At Shapely Prose there is an article, Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s Rapist: or a guy\u2019s guide to approaching strange women without being maced<\/a>, written by guest blogger Starling, that has much that is right on the money and should be read far and wide. The sentences that particularly pinged for me are:<\/p>\n \nBecause a man who ignores a woman\u2019s NO in a non-sexual setting is more likely to ignore NO in a sexual setting, as well.<\/p>\n So if you speak to a woman who is otherwise occupied, you\u2019re sending a subtle message. It is that your desire to interact trumps her right to be left alone. If you pursue a conversation when she\u2019s tried to cut it off, you send a message. It is that your desire to speak trumps her right to be left alone. And each of those messages indicates that you believe your desires are a legitimate reason to override her rights.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This may seem such a small thing but it is the crux of so much, granting as much respect for others as one holds for oneself is essential if one wants to be a decent human being. Unfortunately so many still seem to find it necessary to divide the world into “us” and “them” in order to define their own worth.<\/p>\n In the comment thread on this Shapely Prose post I also learnt of UMASS Boston professor, David Lisak, who has done research on the “undetected rapist.” This rape fact sheet <\/a>he has put together is quite illuminating and well worth reading. Some of the facts may surprise you.<\/p>\n For a detailed description of rape culture check out Rape Culture 101<\/a> at Shakesville. Seeing the litany of elements that are rape culture linked together in one post just blows my mind. <\/p>\n Current temperature: here 37F\/3C, there 12C\/54F<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At Shapely Prose there is an article, Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s Rapist: or a guy\u2019s guide to approaching strange women without being maced, written by guest blogger Starling, that has much that is right on the money and should be read far and … Continue reading