It makes sense that some people think self-defense is victim-blaming because a lot of what’s called “self-defense” is victim-blaming. The people who say they are teaching women self-defense, but really are just telling them a whole lot of ways that they should limit their lives, are reinforcing victim-blaming and rape culture. Think of those useless and alarmist tip lists: “Don’t leave your drink unsupervised, don’t park next to a van, don’t wear a short skirt,” and the amazing and impossible “be aware of everything around you all the time.” Feminists are justified in being outraged that much of what passes as “self-defense” doesn’t improve safety and is instead about controlling women’s behavior and access to the public sphere. What’s more, most of what’s called “self-defense” doesn’t address where the real risks lie. But that doesn’t mean we should dismiss all self-defense. While some good men are out teaching other men not to rape and generally dismantling patriarchy, I can’t wait around for them to finish the task. I want to do what I can to be safe. And I want to share with others targeted for harassment, abuse, and assault the skills that might reduce their vulnerability, increase their sense of personal power, help them recover from past violations, and – not incidentally – change the world. ~LA
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 12:23:49 +0000
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