I didn’t write these rules — and neither did Jess McCabe at The F Word, where I found them — but as you see, we’re all supposed to share these rules:
Please distribute this list. Put it up in your place of work, in your university’s library or wherever you think they might be read:
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.
Any tips you all would add?
It’s kind of sad when we have to have these rules written down. Even worse is that there are plenty of people that would still violate these rules AFTER reading them.
Hey there Catherrinette (folks, click the link to her name and read her fabulous blog!), I suppose you know by now from reading my blog that the violence and victim blaming are HUGE problems I have no tolerance for; I find the fact that in 2009 we’d even feel the need to write such a list deplorable, let alone how it will likely be ignored as you state. *sigh*