Misogyny at it's best on twitter - #LiberalTips2AvoidRape.

http://prospect.org/article/rights-oscar-worthy-outrage

Oscar-Worthy Outrage

Amanda Marcotte

February 21, 2013

Conservatives pretend to care about rape on campus. It's not convincing.

If you’ve been tuning into the right-wing media this week, you might be startled to discover a seeming concern about preventing rape. But don’t get too excited: It’s nothing but a gambit to persuade the public on issues of gun safety.

It all started in Colorado, where the legislature is debating whether to ban concealed weapons on college campuses. One of the favorite arguments offered by gun advocates for concealed carry on campus is that arming college women prevents rape. On the floor of the state House, Democratic representative Joe Salazar addressed this claim:

It’s why we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have the whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. ... You don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop a round at somebody.

Admittedly, it was a badly worded response—one that inadvertently played off the stereotype of women as irrational. But what he intended to say was clear: There are many incidents in which people, armed and feeling threatened, mistakenly shoot an innocent person. Salazar later apologized for his comments, but in our gaffe-obsessed era, the words had already kicked off a feeding frenzy.

Republican state representative Polly Lawrence crowed on Twitter: “Rep. Salazar says women may not know when they’re being raped.” Another Republican state representative, Lori Saine, said of her daughter, “I can’t imagine her only option’s going to be to outrun her attacker to a call box.”

The controversy took on another dimension when Democratic strategist Bob Beckel made a legitimately offensive remark during a Fox News debate on concealed-carry on campus: “When was the last time you heard about a rape on campus?” His co-panelists correctly pointed out that campus rape is “rampant,” but their prescription remained the same: put a holster on every college girl.

For the right-wing media, these incidents have become evidence that “both sides” say stupid stuff about rape. While Beckel's remarks are clear evidence of that, one must remember that only one side backs ending anti-rape legislation. Conservatives have momentarily struck a pose when it comes to rape prevention, but dig beneath the surface and it’s clear they neither understand nor care about rape.
Research shows rapists prefer to attack women they’re on dates with or at parties with, situations where the victims have their guard down.

Most campus rapes don’t resemble the kind of rape that involves call boxes or could theoretically be prevented by concealed carry—e.g., a stranger leaping out of the bushes so that a ready and armed woman could pull and shoot. In the real world, at least 80 percent of victims of campus rapes know their assailant. The standard strategy of rapists is not to jump a stranger who could, after all, fight back. Research shows rapists prefer to attack women they’re on dates with or at parties with, situations where the victims have their guard down. Rapists almost always prefer to attack women who have been drinking, in part because it makes it easier to overpower them without too much force and makes it hard for the victim to press charges without being accused of making it all up to cover for a drunken mistake. The only way that guns could prevent the vast majority of campus rapes is if women carried them at parties and on dates—a questionable proposition.
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In case there was any doubt that the conservative outrage over Salazar’s comments were anything but a ruse, one can simply look at the meme that spread online after the representative's comments. Shortly after the Colorado debate, right-leaning Twitter users began cracking jokes using the Twitter hashtag #LiberalTips2AvoidRape. While the comments are supposed to be funny, just beneath the surface is a palpable sense of anger with and resentment toward women generally and feminists in particular. They also perpetuate longstanding myths about women and rape.

There is, for instance, the claim that only pretty women get raped:



The usual comments about women’s dress and reproductive freedom:



And, naturally, the old canard that victims simply didn’t work hard enough to defend themselves:



The misogyny is surefire evidence that the fuss over Salazar’s remarks has little to do with concern for rape victims and everything to do with gun advocacy. There are legitimate ways to prevent rape on campus: Improve law enforcement and campus response, stop victim-blaming, educate college students to keep an eye out for each other, and reinstate the Violence Against Women Act. Letting conservatives hijack the issue to sell more guns doesn't do anything to prevent rape, and in fact, only makes the problem worse by distracting from real solutions.

'I don't get this. This poor college woman was violently raped and a call box did not help her. And Colorado PASSED a bill not allowing students to carry a gun for self defence. Its a sad day for woman. But oh well.

