5 Oppositions To #YesAllWomen (And Why They’re Completely Stupid)

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Some of the most bizarre and angry responses have come from the #YesAllWomen discussion. It blows my mind that a tragic event could open the door for a discussion about protecting women and it sends people into a blind rage. I talked to numerous women who chose to share their stories of abuse and attack, only to see tweets and comments from mostly brave, anonymous commenters, telling them that their fears are wrong. WELP, I GUESS THAT SETTLES IT! Are there feminists who take it too far? Sure. But don’t let a handful of radicals define an entire group. Not only that, but what on earth has happened to push them to that point? Sorry they’ve had such horrible things happen to them that they no longer trust anyone. Here are a few of the most common responses I’ve seen and why they’re wrong:


Well, Not All Men Are Rapists!

Ah yes, the classic argument. Here are a few illustrations of what it looks like when you make that declaration:

— Writers’ Greenhouse (@WritersGreenHse) June 2, 2014

Hey, good job on not being a rapist! Let me congratulate you on having a shred of human decency. How sad is it that guys feel the need to be celebrated for not committing crimes? For the record, no one is saying all men are rapists, but when 1 in 5 women have reported being raped. And with god knows how many unreported attacks, it’s safe to say that there are plenty of male rapists out there.

Men Get Raped More Than Women!

Yes they do. In prison. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports this:

A report by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, which defines rape as forced penetration by the offender,found that 91% of rape victims are female and 9% are male, and that nearly 99% of rapists are male.

If you add in the 216,000 male inmates that are assaulted every year by other men, then those numbers change. So yes, if you go to prison, you are more likely to get sexually assaulted than a woman walking down the street or riding on the subway. If you commit a crime and you’re locked away from society with other highly dangerous criminals, only then do your chances surpass that of a woman who is at a party. Great argument.

Way To Hijack A Tragedy To Make It About You

After Elliot Rodger went on a murderous rampage as a result of being rejected by women, it opened up the door for a conversation about protecting women. How crazy, right!? Sure we should talk about gun control and help for those mentally disturbed, but how can you call raising awareness to protect women hijacking a tragedy? I guess the African-American community “hijacked” the Trayvon Martin murder to make it about race. Hey guys, before you say “WELL, HE KILLED MALES, TOO!” watch his video. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing, just watch the first 55 seconds. He, the killer, states that he is doing this because women rejected him. This isn’t a motive that police or the internet dreamed up. Imagine if someone made a video and said, “I’m going to kill you, Rob Fee” then I went to the police and they said, “Well, there’s no need to hijack this and make it about you.”

I Don’t Know Anyone That’s Been Raped Or Is Scared

Well, if you don’t personally know someone with this kind of harrowing experience (that most people are afraid to talk about), then there’s just absolutely no way it’s true, right? I wrote an article a while back about the signs you grew up in Kentucky. Since I grew up in the Bluegrass State myself, I knew all about how big of a deal UK basketball is in the state. Outside of Louisville, their biggest rival, it’s huge. If UK was playing in the NCAA tournament during school, they’d let us watch the game in class. You can’t drive down a street without seeing a UK car decal, or banner, or flag, and if you see a blue shirt, odds are it says UK on the front. Obviously in the article I listed one of the signs you’re from Kentucky is that you love UK basketball. Sure enough there were a handful of people that felt the need to comment and say, “Uh, I don’t even like basketball so this is invalid!” Great. Good for you. The vast majority of the state is obsessed with it, but we should take it off because YOU aren’t into it.

My point is, if you’re a man or a woman who has never experienced sexual assault, that’s awesome! I hope you never do, but just because you haven’t personally experienced it or have a close friend that did, does not mean it doesn’t happen every day.

 If Women Dress Like That, They’re Asking For It

I hope the next time you wear a football jersey, a linebacker tackles you and drives you into the ground. I mean if you’re going to dress like that, you’re asking for it, right? 

Read #YesAllWomen now.