Ads For Rape?

The Pennsylvania Liquor Authority (PLA) released public service announcements which have sparked a rather meaty debate. They have subsequently been pulled. Were these ads rightly removed or are feminist groups just looking for a fight?

When people drink past their limit they are opening themselves up to countless strains of danger. Rape may be at the forefront of these ads, but in addition to the increased possibility of being sexually assaulted, you also invite getting mugged, lost, hit by a car, falling down a flight of stairs in sky scrapper platforms, unprotected sex, I really could go on and on. While a giant bottle of Absolut Citron may not physically push you down the stairs, it will certainly be a contributing factor.

Lets not forget the PLA are in fact a liquor authority not a rape awareness group. They are not suggesting that rape victims are to blame. They are simply asking women to take alcohol out of the equation to better keep them safe. I think using rape as a “worst case scenario” was to shock girls into taking responsibility for their alcohol consumption. An ad featuring a girl being mugged would not have had as big an impact. The ads are saying don’t put yourself in a position where you are no longer in control. Yes sexual assaults do not happen only to intoxicated women, but there is a definite increase when alcohol is involved. I shudder to think how much funding was spent trying to figure that out.

The bottom line is we need to be in control of our own well being. Lung cancer is not always a direct result of smoking but one’s chances are greatly increased if they do. Obesity increases our chances of heart disease. It is the responsibility of groups like the American Heart Association to inform us of how our susceptibility can be decreased. That doesn’t mean people don’t have heart attacks due to their family medical history, or out of sheer bad luck. But those are the numbers.

Society’s view that rape is in some way fault of the woman has undoubtedly lead to alleged rapists walking clear of criminal charges, and I totally support the reshaping of “rape safety” and how we interpret this as a society. But it is not the responsibility of the PLA to discuss the particulars of self-defence in relation to sexual assault. Their job is to adamantly express what they know to be true — alcohol consumption compromises our safety. Some would say this is common knowledge but societal behaviour completely contradicts this.

We need to change the way we think of sexual assault as a society, but in the mean time why compromise our safety if we can avoid it? Take your control back and refuse to feel like a potential victim.

Contact the author here: lacey@morningquickie.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keli-goff/women-alcohol-rape_b_1144707.html?ref=mostpopular