US
Campus Rape Victim Says Gun-Free Zones Empower Criminals, Defends Concealed Carry
Feb. 21, 2013 8:33amBilly Hallowell17

Colorado state Rep. Joe Salazar created a firestorm with his recent comments about woman and guns. During a debate last week, he argued that allowing firearms on college campuses won’t make people safer — but his words raised some eyebrows, particularly when he discussed the issue of rape. Salazar subsequently caught the ire of victims who found his views overtly offensive.

On Wednesday, NRA News host Cam Edwards spoke with Amanda Collins, a woman who was violently raped in 2007 at the University of Nevada. Aside from lambasting Salazar’s statements, she defended concealed carry and proclaimed that a gun would have stopped her attacker.

Before we get into her response, let’s take a quick look back at the politician’s controversial arguments, which were made last Friday during a gun debate and hearing in his state. Salazar said:

“It’s why we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have the whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble and when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop — pop a round at somebody?”

During the NRA interview, Collins, a 27-year-old wife and mother, noted that her own story contradicts many of the claims made by Salazar. She also expressed a more general frustration with politicians’ continued claims that, in her view, aren’t based on practical terms.

“It is so frustrating, because — and I wish that I could sit down with each one of these policy makers and just have a face-to-face conversation with them and tell them my story,” she said.

Collins dismissed emergency call boxes, whistles and safe zones as giving a “false sense of security.” She also said that her university didn’t have the boxes, anyway, leaving her with few resources to prevent or report the attack. However, even if these elements were in place, the young woman said that they would have been of little assistance.

“A call box above my head while I was straddled on the parking garage floor being brutally raped wouldn’t have helped me one bit,” she proclaimed. “The safe zone? Well, I was in a safe zone and my attacker didn’t care.”

As far as gun-free zones go, Collins believes they do little more than tell perpetrators they will be unmatched if and when they do decide to act out with violence. After taking issue with his arguments, Collins also tackled Salazar’s framing of women.

“The comments that he made…about women not knowing if they’re going to be raped or accidentally shooting the wrong person [were] extremely offensive, because he specifically targeted female students,” she continued. “So is he saying that all women are unable to make sound decisions in the midst of that? That we would go against our God-given instinct that something is wrong?”

In her own experience, Collins said she knew something was wrong the moment her attacker grabbed her from behind. Tragically, she was raped at gun point, in a gun-free zone, less than 100 feet away from campus authorities. The assailant went on to assault two other women and to kill a third.

“Had I been carrying that night, two other rapes would have been prevented and a young life would have been saved,” Collins said, defending students’ right to carry weapons on campus.

While the young woman had a licence to carry, it was illegal for her to have a gun on campus.

Carry the gun anyway.

Don't obey illegal laws.


With guns allowed, sure incidents of shootings may go up, but incidents of rapes will be way down.

That's just what we need. Gun owners thinking they're above the law.

We are above illegal laws that deprive us of our rights to PROTECT OURSELVES.

The laws are illegal and unconstitutional.

How does that work when you are caught carrying a gun illegally? Does it work to tell them the law was illegal?

It will make a criminal of women who kill their rapist.

That is when it should go to the courts all the way up to the Supreme court where you can declare the law unconstitutional and throw out the illegal law.

That is the way it is supposed to work.

But this is a world where tyranny reigns and the lunatics are running the asylum.

Would you rather be raped, robbed and killed?

I wouldn't.

I didn't say anything about wanting to be raped, robbed and killed. As you can see, I asked you how being above the law works when you get caught. Please do let us know.

Don't get caught.

You have a choice. Take the chance of violating an illegal law, or take the chance of getting raped, robbed or killed.

It's your choice.

More examples from #LiberalTips2AvoidRape.

http://freakoutnation.com/2013/02/19/trending-on-twitter-republicans-created-a-hashtag-making-jokes-about-rape-since-last-night/

Trending on Twitter: Republicans created a hashtag, making ‘jokes’ about rape since last night
February 19, 2013
By Anomaly

A politician made a ridiculous statement, which somehow empowered Republicans on Twitter to act more obnoxious than the politician. Since last night, the right wing created hashtag #LiberalTips2AvoidRape has been trending. For a party to feign there is no War on Women while firing shot after shot is the epitome of hypocrisy.

