Chrissie Hynde said that victims of assault have to take responsibility

[Gymbunny1204]

She's been interviewed by the Sunday Times.

Wearing short skirt, high heels, drunk - implies your fault if raped. Dressed like that you need to be able to run. She says.

She was assaulted at age 21. Says her fault she went with the men.

I hate her for making me think for a split second it was my fault I was abused as a child for running to the loo in just a top which did cover my bottom, I had no pants on. In front of the abuser.

Piece in the daily mail about her interview.

I suspect she has a record to promote.

PlaysWell. Reading some of the comments under the various media examples there are people already saying she should have locked herself in her car and she should have parked nearer the doors of the supermarket i.e. the blame game is already being played out.

FFS, if lesbians can manage to control themselves around drunk women or women wearing revealing clothes then why the fuck can't men? Hynde's comments are bullshit and Loose Women tweeting to ask if women can ever be held responsible for their own rape is beyond reprehensible. I really hope there are a lot of complaints to ITV about that.

'Those 12.15% show me more than ever how much we still need feminism.'

Well said PlaysWell. The world is a seriously depressing place some days

I think it sad that Chrissy Hynde has been subject to so much abuse. I do think that some victims, who do not report sexual assaults,feel deep down guilt that the attackers will have gone on to attach other women. I also understand that it is not uncommon that victims, like Chrissy, go on to blame themselves for the attack as this helps to make them feel less responsible for anyone assaulted subsequently by their attackers. They particularly think that if they were under the influence of drugs or drink, they would not have been believed by the police and they will just be subjected to abject humiliation & their families would be badly affected as well. I regretfully think that the police have been much to blame for this in the past and I would hope that much more open discussion, such as has been started by Chrissy's comments, is helpful in the long run.

i'd love for someone to tell me why I shouldn't be able to live my life and do what I want without fear of being raped? Why do I have to change my behaviour for men? Why on earth should I have to make decisions based on what THEY might do to me?

Because the way I see it, every time this kind of statement is made it sends a message to men that of course they cannot help it, it's not their fault, that if we continue to behave recklessly then rape will happen, and that's a really fucking dangerous message to be sending out. It abdicates men of responsibility and I'm fucking sick of it.

Grimble... I can well believe it. We live in a sick society. I also agree that if we're going to tell women not to get drunk, wear anything other than top-to-toe clothes or have a life, in order not to be raped, we should be giving men the same advice, especially as they are more at risk of being violently attacked. The silence on that point is deafening though.

Lottapianos So what? Some people keep more valuables in their home than others, some people live in fancier houses than others, making them potentially a more attractive burglary target. Yet no-one ever places any kind of blame on people who experience burglary / theft, and quite rightly too. No-one is ever accused of 'asking' to be burgled. The blame is always placed on the person who chose to commit the crime.

No your wrong - lets look at your example - if you have a lot of valuables in the house then go away for the weekend but leave your door open and your windows open and come back to find they have all gone - your insurance company wont cover you - they and the police will blame you for the burglary - they wont blame the person who took your valuables. you placed them at high risk by leaving the doors and windows open.

No your wrong - lets look at your example - if you have a lot of valuables in the house then go away for the weekend but leave your door open and your windows open and come back to find they have all gone - your insurance company wont cover you - they and the police will blame you for the burglary - they wont blame the person who took your valuables. you placed them at high risk by leaving the doors and windows open.*

I am not an object, I am a human being- what level of "locked up" would you advise? Stay inside the house all day? Wear a burkha? A chastity belt?

if you have a lot of valuables in the house then go away for the weekend but leave your door open and your windows open

How is walking down a street opening all your doors and windows? Are you saying women need to be locked away? For their own safety?

Ah.... so if I go out in provocative clothes, act provocatively and get drunk, as long as I've locked my vagina, mouth and anus in a safe, I won't be to blame then? Excellent. I'll work on a way of doing that right now.

lemon im not saying anyone is an object - all im saying sometimes people put themselves at risk, not only of rape but of all crimes - im not saying everyone does it by any stretch of the imagination.

