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Don't assume the bar sex pest is drunk - its more likely he hopes you are Don't assume the bar sex pest is drunk - it's more likely he hopes you are
(1 day later)
"Hey beautiful, where are you from?". It was the third time the sleaze "Hey beautiful, where are you from?". It was the third time the sleaze had interrupted the bar-side conversation between my admittedly divine female friend and me a couple of Fridays back. This time he slinked an unwelcome arm around her waist.
had interrupted the bar-side conversation between my admittedly divine A terse verbal altercation ensued in which she suggested he get lost, he swore and called her frigid. With an all-too-familiar roll of our eyes, we agreed: Let's just ignore him, he's drunk.
female friend and me a couple of Fridays back. This time he slinked an Wearily, that's what I tend to assume when I see men harrassing women in bars and clubs - that, well lubricated with beer or vodka, their aggression is explained, although far from excused, by the fact they're wasted.
unwelcome arm around her waist. According to new research, however, the opposite could be true. An academic study published last month reports that sexual aggressors' invasiveness is not related to their own intoxication, but rather the intoxication of their targets.
A terse verbal altercation ensued in which she suggested he get lost, The researchers dispatched 140 trained observers into bars and clubs in Toronto to note every incident of aggression they saw. The observers witnessed more than 250 incidents involving sexual aggression, in which a skin-crawling two-thirds of aggressors physically touched women without consent.
he swore and called her frigid. With an all-too-familiar roll of our Most striking was the recurring observation that sexually aggressive men – 90% of the aggressors witnessed in the study were male – overwhelmingly target women they perceive to be drunk.
eyes, we agreed: Let's just ignore him, he's drunk. It's a profoundly disturbing finding, suggesting that those ubiquitous creeps who lurk in bars make a cold, clinical calculation about the woman they will pester for sex, and the extent to which they will pester, based precisely on that woman's incapacity to resist.
Wearily, that's what I tend to assume when I see men harrassing women Lest the study's conclusions remain equivocal, its authors state in no uncertain terms that sexual aggression frequently reflects "intentional sexual invasiveness and unwanted persistence rather than misperceptions in sexual advances."
in bars and clubs - that, well lubricated with beer or vodka, their So no, that weird guy who keeps grabbing at you on the dance floor isn't misinterpreting your awesome Thriller-zombie moves as a come on, he's actively trying to invade your space and wear you down. While probably hoping you're intoxicated enough to be amenable to his lecherous and aggressive advances.
aggression is explained, although far from excused, by the fact Sadly I imagine that these findings will be seized upon by the misogynistic camp that imply that the female victim who is raped while drunk "had it coming to her".
they're wasted. It's a reductive, distorted argument that has found favour with a growing number of women of late, not least Slate's agony aunt Emily Yoffe, who ignited a row with her misplaced advice to college women to "stop getting drunk" last autumn.
According to new research, however, the opposite could be true. An Personally I'm angered by the notion that one too many martinis makes a victim to blame for assault (or worse), but the idea that your common or garden jerk deliberately preys on tipsy women fills me with cold disgust.
academic study published last month reports that sexual aggressors'
invasiveness is not related to their own intoxication, but rather the
intoxication of their targets.
The researchers dispatched 140 trained observers into bars and clubs
in Toronto to note every incident of aggression they saw. The
observers witnessed more than 250 incidents involving sexual
aggression, in which a skin-crawling two-thirds of aggressors
physically touched women without consent.
Most striking was the recurring observation that sexually
aggressive men - 90% of the aggressors witnessed in the study were
male - overwhelmingly target women they perceive to
be drunk.
It's a profoundly disturbing finding, suggesting that those ubiquitous
creeps who lurk in bars make a cold, clinical calculation about the
woman they will pester for sex, and the extent to which they will
pester, based precisely on that woman's incapacity to resist.
Lest the study's conclusions remain equivocal, its authors state in no
uncertain terms that sexual aggression frequently reflects
"intentional sexual invasiveness and unwanted persistence rather than
misperceptions in sexual advances."
So no, that weird guy who keeps grabbing at you on the dance floor
isn't misinterpreting your awesome Thriller-zombie moves as a come on,
he's actively trying to invade your space and wear you down. While
probably hoping you're intoxicated enough to be amenable to his
lecherous and aggressive advances.
Sadly I imagine that these findings will be seized upon by the
misogynistic camp that imply that the female victim who is raped while
drunk "had it coming to her".
It's a reductive, distorted argument that has found favour with a
growing number of women of late, not least Slate's agony aunt Emily
Yoffe, who ignited a row with her misplaced advice to college women to
"stop getting drunk" last autumn.
Personally I'm angered by the notion that one too many martinis makes
a victim to blame for assault (or worse), but the idea that
your common or garden jerk deliberately preys on tipsy women fills me
with cold disgust.
@LOS_Fisher@LOS_Fisher