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From: mjc@cmu-cs-cad.ARPA (Monica Cellio)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: rape and streetwalking
Message-ID: <206@cmu-cs-cad.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 14-Dec-84 18:42:37 EST
Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-c.206
Posted: Fri Dec 14 18:42:37 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Dec-84 02:49:15 EST
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 22

L.S. Chabot:
>Obviously, geoff, you were raised as a boy, and an egoistic one at that [...]
>...Dear me, it's better to cross the street than expect a little
>common courtesy!  

I am a woman who is often out at night (no, I'm not a "streetwalker") and do
not consider myself particularly fearsome (i.e. I'm not going to scare anyone
off by looking tough).  However, I don't expect every man on the street to
cater to the fears you think I should have, either.  If *I'm* unsure enough to
want to be on the other side of the street that the man is on, then *I'll* do
something about it.  But it is not *his* responsibility to change the
situation if *I'm* the one who stands to lose.

There is a difference between courtesy and catering to every paranoid who
might be out there.  I think you expect the latter.  Why?  I'm not suggesting
that women who are afraid of rape have problems; I'm just saying that if
*you're* afraid, *you* have the responsibility to do something about it.

						-Dragon
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