Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Grrr. Guardian article on rape in pubs and clubs.

61 replies

LRDtheFeministDragon · 11/10/2012 08:28

Oh, damn. Angry

www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/oct/10/pubs-clubs-closed-rape-crackdown

I was just reading this article and thinking, great, this sounds like a good idea. They're planning to target pubs and clubs where high levels of rape and sexual assault are reported, to shut them down. Great. Then I hit this line, which is one of their aims:

'? A hard-hitting prevention campaign to target male behaviour and speak to women about reducing their vulnerability.'

Fuck the fuck off, will you?!

OP posts:
OatyBeatie · 11/10/2012 10:18

Agree, pootles that the "hard hitting" was in relation to targetting men's behaviour, and I liked the term for exactly that reason.

It is good, I think, and the apparent seriousness with which the Saville affair is being investigated is also good. Seems like a cultural shift. A news reporter on BBC the other day (Mark someone) made me want to hug him because of the passion with which he spoke (in relation to Saville accusations) of the culture of the seventies as being one in which an ethos of sexual liberation collided with the reality of male dominance to create a whole new set of circumstances favouring the abuse of women. I feel like there is now a real common effort.

ChunkyPickle · 11/10/2012 10:11

I did sigh at the 'advice to reduce vulnerability' but the move to treat sexual assault as an equal offence to other assaults when considering licencing issues is very positive.

It isn't already?! What is wrong with people!

bigkidsdidit · 11/10/2012 10:09

I thought it seemed pretty positive. And the Met and it's Sapphire Unit usually makes me want to weep. I have decided, just for once, to be optimistic.

It may last a day Grin

Pootles2010 · 11/10/2012 09:44

I read it as 'hard hitting' towards male behaviour, alongside speaking to women. Obviously would be better that they didn't mention advising women at all, but does seem step in right direction.

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 11/10/2012 09:43

doctrine - oh, yes, sorry, it is not the Guardian I was being angry with, it was the content of what they were reporting! I thought it was good they did put it in context.

There are indeed some positives.

I still found it pretty awful, TBH.

OP posts:
WereTricksPotter · 11/10/2012 09:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OatyBeatie · 11/10/2012 09:36

I was much more struck by the positives in this new campaign than by the negatives. There do seem to be some potentially very constructive elements to it.

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 11/10/2012 09:33

Hmm. They do acknowledge in the article that they don't want to blame the victims. I don't think it's perfect wording but I think is better than a lot of similar campaigns. Hard hitting may have been Guardian wording not police.

Interesting idea about using the licensing laws in similar ways wrt sexual assault as wrt a glassing in or near a pub, that is positive.

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 11/10/2012 09:20

Indeed.

OP posts:
samandi · 11/10/2012 09:11

Why is it that "vulnerability" is only ever used in the media when referring to females? You never hear of media campaigns to reduce male on male assaults talking about the victim's "vulnerability".

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 11/10/2012 08:29

And could that be any more insensitively worded?! 'A hard-hitting campaign'?

Honestly, what the fuck were they on?

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread