I am really starting to think that Kansas is really as ignorant as everyone thinks it is. Two cases to illustrate my point:
Women Are To Be Blamed For Being Raped Editorial
We Should Not Protest Rape Editorial
After you have read both of these editorials printed in the Kansas State Collegian, it is hard not to understand where the negative opinions of Kansas come from.
Before this week, I had never writtin an angry letter to the Collegian, or any print source for that matter. So far this week, I have written two. Here they are:
Dear Daniel Kirksey and the Editors -
In your editorial on Take Back the Night, you choose to place the focus on why women are raped onto the shoulders of the victim. You state that women share responsibility in being sexually assaulted because women should consider what they wear and the signals they send to men; that the message of "I want sex" is somehow expressed through a woman's dress and actions. This viewpoint is not only ignorant and offensive, but also extremely dangerous. You imply that if women would only cover themselves up, then men would not receive the wrong idea. Women in all manners of dress, whether it is the miniskirt, long skirt, pants, shorts, business suits, etc, suffer the victimization of sexual assault and rape. On a campus the size of Kansas State University, statistically one out of every four will be raped. To say that those women hold the blame (even a portion of it) for being brutalized, does an injustice to all who have been assaulted in the past and those who will be in the future.
You state "The interaction between two people of the opposite sex can be broken into two categories: things that say "yes" and things that say "no."" My question to you would be: Who decides what the exact message of clothing is? If a woman wears a skirt at knee level, is she saying that she is uninterested in sex? Is the woman wearing the short miniskirt saying that she wants to have sex, no matter how much she may
say no? Also, what is the exact cut-off in length for the skirt that sets the boundary between wanting to be raped and wanting to be left alone?
As a man, I do not have to worry about what I wear in regards to my personal safety. I do not have to feel in danger walking through a dark parking lot because I may be wearing a T-shirt or a pair of shorts. One of the messages of Take Back the Night is that everyone, not just men, should have the freedom to wear exactly whatever they
desire or feel comfortable in. The women who were involved in this rally simply desire the same freedom that you and I take for granted every day.
To end your editorial, you state "If women are worried that this might ruin a chance with the Romeo in the corner, don't - never in history has a spoken "yes" been misinterpreted by man." Sadly, because some choose to use the same logic that you present, the same cannot be said for "no."
--------------------------------------------
Dear Lola Shrimplin and the Editors -
When I read Kirksey's editorial, I viewed it as extremely misguided and uneducated. Despite it's opinion, I did not view it as the opinion of the Collegian as a whole, just one writer. Today, after reading Lola Shrimplin's editorial (Repetition of Wrongness of Rape Dulls Senses), I think my view was incorrect. Twice this week, the Collegian has published articles speaking out against rape victims and advocates against violence. I can only come to one assumption:
The Kansas State Collegian endorses the views that the blame for rape lies on the shoulders of the victims and no one wants to hear (or cares) about these acts of violence.
Having previously written on the subject of Kirksey's editorial, I will confine myself to Shrimplin's. She states that rape is horrible and wrong, but the victims should quit complaining about it already. She states that the public protesting and fighting against rape only serves to turn people off to the issue and cause the general public to not
care about rape and its victims. In short, she states enough is enough, move on.
Obviously, enough is NOT enough. If it were truly enough, rape would not be a threat. If everyone understood the issue, then this would not be an issue. Sadly, there are many out there who do not understand or care that rape is wrong. Until the day that this type of violence comes to an end, we must continue to speak out, to educate, to protest, to rage. Yes, rape is a difficult subject to hear about, but one that must be discussed. To not fight against rape and other forms of sexual assault only serves to give validation to those who continue to perpetrate these crimes.
If you would like to send in your own opinions to the Newspaper, here is the email address:
opinion@spub.ksu.edu
Women Are To Be Blamed For Being Raped Editorial
We Should Not Protest Rape Editorial
After you have read both of these editorials printed in the Kansas State Collegian, it is hard not to understand where the negative opinions of Kansas come from.
Before this week, I had never writtin an angry letter to the Collegian, or any print source for that matter. So far this week, I have written two. Here they are:
Dear Daniel Kirksey and the Editors -
In your editorial on Take Back the Night, you choose to place the focus on why women are raped onto the shoulders of the victim. You state that women share responsibility in being sexually assaulted because women should consider what they wear and the signals they send to men; that the message of "I want sex" is somehow expressed through a woman's dress and actions. This viewpoint is not only ignorant and offensive, but also extremely dangerous. You imply that if women would only cover themselves up, then men would not receive the wrong idea. Women in all manners of dress, whether it is the miniskirt, long skirt, pants, shorts, business suits, etc, suffer the victimization of sexual assault and rape. On a campus the size of Kansas State University, statistically one out of every four will be raped. To say that those women hold the blame (even a portion of it) for being brutalized, does an injustice to all who have been assaulted in the past and those who will be in the future.
You state "The interaction between two people of the opposite sex can be broken into two categories: things that say "yes" and things that say "no."" My question to you would be: Who decides what the exact message of clothing is? If a woman wears a skirt at knee level, is she saying that she is uninterested in sex? Is the woman wearing the short miniskirt saying that she wants to have sex, no matter how much she may
say no? Also, what is the exact cut-off in length for the skirt that sets the boundary between wanting to be raped and wanting to be left alone?
As a man, I do not have to worry about what I wear in regards to my personal safety. I do not have to feel in danger walking through a dark parking lot because I may be wearing a T-shirt or a pair of shorts. One of the messages of Take Back the Night is that everyone, not just men, should have the freedom to wear exactly whatever they
desire or feel comfortable in. The women who were involved in this rally simply desire the same freedom that you and I take for granted every day.
To end your editorial, you state "If women are worried that this might ruin a chance with the Romeo in the corner, don't - never in history has a spoken "yes" been misinterpreted by man." Sadly, because some choose to use the same logic that you present, the same cannot be said for "no."
--------------------------------------------
Dear Lola Shrimplin and the Editors -
When I read Kirksey's editorial, I viewed it as extremely misguided and uneducated. Despite it's opinion, I did not view it as the opinion of the Collegian as a whole, just one writer. Today, after reading Lola Shrimplin's editorial (Repetition of Wrongness of Rape Dulls Senses), I think my view was incorrect. Twice this week, the Collegian has published articles speaking out against rape victims and advocates against violence. I can only come to one assumption:
The Kansas State Collegian endorses the views that the blame for rape lies on the shoulders of the victims and no one wants to hear (or cares) about these acts of violence.
Having previously written on the subject of Kirksey's editorial, I will confine myself to Shrimplin's. She states that rape is horrible and wrong, but the victims should quit complaining about it already. She states that the public protesting and fighting against rape only serves to turn people off to the issue and cause the general public to not
care about rape and its victims. In short, she states enough is enough, move on.
Obviously, enough is NOT enough. If it were truly enough, rape would not be a threat. If everyone understood the issue, then this would not be an issue. Sadly, there are many out there who do not understand or care that rape is wrong. Until the day that this type of violence comes to an end, we must continue to speak out, to educate, to protest, to rage. Yes, rape is a difficult subject to hear about, but one that must be discussed. To not fight against rape and other forms of sexual assault only serves to give validation to those who continue to perpetrate these crimes.
If you would like to send in your own opinions to the Newspaper, here is the email address:
opinion@spub.ksu.edu
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
Those articles made my stomach turn.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to that utter crap.
I look forward to meeting you and your lovely wife once I move.
<3 Janae