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From: features@ihuxf.UUCP (M.A. Zeszutko)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.singles
Subject: Re: Rape: The Unresolved Trauma
Message-ID: <2504@ihuxf.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Dec-84 11:19:09 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxf.2504
Posted: Mon Dec 10 11:19:09 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Dec-84 03:33:18 EST
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Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
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Xref: watmath net.women:3738 net.singles:4801


	Someone suggested that public confrontation is no good
to deter rape, that the fear of immediate mutilation or death
at the hands of the would-be victim would be the only possible
deterrence.
	I disagree.  I think that public confrontation may be an
effective deterrent, if done before the assault.  One of my favorite
stories in _A_g_a_i_n_s_t _R_a_p_e by Medea and Thomson tells how a young
woman was walking in downtown Chicago at noon in a lunchtime crowd.
One man was following her, whispering obscenities and lewd propositions.
She just tried ignoring him for a couple of minutes, but he
wouldn't stop.  So she turned to face him, and started hollering at
him, along the lines of "You are supposed to be a respectable 
businessman.  What gives you the idea that you've got the right
to harrass women..." and he tried to slink back into the crowd,
unnoticed.  He didn't succeed.  He was most noticed.  He didn't
try harrassing that woman again.  The fear of public embarrassment
was enough of a deterrence.
	As far as dealing with guns goes, there's another story
told by teachers from Chimera, a Chicago-based women's self-defense
organization.  One woman had had just "one of those days", where
nothing went right.  She was hopping mad, and in no mood to put
up with any nonsense from anyone.  On her way home, she was
accosted by a man.  She just pushed him aside and said, "Get out
of my way!"  He did.  It wasn't until she reached home that
she realized he had had a gun pointed at her.  Evidently, he figured
that anyone who would push aside a man with a gun was crazy, and
he didn't want to deal with any crazy people.
	While this isn't failsafe, it helps:  Don't look like
a victim.  You don't have to be an expert in the martial arts
to survive.  Just look as if you'd be too much trouble to
tangle with.  Whatever works for you is fine.
-- 

aMAZon @ AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL; ihnp4!ihuxf!features

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night."