Don't want to get robbed? Don't own a TV, stupid!

[mothwing]

I found another reason today to hate Psychology Today. We all know that we're not suppose to dress like those filthy, filthy sluts, right? No short skirts and no make-up and nothing that invites the poor driven rapists to rape us, because of course those poor people can't control themselves, right?

So, don't wear something too riling, otherwise you might have been, "asking for it". And don't walk too confidently, because you might be riling them, anyway:

 

For this reason, robbers are especially apt to target people who are flaunting material possessions or even just displaying a cocky, superior attitude. Street predators have their own word for such behavior—"flossing"—and it infuriates them. "It's a very visible reminder of their situation," Wright adds, "of being poor, that they've got nothing in their pockets."

Psychology Today would also like to inform you that if you dress too modestly, you are as, if not more likely to be attacked because high necklines and full-body cover as well as bowed down walk = submissive personality and a flirty invitation for sex.

"The same team also found that rapists tend to be more able than average to interpret facial cues, such as a downward gaze or a fearful expression. It's possible this skill makes rapists especially able to spot passive, submissive women. One study even showed that rapists are more empathetic toward women than other criminals—although they have a distinct empathy gap when it comes to their own victims. A highly attuned rapist and a woman who's oblivious to hostile body language make a dangerous combination.

Even personality plays a role. Conventional wisdom holds that women who dress provocatively draw attention and put themselves at risk of sexual assault. But studies show that it is women with passive, submissive personalities who are most likely to be raped—and that they tend to wear body-concealing clothing, such as high necklines, long pants and sleeves, and multiple layers. Predatory men can accurately identify submissive women just by their style of dress and other aspects of appearance. The hallmarks of submissive body language, such as downward gaze and slumped posture, may even be misinterpreted by rapists as flirtation."

So you can totally prevent being raped or robbed by wearing confidently, but not flaunting what you have, not wearing provocative clothes, but not too modest ones, not engage in conversation with men and walking away, but not in a submissive way because that might just be too flirty, and everyone knows that flirty women were asking for it. Because being a rape victim can totally be prevented and is all about the personality of the victim rather than that of the rapist.

I know that walking around while on the phone in back alleys is about as bright as entering the Shades before the times of the Thieves' Guild, but the attitude of this article seems to be that those who do the right things will never be raped or mugged, and that is just bullshit.
 

Risk reduction:

"Grayson, co-author of the classic study on body language and exploitability, believes people can be taught how to walk in a confident way that reduces their risk of assault. To reduce the chances of becoming a victim, you can't look like a victim. "Walk in an alert fashion, walk with purpose, with your shoulders held back," advises Topalli.

Even better, avoid placing yourself in dangerous situations and stay aware of your surroundings at all times. Location is a key factor in street crime, particularly in cases of sexual assault. Criminals prefer sites that are likely to serve up few witnesses and little chance of being caught. Plan routes that avoid such locations.

And while you're at it, don't even talk to strangers on the street in isolated locations. One warning sign that you may be about to be robbed or attacked is the approach of a stranger on the street. The person may try to engage you in conversation. He may ask for the time, directions, bus fare, or try to tell you about a nice club or restaurant just around the corner.

Calvin Donaldson, who's been in prison in Louisiana for the last 28 years after robbing a couple in the French Quarter who asked him for directions, offers some advice: "Once you stop and let this guy engage you in conversation, you're opening yourself up," he says. "Some people you don't talk to. You just keep going."

How do you survive unharmed if you find yourself targeted? Cooperate. "They're not going to hurt you unless they need to," says New Orleans Police Department psychologist James Arey. Convicted armed robber Darryl Falls, who admits to committing more than 100 robberies, agrees. "The quicker you comply and give them your goods," he says, "the quicker they're out of your face."

Some of Falls' victims tried to conceal jewelry to which they had an emotional attachment—wedding rings, for example. "I understand the sentimental value," he says. "But you can get that back. You can't get your life back.""

So, be a good girl and stay at home, and always make a point on dressing the right way!

Comments

[utter-pirate.livejournal.com]

I'll tell them what to do with the help of an icon: F*** the f*** off!

It's appalling how society habitually places blame for rape on the victim (in the vast majority of cases, women).

We should be able to wear whatever we want without fear of violence, sexual or otherwise. So many young women have been duped into accepting that if you wear revealing clothes, you provoke men into it. Being able to see a woman's cleavage is NO EXCUSE or mitigating circumstance in rape cases.

There was a great campaign in Scotland (which has a conviction rate of 4% of rape cases that go to court..!!!) around that very topic: "This is not an invitation to rape me."

It particularly annoys me that if there is alcohol involved, 'this blame the woman' game gets even worse.

If someone is drunk and you hit them in the face, the fact that they were drunk would present absolutely no grounds for claiming that the victim holds part of the blame.

But because the judicial system is geared towards privileging the view of men, of believing men over women, a woman who accuses someone of rape and was drunk at the time of the alleged rape was at least in part to blame, or 'asking for it', or is 'trying to destroy the man's life.'

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

That is really appalling, but not too surprising - did you hear about this (study says that one in two British students believe that a woman is partly responsible for being raped if drunk/scantily dressed/walking in a lone area) (http://www.london-student.net/2009/02/16/asking-for-it/)? I guess partly to blame is the ongoing sexualisation of rape in the media - there are all too many romance novels which feature the "falling for the rapist"-trope.