Jeremy Sallinger @Bithole

#LiberalTips2AvoidRape Dress really slutty to let the rapist know how empowered and independent you are
1:30 PM - 19 Feb 13

On gun control Democrat Rep. Joe Salazar said:

It’s why we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have the whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop … pop around at somebody.

He promptly apologized:

I’m sorry if I offended anyone. That was absolutely not my intention. We were having a public policy debate on whether or not guns makes people safer on campus. I don’t believe they do. That was the point I was trying to make. If anyone thinks I’m not sensitive to the dangers women face, they’re wrong.

I am a husband and father of two beautiful girls, and I’ve spent the last decade defending women’s rights as a civil rights attorney. Again, I’m deeply sorry if I offended anyone with my comments.

Sure, it was offensive. But, even more offensive are the ongoing rape jokes on Twitter.

A few examples:

#liberalTips2AvoidRape.. just go with it…you get free birth control right?

— Tommy Knockerz (@BenghaziGhostz) February 19, 2013

Joe Vampola @Bon_JoeV

#LiberalTips2AvoidRape ask the man nicely because I'm sure you wouldn't want to hurt the rapist's feelings, he probably wasn't raised well.
1:39 PM - 19 Feb 13


Beavis H. Presley @snarkbox

#LiberalTips2AvoidRape Women allow hair to go grey. Hairy pits. Oniony stench. "Liberal style."
1:39 PM - 19 Feb 13


Col. James C. Cates @GrizzlyJim1

#LiberalTips2AvoidRape Ask the potential offender for his Rape Union Card, if he is from a Right To Work State, it's not legitimate rape.

He Has Failed @He_Has_Failed

#LiberalTips2AvoidRape Tell them you need to know up front if they'll need extra butter for the crabs.
1:38 PM - 19 Feb 13


carol @cdarkside

#liberaltips2avoidrape sit bak,watch it happen so u dont hurt the rapist feelings
1:34 PM - 19 Feb 13


MR DANGEROUS @dairdjackson12

#LiberalTips2AvoidRape be gay!!! Nobody wants to rape someone who might have a chance at having aids...wise answer provided by mr dangerous
1:33 PM - 19 Feb 13


Lando @Funeral_Thirst9

#LiberalTips2AvoidRape grow really long armpit hair and don't wash your bung hole
1:31 PM - 19 Feb 13


Anomaly One Hundred @Anomaly100

The Party that wants their small govt all up in our vaginas started this hashtag: #LiberalTips2AvoidRape
3:00 AM - 19 Feb 13


Even if we discounted them using a politician’s ****ed up statement to make jokes about a very serious topic about violence, their ‘jokes’ really suck. You guys aren’t funny and neither is your topic.

This hashtag is trending and their party voted against the Violence Against Women Act. Republicans claim they created the hashtag to point out that women have a right to defend themselves. I agree and this post is us — women — defending ourselves against their classless jokes. Because, they are the joke.

2016 is looking good.

Update:

It’s not too surprising that Michele Malkin’s site Twitchy takes no issue with these offensive tweets.

Here, Ms Sing.
In case you missed it.

Would you suggest be a good girl and just suffer through raped or jailed for killing their rapist with a gun?

Wow, willing. I'm surprised that you would suggest that anyone thinks women should suffer through rapes. That's really bad, even for you.

I asked you the question. You are the one who wants all women disarmed and defenseless.

Again,
Would you suggest be a good girl and just suffer through raped or jailed for killing their rapist with a gun?

Show me exactly where I said I wanted women disarmed and defenseless. Quote and link.

Let's just focus on this one question.

How do you suggest women defend themselves against a rapist?

Willing, you made the accusation that I said I want women disarmed and defenseless. You need to be able to back that up. So, quote and link, please, so I can see the exact wording.