what a world, what a world

here is a copy of the chain email i received this morning.

Please read very important *Girls must read*
Body: IMPORTANT PLEASE READ

A friend stopped at a pay-at-the-pump gas station to get gas. Once she filled her gas tank and after paying at the pump and starting to leave, the voice of the attendant inside came over the speaker. He told her that something happened with her card and that she needed to come inside to pay. The lady was confused because the transaction showed complete and approved. She relayed that to him and was getting ready to leave but the attendant, once again, urged her to come in to pay or there'd be trouble. She proceeded to go inside and started arguing with the attendant about his threat. He told her to calm down and listen carefully:

He said that while she was pumping gas, a guy slipped into the back seat of her car on the other side and the attendant had already called the police.

She became frightened and looked out in time to see her car door open and the guy slip out. The report is that the new gang initiation thing is to bring back a woman and/or her car. One way they are doing this is crawling under women's cars while they're pumping gas or at grocery stores in the nighttime. The other way is slipping into unattended cars and kidnapping the women.

Please pass this on to other women, young and old alike. Be extra careful going to and from your car at night. If at all possible, don't go alone!
This is real!!

The message:

1. ALWAYS lock your car doors, even if you're gone for just a second!

2. Check underneath your car when approaching it for reentry, and check in the back before getting in.

3. Always be aware of your surroundings and of other individuals in your general vicinity, particularly at night!

Send this to everyone so your friends can take precaution.

AND GUYS...YOU TELL ANY WOMEN YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS

this, just so you know, is NOT the first time i have received this email.

and, boy, does it piss me off.

first of all, it's the same old tripe about how Girls: you need to be more careful; Girls: you need to do this, or not do that, or check this, or be more aware.

in sum: girls, it's your responsibility to not get raped. and if you do get raped (cuz, chances are you will), it's basically your fault for not being more careful.

and i LOVE the last sentence: and guys--your only responsibility is to tell gals you know all about how they should be frightened basically ALL the time, but especially if they are out by themselves at NIGHT (god forbid women be without a male escort!).

how about instead of this we send a chain email around to boys saying, in effect:

Boys: do not rape women. do not sexually assault women. if a woman leaves a car door unlocked, do not think this means she wants you to come home with her and rape her. if she gets drunk at a party, do not think this means she wants you to rape her. she does not want you to rape her.

it is YOUR responsibility to prevent rape. it is YOUR responsibility to NOT RAPE.

and girls.....you tell any boys you know, not to rape women.

cheers!