Its all fine saying we should be able to do that, we should be able to do this etc. etc. but the reality is you cant always have that freedom because not everyone lives by the same rules. Until people accept that I think its more dangerous to carry on with your head in the sand. Accept that there will always be risk and take sensible steps to minimise that risk.

You can't equate rape with burglary, it just doesn't stack up.

You can't equate a woman's choice in clothing and activity with leaving your house open to be burgled, you just can't.

As the saying goes - the only thing that causes rape is a rapist. That rapist is going to rape someone regardless of what they're wearing/doing.

Until ALL of society accepts that premise, then rape culture is going to persist because men are going to continue to blame the victim for their actions - showing themselves up to be fucking dick-led weak willed twats, by the way - and women like Chrissie Hynde are still going to come out with this shit because that's what they were made to believe by the rape culturists.

I really hope that she learns something from this shit storm, but it seems unlikely. :(

And... there is absolutely no behaviour ever that would mean that a woman could be justifiably raped. Saying that women behaving or dressing in certain ways invite rape is saying that in certain circumstances women deserve to be raped.

Might want to have a think about that attitude.

Off topic but i spotted someone on twitter saying loose women needed to give their (collective) head a wobble and wondered if it was a mner

And yet again this all detracts from the fact that the great majority of rapes happen within relationships, by friends, boyfriends or husbands. How do you lock your vagina/mouth/anus up to keep it safe while at home?

ThumbWitchesAbroad You can't equate rape with burglary

I didn't - lottapianos did- in only drew her example out.

Accept that there will always be risk and take sensible steps to minimise that risk.

But I'm still waiting for you to tell me what these steps are? I walked through a park alone at night the other day, if I was raped should I take responsibility for that? Or what if I was mugged? Would I be responsible for that too?

getting drunk is a bad choice.

getting raped is never the choice of the victim. Drunk, sober, stoned, whatever. Not your fault.

who cares what some washed-up ex-rock-star thinks?

And yet again this all detracts from the fact that the great majority of rapes happen within relationships, by friends, boyfriends or husbands. How do you lock your vagina/mouth/anus up to keep it safe while at home?

Yep, exactly.

Lemonfizzypop you haven't read what I have said. I have said some rapes happen because of the circumstances people put themselves into and who have put themselves at greater risk of being attacked - I didn't say you had so not sure why you think im speaking about you.

'Accept that there will always be risk and take sensible steps to minimise that risk'

Yes yes, do all of those things and guess what - you could still be raped. Babies are raped, toddlers are raped, elderly folks are raped, women who follow all of the bullshit 'rules' about dress and behaviour within their culture are raped, women minding their own business in their own homes are raped. You're the one sticking your head in the sand if you think that adapting your behaviour brings you any degree of safety.

And by the way, have you ever warned a man to stay of the streets after dark, avoid alcohol and always have a mate with him for protection? Can't you see how the pressure is always on women to take responsibility for the behaviour of violent men?

Lemonfizzypop you haven't read what I have said. I have said some rapes happen because of the circumstances people put themselves into and who have put themselves at greater risk of being attacked - I didn't say you had so not sure why you think im speaking about you.*

What?! You're talking about women and I am a woman! I know you're not making a personal attack at me but you're talking about females in general so how does that not include me?!

lottapianos And by the way, have you ever warned a man to stay of the streets after dark, avoid alcohol and always have a mate with him for protection? Can't you see how the pressure is always on women to take responsibility for the behaviour of violent men?

ive never warned a woman to stay off the streets after dark or avoid alcohol or tell them to take a mate with them.

And no "some rapes" do not happen because of the circumstances people put themselves in, all crime is down to the perpetrator, that is it, the responsibility is all theirs, for any crime, I'm not sure why people find that so hard to understand when it comes to rape.

all crime is down to the perpetrator, that is it, the responsibility is all theirs, for any crime.

oh to live in a perfect world... #deluded