(The Spring Break Porno Fantasy)

(My Spring Break Reality:  oral surgery and thesis. Yesssss.)

It's Spring Break ladies and that means you're probably going to some beach somewhere, wearing slutty clothes, drinking way too much and getting yourselves raped.  As of today, 10 rapes have been reported at Daytona Beach and the media is going into a frenzy about a Spring Break "Rape Epidemic" without seeming to realize that this isn't breaking news and this isn't an isolated Spring Break phenomenon.  Every two minutes a woman in the United States is sexually assaulted and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped in the Congo wars in the last few years. 

Perhaps even more frustrating than the media's selective interest in rape survivors ("Oh, you mean pretty white college girls in bikinis are being raped!?  I want to go to there!"), is the language they are using to report the assaults.  I challenge you to find a story about a Spring Break rape that doesn't include details of the alcohol intake of the rape survivor prior to her attack.  Many articles even have accompanying pictures of bikini clad party girls.  And while I'm not surprised at all by their behavior, I do think it is a breech of journalistic integrity. 

By painting the rape survivor as a drunk party girl, you take responsibility off of the man who raped her.  Women have the right to get wasted without being sexually assaulted.  Women have the right to consent to some sexual acts without consenting to every sexual act imaginable (that's not even possible in the span of one hook up, okay?)

I realize all the tips people write about "How to Prevent Rape" come from a good place.  But honestly, I LIKE wearing my hair in a ponytail and sometimes I NEED to go shopping at night by myself and sometimes I just WANT to get drunk and I should be able to do those things without fear.  Clearly though, we live in an unsafe world and it's just smart to take precautions, be responsible and plan ahead.  But instead of telling me how to keep myself from getting raped, why don't we tell rapists NOT TO RAPE WOMEN.  Most rapists aren't some scary mentally deranged freak in the bushes; they are acquaintances, friends, boyfriends or dudes on Daytona Beach who heard that drunk rape isn't REAL rape.  So let's start telling THEM not get drunk and rape women.  mkthanx.  Here are some tips from Colleen Jameson that SHOULD be circulating around instead:

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work!

1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.

2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!

3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!

4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.

5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!

6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.

7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.

9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!

10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

And, ALWAYS REMEMBER: if you didn’t ask permission and then respect the answer the first time, you are committing a crime- no matter how “into it” others appear to be.