“If you ever met a rapist”

In the Everyday Feminism blog “3 reasons why 'if I ever met a rapist, I’d punch him' isn’t helpful," Ginny Brown writes about while the intention is good, these kinds of statements do more harm than good. She says:

1   

     We have all met a rapist

Saying “if I ever met a rapist,” perpetuates the idea that rapists are somehow identifiable and women should know one when they see one, but in reality rapists are indistinguishable from everyone else.

2

      Rapists often don't think of their actions as rape

I    If someone forces another person to have sex without their consent, that person is a rapist. It doesn’t matter what the person who rapes calls his own behavior;what matters is the action.

3

     Threatening to harm rapists doesn’t necessarily help survivors

Better to find out what a survivor needs to heal than assuming punching out a rapist is what she needs.

For the full article, check out Brown’s blog here.