pepper spray, she's deluding herself. All women need to know how to combat the physical, mental and emotional forms of assault.

Not at all. Both parents are recently retired US Diplomats and as such have been in many very different (and often dangerous) parts of the world and in many different circumstances. Mother went over with daughter her normal routine and identified with her vulnerabilities. One glaring one was walking home to her apartment by herself in the dark after a late class. She got herself a bike to be able to travel at a greater speed then added pepper spray and a police whistle on a cord. No guarantees of complete safety, but she does have some defenses in place. Predators of all kinds prey on the vulnerable, as we know.

[honorgal]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I didn't mean you, I meant if the mother thinks her daughter is covered solely by having a police whistle and pepper spray, she's deluding herself. All women need to know how to combat the physical, mental and emotional forms of assault.

Yes, this.

But it's also necessary to be able to assess risk with some semblance of accuracy. With our 24/7 news cycle that loves to sensationalize, people have a hard time with this. Remember the recent Ebola frenzy? And a few years ago it was the shark frenzy. In the 80's it was the daycare child molester frenzy. And we've had the rape crisis frenzy for a while. Rape is a problem, and not just on college campuses. But hysteria doesn't lead to effective policy decisions to combat it.