All of this, apparently, was the result of a very stupid comment a democratic State legislator in Colorado (who later apologized), which Malkin then falsely tied to a list of college campus rape prevention tips from 7 years ago on her blog. Seriously, you cannot make this shit up. The fact that the gun lobby has been targeting the women's market by tapping into their greatest fears is nothing new. What is new, at least to me, is the right's attempt to use that marketing to masquerade as anti-rape crusaders. Yes the party of "legitimate rape" is actually trying to pretend they are feminists. Or at least, not misogynists. Because guns. Apparently without much push-back. It's almost funny, except it's not. Because as Leslie Salazar wrote in US News, guns don't protect women against rape:
I must say, as a woman, and a woman who has been in a rape situation, on more than one occasion, it is offensive to try to tie guns with rape for the sake of attempting to win a political argument. It's not just pathetic; it's undignified. And it's a slap in the face to the thousands of women who have been victims. It even sickens me more when it's women attempting to make this argument.
I think it's asinine to try to use any of the tactics reported in the past to ward off a rapist, it's just as asinine to think that if you can conceal and carry a weapon, a woman is protected from any potential rapist. In other words, a gun can provide security, but not in all situations.As a woman who has been yes, "in a rape situation" on more than one occasion, including when I owned a gun for self defense (which is pretty useless if the rapist is your live-in boyfriend) I could not agree more. What Salazar said was stupid and condescending. This is above and beyond that. This is turning rape survivors into a punchline, and doing so in a way that frames the issue of rape as, once again, something that women (and victims in general) are responsible for. The "tip sheet" has been removed from the UCCS website, but here is a screenshot (h/t to Global Grind):
And you know what? It DOES deserve mocking, but as the kids say GOP, yer doin it wrong. And yer doing it wrong, because you are out of your element. Because TRULY confronting the absurdity of the #UCCS tips, and all of the other "Rape Prevention" tips routinely given to women, means addressing the underlying problem of rape culture itself-something you are clearly not willing to do because it would require looking in the mirror. So GOP, please proceed in making your fart jokes about rape victims, but in the meantime, below the fold I would like to offer my own #LiberalTips2AvoidRape (inspired by this bit of brilliance) below the fold ((TRIGGER WARNING))
