Rape

[Rick Wilson]

I don’t buy the “walking in fear” warning to be honest. Proper respect for reality is not fear. Understanding what is proper awareness and that awareness is not paranoia.


Awareness vs. Paranoia:

• The first line of defense is to stay aware of where you are and what dangers might realistically exist.

• Awareness covers how you walk through life and view potential dangers. It will open your eyes to how perpetrators get past normal diligent people’s “defenses”.

• Understand that awareness is not paranoia.

• Paranoia deals with being concerned about unrealistic fears.

• Awareness simply puts you on yellow alert at the appropriate times, and moves you to red alert when required.

• Awareness is simply prudent caution.

• If you are aware then you limit the chance of some one slipping passed your defenses and placing you in a position of danger.

This is NOT fear.

[IJ]

I'm all for awareness. I'm just for balance... I think there are some things that scare us out of proportion to the threat. Stranger rape is one of these. People who are mindful of their surroundings and know how those things happen--and who are in a safe home more importantly--are truly at minimal risk of rape. We also have to be careful of how our stats are generated. Some data I came across doing research on this subject a fews years back included telling a partner she was fat under the title of partner abuse. Inflates the statistics and equates being a heel with being an abuser.

This extends to people who drive cross country but won't fly; people who obsess about rape but smoke--among these are many people who don't know lung cancer kills more women than breat cancer--and people who buy, supposedly for safety, an H2 but who sit down to dinner eating traditional American foods and live a sedentary American life as if unaware that lifestyle kills hundreds of thousands more than violence or accidents in this country. That's all I mean.

Respect for dangers (not paranoia, just as you say) in proportion to the dangers they pose. That's a good place to start. One of my concerns is how overemphasis on the stranger rapes can cause us to miss the warning signs of domestic violence in our homes and among our friends.

[Halford]

i posted some statistics on Bill Glasheen's forum under much the same title. For those of you who have not read the topic, DID MALVO GET THE RIGHT SENTENCE? this posting was an offshoot of somewhat lengthy and intense discussion of things,much of which tended to stray from the main topic,so you might all do well to read that as well,if yoiu have the time and the energy. Anyway, I'd be glad to hear your comments on these statistics from the article in TKDT entitled,STREET TOOLS FOR WOMEN. By the way, I looked at the latest issue of SELF DEFENSE FOR WOMEN OR WOMEN'S SELF DEFENSE MAGAZINE and found the basic format much like many women's magazines in general and less like martial arts magazines,but that is only my perception. The articles and writers,however, are mostly women and the material is generally interesting and clear, though I am sure one can pick it over and find areas of disagreement,etc. This magazine is still going and that says something for it thus far. I had, honestly, expected it to fold up. This must be the fifth or sixth issue now. Some of the writers are well-know women martial artists.

[miked]

For very good information on rape, self-defense, strategies, resources etc. you may want to check out the Assault Prevention Information network at http://www.jump.net/~judith/SDclassStories.html

This site has tons of links and resources and includes succesful real-life self-defense stories.

Mike