“Respect Your Limits While Drinking” Is Apparently Rape Culture
Feminists reacted strongly against the former president of George Washington University’s remarks suggesting that drinking responsibly could help prevent women from being sexually assaulted. Yes, you heard it here first: women should not be responsible for anything at all. Ever. Especially for how much alcohol they willingly consume.
Greg Piper at The College Fix reports:
‘Don’t Get Sh*t-Faced’ Is Controversial Anti-Rape Advice For Feminists
The former president of George Washington University had some practical advice for college women dealing with aggressive men at campus parties, speaking Tuesday on the public radio program The Diane Rehm Show.
It boils down to “don’t get sh*t-faced.” And it’s getting him a lot of sh*t from feminists, according to The GW Hatchet.
Stephen Tractenberg’s Cro-Magnon remarks?
“Without making the victims responsible for what happens, one of the groups that have to be trained not to drink in excess are women. They need to be in a position to punch the guys in the nose if they misbehave,” Trachtenberg said on the show. “And so part of the problem is you have men who take advantage of women who drink too much and there are women who drink too much. And we need to educate our daughters and our children in that regard.”
Feminist blog Jezebel‘s Erin Gloria Ryan, who can apparently get sloshed without losing her judgment in any way, calls Tractenberg’s advice “jaw-droppingly stupid” and sarcastically calls it “a failproof solution” and “real fresh thinking.” The Hatchet has a sampling of similarly snarky tweets directed at Tractenberg.
Tractenberg, of course, is furiously backpedaling before he can be subpoenaed by the House Un-Feminist Activities Committee, telling The Hatchet:
“I don’t believe that because a woman drinks, that shifts responsibility from a predator to her. What I’m saying is you want to have somebody you care about like your daughter, granddaughter or girlfriend to understand her limits because she will be less likely to be unable to fight off somebody who is attacking her,” Trachtenberg said. [emphasis added]
That part about your girlfriend’s “limits” hits home for me.
My gal is missing a kidney and she’s of Asian descent, a double-whammy that translates into a low tolerance for alcohol (Japanese karaoke folklore notwithstanding). Whenever we order drinks I look for the lowest-alcohol beer on the menu for her, because out of necessity I’ll end up drinking most of anything strong that she orders.
A strong-willed 30-something woman of good judgment and (nearly) a PhD, my gal has injured herself at least twice after consuming what you’d consider “normal” amounts of alcohol and then passing out. She shattered a storefront window once and hit her forehead in a restaurant restroom another time, calling me on her phone to come get her. It’s worse when it’s hot outside. Now when she’s feeling woozy she’ll bring her phone to the restroom, just in case.
I can only imagine how a 19-year-old woman who’s being handed Red Solo cups of unknown composition – in a crowded, loud and sweltering frat house that may be (intentionally or negligently) low on food to slow alcohol absorption – is going to fare by the end of the night.
‘Don’t Get Sh*t-Faced’ Is Controversial Anti-Rape Advice For Feminists (The College Fix)
Comments
Given that it is never going to be a perfect world and that there are some men who prey on women, it is necessary for women to take responsibility for ensuring their own safety. That includes not becoming impaired by drinking too much in public. If it is too much for the woman to look after herself then her well being won’t matter or be of any value to anyone else either. Why should others have to value what she seems not to value. Get over yourselves, ladies and start acting like ladies.
You need to remember that these college girls may call themselves ladies, but no self respecting lady puts herself in
harms way and then screams that someone took advantage of her on the floor. Would these “ladies” drive down alone to the south side of Chicago and get out of the car? Not likely, but God only knows what these college girls might do.