These “Dudetips” have been posted around the UCLA campus for the past few weeks. If you can, please tear them down. I can’t believe this is found acceptable here on my own campus.
This is sexist. Just because I’m a dude, doesn’t mean I’m gonna go out raping everything in sight. This is pretty much equivalent to saying “Muslim Tip #3: If you’re going to take a plane to New York, remember not to crash it into some skyscrapers” And if you think I’m just getting worked up over a single poster, check the click-through link to their facebook page. There’s a lot more “dudetips” and they’re all along the lines of “remember not to break into a girl’s house and rape her” A whole album full, online and around campus. It’s part of their “anti-rape” campaign. Because I’m sure these posters are super good at stopping rape.
It assumes that just because I’m part of a group that I am a guilty party. Just like how Feminists try to change society’s tendency to prejudice women, I would like to point out that this is prejudice against men. ”Girltip #3: If you have a nice car, or a nice job, or a nice home, don’t forget to thank the man that gave it to you” See? Signs like this are simply prejudiced and go against everything Feminism should stand for. This group is full of bullshit.
I’ll be honest—your logic is flawed for a few reasons, but for one major reason in particular: 99%—get that? 99%!!—of rapes are committed BY MEN. That doesn’t mean all men are rapists—it means most rapists are men. Many organizations attempting to make a change target groups that comprise a smaller percentage of the perpetrators. But with this, we have that awful statistic—that statistic that tells us that we’ve really got to make a change in the way our society thinks of rape and men.
It’s not saying, “All men are going to feel inclined to commit rape.” It’s saying, “Hey, out of all of the rapists, 99% of you are men—so stop it!” Or more simply, “Don’t rape.”
Guess what?
I’m going to tell you—everyone—the same thing!
DON’T RAPE.
I don’t care if you planned on it. I don’t care if you never dreamt of it.
DON’T. RAPE.
I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Rape Culture, but it’s basically a culture going strong in our society that has normalized and excused rape—even gone as far as to turn the victim into the one at fault.
That message—DON’T RAPE—is intended to create a new culture: a culture that does not accept rape.
It’s not all-inclusive (some women do commit rape), but it’s catchy and it draws attention to the gendered nature of rape.
All I can say is that maybe you might want to consider conversely how victims of sexual abuse feel (and also note that 99% of them are women—girls, even). The fear, pain, shame, and social rejection these women and girls go through is beyond awful, and I’d like to see you prioritize victims of such horrendous crimes over making the arbitrary claim that this poster is sexist for recognizing the gendered nature of sex crimes.
