Comments

• On the Blog Post Eight Important Lessons for Women from Steubenville

  

  Jennifer DeLuke

  3:20 pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2013

  bless you.

• On the Blog Post Eight Important Lessons for Women from Steubenville

  

  Jennifer DeLuke

  11:47 am on Wednesday, March 20, 2013

  I'm really, really trying to formulate an articulate, intelligent response to this nonsensical comment--so please bear with me. Firstly, what is it exactly that you are trying to illustrate with that opening (faulty) analogy? You continue to imply that the victim in some way is responsible for being assaulted, violated, and humiliated because she decided to drink. And that, because of this decision, she also was somehow in control over the events that night all-the-while remaining passed-out and drove around from party to party, slung around like second-hand rag doll. To render this situation "about as inexcusable as if she got behind the wheel and run over a flock of nuns," is a delusional fallacy in reasoning. This young woman was NOT an autonomous agent that night. Equivocating the ACTIVE choice to drive a car fails to uphold any validity when you actually understand what you're talking about. I urge you to take a longer look into this case, possibly the photos specifically, and reflect again on how you can mitigate or attempt to justify this violence against a young woman.

• On the Blog Post Eight Important Lessons for Women from Steubenville

  Jennifer DeLuke

  3:39 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013

  I find it problematic that you specifically target women as beneficiaries for your "advice." By reinforcing this notion that women can "rape-proof" themselves (or their friends) you not only trivialize rape, but also perpetuate a level of victim-blaming. The stance you take implies that a person always is available for sex until he or she says no, that sex is always on the table until the person actively opposes it. Developing a "strategy to keep yourself safe," is really saying "make sure he rapes the other girl." I do feel that your commentary covering the legal definitions of rape was positive in reshaping the collective consciousness understanding of "rape." However, I also think a more proactive approach towards a "learning lesson" after Steubenville is in promoting the lesson that we, as a culture, need to focus on teaching PEOPLE (how AND why) NOT TO RAPE PEOPLE.

  Jessica Valenti - "being responsible has nothing to do with being raped. Women don’t get raped because they were drinking or took drugs. Women do not get raped because they weren’t careful enough. Women get raped because someone raped them."

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• On the Blog Post “Why Didn’t Anybody Do Anything???” in the Steubenville, Ohio, Town Where High School Students Allegedly Gang-Raped an Unconscious 16-Year-Old

  Jennifer DeLuke

  6:21 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

  Way to turn an act of violence into a marketing strategy.

  Why didn't anybody do anything? Because we live in a rape culture that promotes victim blaming. As long as girls "are asking for it," and as long as we teach girls "how to not get raped" we will live in a society of zombie, passive bystanders.

  Instead of ignorantly attempting to connect the issue of sexual violence against women with your own agenda of cyber-bullying, how about you revisit this "learning opportunity" after designing and/or promoting a plan to teach students about the real issue at hand--what rape is, and how to NOT BE A RAPIST.

  This article is truly vile.

  Reply