Again, thanks to the fabulously informed ladies at Feministing, I am learning about a world outside the safety of my apartment that is causing me to throw things at the computer.

A recent study on “women who claim to be victims” (cough, cough, triple cough) of date rape drugs has revealed that they were really just drunk. And the implication is that because they were drunk “they were asking for it.” Maybe if they didn’t drink so damn much they wouldn’t have been raped? And they just used that date rape drug excuse to cover up the fact that they had an unladylike good time? (Please note dripping sarcasm.)
Well, at least that is how it seems to have been reported by the media…

For optimal anger, read this story from the UK’s Daily Mail, which includes the thoroughly misleading headline “Drug rape myth exposed as study reveals binge drinking is to blame.” Or even better, the subsequent comments that read “Sadly, until some women learn to behave like ladies this will continue to happen” or again, even better, “Vindication at last. Perhaps now society will look upon our women not as the fairer sex but with an equal eye and as much to blame as the men.”

Throwing things yet?

Or how about this headline: Women warned on rape drink risk. “Alcohol campaigners today said that the growing culture of binge drinking among young women left them more vulnerable to serious sexual assault.” So I suppose that means that if I have one too many at the bar and end up being sexually violated, at least I was warned? Is this a shocking misdirection of blame, or what?

Don’t worry, Feministing has managed to set things straight with a few recommended headline changes for confused journalists. How about “Men warned to stop raping drunk women” or even better “Stop getting drunk and raping women, a**hole”