I agree. What got me was this line: It seems like she's implying that rapists are a type of person. Perhaps there are certain people more prone to raping others, but it also seems like if one substituted the word "rapist" for something else, that line of reasoning makes little sense. Example: It's because the boys who happened to be around at the time were not murderers. No one is a murderer until they commit murder. Similarly, it is my understanding that no one is a rapist until they rape someone. If that comes off as flippant or overly reductive, please let me know why.It’s because the boys who happened to be around at the time were not rapists
Exactly. Tautological at best. The old Stanford prison experiment experiment proved that normal people can act in depraved ways given the right conditions. That said, there are obviously a lot of people in the world who seem more predisposed to depraved violence than others. Being aware (or more correctly, reminding potential victims) of the situations in which these people can commit acts of violence isn't wrong in itself. The fact that anyone could be offended by such advice is beyond me.
Yes, there have even been studies that show that when people are given even a little power, they begin to act differently toward others who are "lower" than their own position. After reading the piece, I'm inclined to say that the feeling of being infantilized when someone says, is more a product of being reminded of something the writer takes to be implicit. For example, I get a bit annoyed when my mother tells me to be careful when I'm doing something dangerous. I already know it's dangerous and chances are, I've already taken precautions and hearing her say it wouldn't help me out even if something did go wrong, though it does then enable her to say, "I told you so." I can only imagine what it would be like if people often took it upon themselves to remind me that every time I went out to a party, there was the possibility of rape. That said, I think this piece of writing needs some work.The fact that anyone could be offended by such advice is beyond me.
“Watch your liquor, ladies. Don’t drink so much, girls,”
A large portion of rapists are serial rapists.