'Don't walk alone at night' - offensive?

[Safe-Keeper]

OK, so in the past six weeks there has been a wave of sexual assaults in downtown Bergen. Recently, amidst political pushes for more visible police, harsher punishment for rape, and other measures I support full-heartedly, the authorities issued a warning to women to not walk alone in downtown at nighttime. Almost immediately, several politicians and other talking heads reacted negatively. The advice was 'reminiscent of a curfew', it 'restricted women's right to walk freely around in their town after nightfall', and it was 'an attempt by the police to void itself of responsibility'. It was also stated that advice to take care of yourself could result in a feeling of guilt in rape victims - a feeling that the assault was their fault because they didn't take adequate measures to protect themselves. And it very likely does.

Look, I've suffered from major depression and bipolar disorder in the past, and I currently attend a High School for teens and adults who due to mental illnesses have fallen behind and want to finish their High School education in a more 'relaxed' setting. As such, lots of my friends have problems in their lives, and I've lost count of how many rape victims I've gotten to know the last four years since I got ill. So the last thing I want is to blame them or make them feel guilty about what happened to them. But I still feel it's in order to tell people to take care of themselves.

What it comes down to is this: I've got friends, downtown residents, who I love very much. I don't want them to get raped, and we advise each others to take care of ourselves. Because when it comes down to it, I believe there's a difference between 'for your own safety, don't walk alone at night' and 'if you walk alone at night, you waive any assaulter of any responsibility for what he or she may do to you'. And the police is quite capable of improving its routines and telling people to take care of themselves.

 

[tsg]

OK, so in the past six weeks there has been a wave of sexual assaults in downtown Bergen. Recently, amidst political pushes for more visible police, harsher punishment for rape, and other measures I support full-heartedly, the authorities issued a warning to women to not walk alone in downtown at nighttime. Almost immediately, several politicians and other talking heads reacted negatively. The advice was 'reminiscent of a curfew', it 'restricted women's right to walk freely around in their town after nightfall', and it was 'an attempt by the police to void itself of responsibility'. It was also stated that advice to take care of yourself could result in a feeling of guilt in rape victims - a feeling that the assault was their fault because they didn't take adequate measures to protect themselves. And it very likely does.

I would say the talking heads are overreacting. They aren't making it illegal to walk alone at night, they're just saying you'll be safer if you don't. And I think it's rather disingenuous to play the "blaming the victim" card for telling people how to prevent being attacked.

Look, I've suffered from major depression and bipolar disorder in the past, and I currently attend a High School for teens and adults who due to mental illnesses have fallen behind and want to finish their High School education in a more 'relaxed' setting. As such, lots of my friends have problems in their lives, and I've lost count of how many rape victims I've gotten to know the last four years since I got ill. So the last thing I want is to blame them or make them feel guilty about what happened to them. But I still feel it's in order to tell people to take care of themselves.

What it comes down to is this: I've got friends, downtown residents, who I love very much. I don't want them to get raped, and we advise each others to take care of ourselves. Because when it comes down to it, I believe there's a difference between 'for your own safety, don't walk alone at night' and 'if you walk alone at night, you waive any assaulter of any responsibility for what he or she may do to you'. And the police is quite capable of improving its routines and telling people to take care of themselves.

Nobody deserves to be attacked, but the fact is people are. Nobody would think twice about telling someone it was their own fault their money was stolen if they kept it in a pile on their front lawn. Yes, the thief shouldn't have taken it but the owner has to take some of the responsibility for protecting it. It's why we have locks on doors as well as laws against theft.

People have to take responsibility for their own safety as well. Ideally, we should all be able to walk down the street without having to worry about being attacked, but that isn't the world we live in. If someone knows there is a danger and doesn't take any precautions then they share some of the responsibility for the outcome. Does that mean they deserve it? Of course not, but they may have been able to prevent it. Telling people how to prevent it is not only not offensive, it's absolutely necessary.

 

[Ratatoskr]

In 60 minutes I'm picking up my girlfriend from the station in downtown Bergen. To be honest, I do not like the idea of her walking alone home.

And yes, I believe rapists deserve much harsher punishment. And yes, we have to be careful when walking in dangerous neighborhoods, but that's no excuse for that bastard and what he does to those girls.

(And most of these attacks have happened in areas I would not consider dangerous, Bergen is not a very big city)

 

[jsiv]

I have to agree with tsg.

Almost immediately, several politicians and other talking heads reacted negatively. The advice was 'reminiscent of a curfew', it 'restricted women's right to walk freely around in their town after nightfall', and it was 'an attempt by the police to void itself of responsibility'. It was also stated that advice to take care of yourself could result in a feeling of guilt in rape victims - a feeling that the assault was their fault because they didn't take adequate measures to protect themselves. And it very likely does.

They're right. It's all those things.

BUT

The fact remains that the problem is very real and pretending that it doesn't exist and that there is no threat to women does nothing to help. Same when they try to convince the world that the way women dress (and behave) has nothing to do with it. It does sometimes.

