To the Editor:
I was more than a little shocked last week to read in The Free Press that, “If you walk around campus.thinking that you are going to get raped, then you probably will. But if you walk around with a positive attitude and don’t think you are going to get raped, you probably won’t.”
This quote came from a female student on campus in reference to the need for stronger safety procedures after the break-in in Philippi Hall.
I understand her point; she was trying to say that if you allow yourself to be overwhelmed with the possibilities of what could happen, you might be so preoccupied that you allow yourself to become vulnerable. However, she expressed herself very poorly.
Is the threat of rape less real if we simply ignore it? Saying that positive attitudes will reduce rape is as ridiculous as saying that if you worry about getting pregnant you probably will, but if you just relax and don’t think about it you will be all right. You are never worse off for being prepared for a situation, especially one as serious and as threatening as rape is. Eighty-four percent of rape victims know their attackers. Fifty-seven percent of rapes occur during a date. Figures like these show us that we need to be aware that rape is a very real threat and we need to be prepared. When you’re on a date, let someone know where you are. When you are walking alone, carry pepper spray and wear sensible shoes in case you need to run away.
I am very disappointed that you let such a careless comment slip into your article without any clarification. I don’t hold the person who made the comment responsible because I am sure that it was a spontaneous remark and if she had had time to think about it, she would have changed her answer. Instead, I think that your staff should have realized that this comment was not well thought out, very inaccurate, and possibly dangerously influential. Rape will not stop if we simply think good thoughts.
Sarah Hyland
Senior
EDITOR’S NOTE: We feel it’s dangerous to edit those quotes we don’t agree with. Quotes that appear in The Free Press are not the opinion of the staff, but rather the USM community. We feel that not running the quote in question would have simply hidden the fact that such ignorance exists.