DP thinks that women shouldn't be more afraid of men than men should be because more men are murdered than women.

[Fantastictwistsand]

Is he right? Statistically it seems he is.

It started off as an argument about women's only short lists and then came on to this. I've argued that women have much less of a chance against a man and he says I've turned it into an emotive argument now. I'm really frustrated but he might actually be right.

Men are usually killed by men.
Women are usually killed by men.

Women are usually killed by men they know eg partner, husband, father etc.

So although more men are killed it is the killers you should be looking at not the victims.

Someone breaks in to your house with an axe - just picture that in your mind.

Get your oh to do the same - did you see a male or a female?

Is your OH more scared of you in that situation or the person with the axe?

Then have look at male violence in general, why is the prison population overwhelmingly male?

So women would be infinitely safer walking home alone in an area they know noone?

It's not the men making women afraid, it's the irrationally scared women trying to get other women to join them in their agenda based paranoia.

If women are unlikely to be attacked by strangers, and unlikely to be attacked at all, and. many times more unlikely to be attacked than men or boys, why are so many of you telling women they should feel permanently afraid, whilst telling men they shouldn't be?

But it's about internalised blame isn't it. As women we are conditioned to believe that we are more vulnerable and to believe that if we are hurt/attacked it will be our faults unless we have complied with the 1000s of ridiculous and ever changing rules (don't drink,don't go out after dark, don't dress like that) we internalise that risk and modify our behaviours because of it.

We also fear sexual assault which is not irrational -1 in 4.

If a man is attacked walking home from the pub then it's bad luck but not his fault. Even if he was shitfaced.

I wonder if some of it is transference. The fear of strangers is clearly irrational but it is easier than fearing the men we love, who are far more likely to harm us.

I also think there are reasons why the patriarchy has evolved to operate like this. Women are taught that the outside world is full of scary men and therefore we need our nice men to protect us. It therefore restricts our freedoms and makes us more easily controlled.

It's a racket though. If it wasn't for men we wouldn't need men to protect us.

'we are comditioned', sadly by posts like this. I never see mens chat rooms insisting against all available evidence that women should be afraid 24-7.

I hear it most from feminist campaigners.

I have campaigned where I live against local narratives of fear, which pegged poor areas as no go areas. In fact the crime against the person rates were lowest in those areas, but some politicians wanted to damage the reputation of those areas. Some were using a sexual assault.. An unwanted forced kiss, into 'people are always getting raped'
It's the same agenda as 'women should stay at home'
It makes me uncomfortable.

And the sexual assault they used was from 2001. They are still using it 17 years later.

When you say 'us' what do you mean? That every man has a shared bit of 'assault women' so every woman needs to be afraid unless that bit rises up and controls him, or do you mean the reality, which is the vast majority of women can trust the men around them all the time, but a few can't,?

By the way OP you husband is saying he feels afraid sometimes.

Why increase the fear to 'always' when the facts mean you should almost never be afraid. What's your agenda
It's not the men making women afraid, it's the irrationally scared women trying to get other women to join them in their agenda based paranoia.

Fathers never say they don't want any man dating their daughter.

Men never say women shouldn't get drunk, go out alone, or wear revealing clothes.

There are not entire male MRA forums dedicated to teaching men how to take advantage of drunk women.

Good to know. I'm not sure who you think you can convince scary, but the women here are intelligent and better informed than you. You make yourself look, well, less so.

If I lived in a village that grew a particular kind of fruit and 1/4 of the people in my village had been made seriously ill because of the fruit. I wouldn't eat the fucking fruit. I'd stay well clear of the fruit.

I'm not saying that I agree with this. I am attempting to observe and analyse patterns of behaviour. I'm saying this is the way things are. Not the way they ought to be.

I disagree that men and non feminist women don't reinforce the stranger dAnger narrative to women.

I would argue that the logical solution is that women should be less afraid than they are but also that men should be more afraid- or at least have increased awareness of their own personal safety.

I suspect that women will always fear rape more than men though and I think that adds and additional element to the risk analysis.

What I actually think would have a massive impact on women's personal safety would be to teach all young women the signs of controlling and abusive behaviour in an intimate partner relationship. That way they might be able to spot the warnings and get away before they are seriously harmed.

scary is right. People just can't understand statistics. Which is why they think they'll win the lottery or get blown up by Islamist extremists. Meanwhile women are in a perpetual state of fear of things that will never happen to them, while young men continue to drive like lunatics, keep their mental illnesses to themselves and go to places where they'll encounter hostility from other young men.

Scary he isn't, I asked him as part of the conversation.

People are bad at statistics which is why they worry about Islamic terrorist and not just all men

One in 4 is simple enough for even thickoes like me to understand.

Until they are branded with a scarlet P for predator I won't know who to be wary of.

In the last but one general election, I did some market research. Nearly 50% of respondent s thought Nigel farage was likely to become prime minister, because he was on the telly alot ukip were unlikely even to get one MP.
'informed' isn't the same as 'hearing the same message over and over'

One in four is unhelpful. Do you mean one in four men assault women?

It's only unhelpful if you're a goady fucker.

One in four women a victim of rape or sexual assault in their lifetime is the statistic I believe.

I don't know the stats - but I've always worked on the basis that men are more likely to be assaulted than women. So when I walk home alone late at night - fear free - and I'm asked, 'oh weren't you afraid?', I've always responded along the lines of OP's DH

Same, Ariadne

Well I typed Aridane but obviously my phone knew better...

I wanted to be Ariadne but, alas, the name was taken...

If I'm out and about, I rarely think I might get mugged or killed. I think I might get propositioned, leered at cornered, harassed. If any of those things happens in a quiet area, then absolutely I will be worried. Because I've been specifically targeted on the basis of my sex, not my behaviour.

My job used to involve a lot of interaction with rich, middle-aged men (in a sales capacity). Sexism was a gimmee. As was low-level assault - hands on hips when squeezing by - handsy behaviour in general. Constant levels of creepiness and leching.

Men are rarely exposed to that sort of behaviour. I don't think it's any surprise that women are fully aware that that sort of behaviour can be unequivocably imposed, purely on the basis of strength.

Most women have had an example of a man using his strength to impose stuff on her. Whether it's shouting her down, coercing her into sex, or dominating generally.

To take actual murder statistics and ignore this very common experience is disingenuous.

Women are constantly reminded of the strength differential, in the way men aren't.

One in four women are the victim of sexual assault. Statistically that might mean it's someone they know, but low level harassment is experienced almost daily by men they don't know.

So yes, if someone looks like they're going to attack me I might hope that all I need do is give them my purse, but any stand-off will be completely inequal and I am fully aware than I have something they can take from me, that men don't have.