That doesn't mean that it's right, or that it should matter. It just means that it's a simple fact that it does and that it is the reality we have to deal with. We do not live in a Utopian society. These are problems you can't solve by pretending they don't exist, like certain politicians seem to want. Nor can you solve it by just holding a couple of appeals and rallies urging men not to rape.

What is needed from the government is less talk and more action. It is not the police's fault that they do not have the resources to do enough. They do what they can with what they have. Where are the >500 new police officers that the country is in need of? Spend some money on these things while we have it.

It takes both the public and the authorities to make the community as safe as possible. People have to be vigilant and look out for each other, and the government has to allocate the resources needed to realistically deal with these kinds of problems.

 

[sophia8]

It's the fact that the message is aimed solely at women that is offensive. When the Yorkshire Ripper was doing his thing here in the 1970s, the local police chief advised all women in Yorkshire not to go out at night. It was swiftly pointed out to him that it since was a man who was doing the murders, logically it should be men who should be told to stay in at night.
Since it appears to be a man - or men - who are doing the assaulting here, surely males should be advised not to go out alone? It's not unknown for two men together to rape, but rapists are far more likely act when they are on their own. So, if men are told to only go out in pairs or more, a lone male on the street at night will instantly arouse suspicion.

 

[tsg]

It's the fact that the message is aimed solely at women that is offensive.

I don't buy this at all. Women are being targeted. Who should the message be aimed at? Should birth control pills should be marketed to men as well?

When the Yorkshire Ripper was doing his thing here in the 1970s, the local police chief advised all women in Yorkshire not to go out at night. It was swiftly pointed out to him that it since was a man who was doing the murders, logically it should be men who should be told to stay in at night.

Clever, cute, and completely wrong. All men were not potentially the Yorkshire Ripper and reducing the number of men alone wouldn't reduce the number of killings. All women were potentially targets (I'm assuming). If you could get the Yorkshire Ripper to stop killing simply by asking him to, our problems would be solved. But you can't.

Since it appears to be a man - or men - who are doing the assaulting here, surely males should be advised not to go out alone? It's not unknown for two men together to rape, but rapists are far more likely act when they are on their own. So, if men are told to only go out in pairs or more, a lone male on the street at night will instantly arouse suspicion.

It doesn't work that way. First, assuming that the rapists aren't acting in pairs, or won't should the suggestion be followed, is foolish at best. Second, men aren't likely to take the suggestion seriously since they aren't the ones in danger. Third, if you could get the rapists to stop raping by asking them, all our problems would be solved. But you can't. Fourth, try suggesting that all blacks stay indoors because most of the people stealing are black and see how far that gets you.

 

[egslim]

logically it should be men who should be told to stay in at night.

Except neither gender is told to not walk alone, the word used is advised. And everyone is perfectly free to ignore that advice. Surely you do not support a curfew when walking alone is illegal?

To not be offensive you would have to advise both genders not to walk alone at night. Of course most sane men will ignore that advice, since they obviously have nothing to fear from this rapist anyway. Hence effectively the result would be exactly the same as it is now.

If anything, the advice for men should be to more often take a walk outside at night. Based on the assumption that a rapist is unlikely to assault a woman if other people are within sight. But of course that's offensive towards women too.

And not being offended is so much more important than not being raped...

 

[corplinx]

Why aren't these women at home cooking dinner to begin with?

 

[The Painter]

It's the fact that the message is aimed solely at women that is offensive. When the Yorkshire Ripper was doing his thing here in the 1970s, the local police chief advised all women in Yorkshire not to go out at night. It was swiftly pointed out to him that it since was a man who was doing the murders, logically it should be men who should be told to stay in at night.
Since it appears to be a man - or men - who are doing the assaulting here, surely males should be advised not to go out alone? It's not unknown for two men together to rape, but rapists are far more likely act when they are on their own. So, if men are told to only go out in pairs or more, a lone male on the street at night will instantly arouse suspicion.

They should tell everyone to stay in at night. Men and women. this way if they see anyone out at night, they can just shoot them. Too much? OK just arrest them.

 

[Dorian Gray]

This isn't a case of "blame the victim" - it's a case of "avoid having victims in the first place."

 

[Gurdur]

This isn't a case of "blame the victim" - it's a case of "avoid having victims in the first place."

Bingo.

If you're going to call "Don't walk alone at night" offensive, you're calling any sort of advice at all on how to avoid becoming a victim offensive. That seems downright stupid to me.

 

[Mojo]

That seems downright stupid to me.

Well, as the OP said, it was "politicians and other talking heads" who were saying it...

 

[Elind]

Umm, since this appears to be a controversial, and relatively new danger, may I ask what is the typical profile of the rapists that were caught, or dare I say, their DNA?

Something must have caused a mutation in the typical Norwegian male, as I don't remember reading much of such things years ago when I was there.

 

[Gurdur]

.......may I ask what is the typical profile of the rapists that were caught, or dare I say, their DNA? Something must have caused a mutation in the typical Norwegian male,...

If you're being serious, you obviously don't know a thing about genetics.

 

[Travis]

Equating an advisory to "not walk alone" to a curfew and concluding that this is prejudicially offensive is just so bizarrely fatuous that I have to wonder if the talking heads weren't really just audio-animatronics that had a cynical inebriated intern controlling them.