THERE IS a drinking culture at the University. Whether or not you choose to participate in it, it does exist. And with such a culture come the associated risks, namely sexual assault and rape.
Although most weekends pass at the University without exceptional or highly publicized incidents, the risk is always present, and that is why women at the University need to know how to defend themselves.
It is easy, at parties or bars, wherever large numbers of students gather to socialize, for women - and men - to be approached in ways which may not be welcome. What can be considered fun, harmless or annoying when a woman is surrounded by people she knows and trusts can become threatening when her friends are not present. It is alarming how much a woman can be touched or harassed without anyone intervening.
In our culture it is not acceptable to step in to other people's conflicts, so most people do not. This is disturbing. It means that women are not safe at parties or bars just because others are around because these people can't be relied on to get involved should harassment occur. Alcohol only furthers the problem by impairing the judgment of the potential attacker and victim as well as onlookers.
As a result, it is a woman's responsibility to know how to defend herself. It is not a woman's fault when she is raped or sexually assaulted. Regardless of what she wears or how she acts, sexual assault is never the victim's fault. At the same time, the most effective way for a woman to stave off an attacker or a potential attacker is to know self-defense.
Although the most visible component is physical self-defense, verbalization is important as well. Since the majority of sexual assault perpetrators are not strangers, but acquaintances or friends, it is extremely important that a woman have the ability to voice her objections firmly and absolutely. Through the use of verbalization, a potential victim has a chance to keep any violence from escalating.
As important as verbalization is, it is often more difficult for a woman to learn than physical self-defense. Women are conditioned not to start trouble or draw undue attention. Consequently, a woman is likely to stand back and let her attacker verbally abuse her and initiate more contact than she is comfortable with, rather than telling him to back off. Or, if a woman does voice objections, they are often in the form of requests rather than demands.
It is these same social pressures that often make a rape victim feel guilty and that prevent her from defending herself in the first place.
A good self-defense class will teach women the verbalization skills necessary to tell an acquaintance or even friend when he has crossed the line from flirting to harassing. This is a line which is often hard to define. Ultimately, it should be drawn as soon as the woman begins to feel uncomfortable; there is no absolute definition of what constitutes harassment.
Self-defense classes are a good forum for combating the social pressures that keep women quiet. The environment is typically all female, alleviating the pressure to please men. Women are encouraged to be vocal and loud. And the knowledge of physical self-defense is empowering. Knowing how to defend oneself instills a confidence which gives a woman the ability to stick up for herself, often before a situation becomes violent enough to warrant physical defense.
Self-defense is not about learning how to beat men up. Nor is it about criminalizing all men. It is simply a process of learning about sexual assault in order to become more aware and more equipped to deal with situations which arise all too often in a culture where drinking is commonplace.
In addition to teaching individual women how to defend themselves, self-defense courses can be an instrument of social change. When women are taught how to stick up for themselves, and know that they actually will do so, they challenge the way society sees women. Additionally, by raising awareness, self-defense classes begin to build a culture of women who are willing to look out for one another. This, ultimately, can only make everyone safer.
(Megan Moyer is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.)
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