New York City mayor Bill de Blasio seems to have taken a page from the mayor of Cologne’s (misguided, out of touch) playbook. He’s suggesting that women should adopt a “buddy system” to prevent horrific crimes like the recent brutal rape of a woman by five people in Brooklyn.
Talking about what essentially amounts to a “power in numbers” argument, de Blasio said, “I think it falls under the broad rubric – and I believe this is what the police commissioner was saying – of people being vigilant, being careful in what they do.”
Suggesting that the work involved in preventing rape rests on women’s shoulders is absolutely inappropriate. As we so often say, it’s not up to women to prevent rape, it’s up to men to not rape in the first place. Putting forth the idea that we should buddy up and protect each other (which is something important, to be sure) instead of placing the blame on the actual rapists is just twisted. It shouldn’t be like this, straight up.
New York City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo agrees. She said, “It is completely inappropriate to say that young women should buddy up when getting into a cab or going home late at night.”
This advice flies in the face of the fact that the young woman who was raped in Brooklyn was walking with her father at the time she was abducted. She was separated from him after the five teens held her father at gunpoint and told him to leave. Fifteen minutes later, he returned with officers to find her.
If a woman walking with her father wasn’t enough to prevent her from being targeted, then how the hell can you suggest that people keep doing the same thing? Apparently it’s not enough to be in a group these days.
What is enough? Teaching men not to rape. Stop that problem at its source.
(via The Independent, image via Flickr/Kevin Case)
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