It starts out ... “Redheaded Slut. It's the drink special on the blackboard at tonight's happy hour. Delicious! You and Anne order another round. It's the perfect way to start a little innocent fun after a hard day.”
Oh, and now your phone's ringing. Another friend, Christina, is in town and wants to hang out. So you decide to forgo dinner and meet up with her, Anne in tow. And as usual, that drunk, Christina, orders two pitchers of margaritas to split between the three of you, since they're on sale.
Suddenly, you notice Anne chatting up some guy from work. That slut. And he's sooo gross. She's falling down drunk. The bouncers are pissed. You go looking for Christina so the three of you can leave, but then Anne's gone and so is the guy from work.
“Sexual Assault." That's what Anne's attorney will call it a month from now. She said no, but he kept going. And now, your friend is on his bathroom floor, bruised and victimized.”
And because you drank it's … your fault.
This is just one of the stories presented by Control Tonight, a new website created by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Commission and promoting date rape awareness. The site suggests how date rape can be prevented, and discusses in its “field guide” how the attacks in their featured stories could have been avoided. They make sure to say the attack isn't the victim's fault, but focus heavily on how drinking played a part … implying women shouldn't drink around men, ever.
And we'll concede the point, to a point. Drugs and alcohol are often factors in reported date rapes. The information is necessary, and some of it's good. But we're not overly fond of your tone, Control Tonight. Where do you get off blaming the victim's friends? Rape is the fault of the rapist, no matter what the mitigating factors.
Oh, and now your phone's ringing. Another friend, Christina, is in town and wants to hang out. So you decide to forgo dinner and meet up with her, Anne in tow. And as usual, that drunk, Christina, orders two pitchers of margaritas to split between the three of you, since they're on sale.
Suddenly, you notice Anne chatting up some guy from work. That slut. And he's sooo gross. She's falling down drunk. The bouncers are pissed. You go looking for Christina so the three of you can leave, but then Anne's gone and so is the guy from work.
“Sexual Assault." That's what Anne's attorney will call it a month from now. She said no, but he kept going. And now, your friend is on his bathroom floor, bruised and victimized.”
And because you drank it's … your fault.
This is just one of the stories presented by Control Tonight, a new website created by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Commission and promoting date rape awareness. The site suggests how date rape can be prevented, and discusses in its “field guide” how the attacks in their featured stories could have been avoided. They make sure to say the attack isn't the victim's fault, but focus heavily on how drinking played a part … implying women shouldn't drink around men, ever.
And we'll concede the point, to a point. Drugs and alcohol are often factors in reported date rapes. The information is necessary, and some of it's good. But we're not overly fond of your tone, Control Tonight. Where do you get off blaming the victim's friends? Rape is the fault of the rapist, no matter what the mitigating factors.
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