When reading this chapter, I was suprised that Shalit indirectly blames women for being raped, harassed, and stalked. Shalit suggests that women control the way that people act towards them by the clothing (or lack of clothing) they wear and how they behave. She suggests that the feminist mindset that "everyone is equal" has taught men that women want the same thing they do from sexual relationships. Shalit even goes on to say that "If men are brought up, as today's boys are, believing that girls always want the same thing they do from sexual encounters,... then they are that much more likely to be impatient and uncomprehending of a women's 'no'." I couldn't help but wonder how Shalit can believe what she had written. Yes, what you wear and how they act does have an effect on how people act towards you, but it is not an open invitation for rape or sexual harassment. Everyone understands what "no" is, that is one of the first things we learn. As children we nod our head side to side in order to get away from the evil liquidified carrot/pea blend. Shalit can not blame equality for men raping women. Men who don't listen to a woman's no have serious pyschological issues, which can be blamed on a number of factors such as previous molestation and abuse. Each individual is responsible for their own actions, which has nothing to do with gender equality.
1 comment:
I completely agree with you Krista on this issue. However, it seems as if we as a society have run out of people to blame for the rise in harassment and rape. This is mainly where I think Shalit is coming from. She is so angry with how women present themselves today that she is putting this blame on us. I surely don't agree that this is right, but I can see where she is coming from and why it would make sense for her to blame women as a whole. Men should be blamed for their individual actions in the end, but then again Shalit would not want to come off as a feminist.
-Chelle Dean
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