These new posters are a continuation of a campaign launched two years ago by the Edmonton police department. The department reports that alcohol was involved in over half of their sexual assault investigations in 2011.
Even more disturbing was a recent U.K. study involving 18- to 25-year-old males that revealed that 48% of men didn’t consider it rape if a woman is too drunk to know what was going on.
One problem with the campaign: The tagline — “Don’t Be That Guy” — should just be removed from the ads. Such colloquial language doesn’t belong anywhere near such a serious topic.
Still, the effort is admirable — especially considering that here in the U.S. we still, in 2012, get government ads like this horrible one via the Pennsylvania Liquor Board that puts the blame squarely on drunk women.
More posters from the Edmonton campaign below.
The ads will be posted in men’s washrooms in bars and clubs, as well as in LRT stations and campus and entertainment newspapers, according to osocio.
Via: osocio.org
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spencerh9 6 months agoPublic service ad campaign directed at twentysomethings explaining that sex without meaningful consent is rape: a good effort for treating a problem.
Educating kids about consent and sex when they begin to become sexually active: a good solution for preventing a problem.
I appreciate that an agency recognizes the importance of educating people about date rape and that preventing it requires a massive attitudinal shift in the public perception of what constitutes rape. I also recognize that this is a much larger issue than can be addressed by these ads requiring a continuing dialog directly with those that we’re trying to educate. I’m afraid that some men may be too indoctrinated in rape culture and will actively resist the message directed at them. The ads miss another important issue by being directed at men alone; date rape is vastly underrepresented when women are not educated about what is and isn’t meaningful consent. Men and women alike need to be educated about meaningful consent before they have the chance to be indoctrinated. -
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isabliss 6 months agoI do find these ads helpful and yes, they could have included other scenarios/offenders but as a side note: I do not consider someone giving advice about drinking as victim blaming. I have always viewed that as advice to stay of able mind and body so you can physically defend yourself if the need ever arises. In a perfect world, people should be able to get drunk without worrying about getting raped, mugged, etc. but we don’t live in a perfect world and it never hurts to give yourself the faculties for a fighting chance.
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elis4 6 months agoYou know, if we counted up all the comments complaining that this ad campaign doesn’t address female perpetrators of rape and divided it by the total number of comments, I bet we’d come up with a far, far larger fraction than those rapes actually committed by women.
Way to go, people who missed the point! -
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joyh9 6 months agoIt’s an ad campaign. Ad campaigns are not usually designed to reach all audiences simultaneously. THIS ad campaign is for men’s bathrooms. A *different* ad campaign should/would be designed to target female offenders. Furthermore, in terms of dollars, you spend more where it will (hopefully) have the greatest effect. An ad campaign targeted at female offenders would do little good right now, because it’s so under-reported that no one knows how to target the right audience. Also - no, generally speaking, a rapist isn’t going to be persuaded by an ad. But the campaign is targeted at men who *don’t actually consider themselves rapists.*
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tyciol 6 months agoA lot of these posters have wrong messages. Rape IS sex. Sexual assault is involuntary sex. Sex can’t be divided from sexual assault, it’s what defines it apart from other forms of assault. I do agree with the ‘just because you help her home doesn’t mean you help yourself’ poster though.
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janessae 6 months agoI think the point they’re trying to make is that sex derived from situations like these should not be normalized into the conception of “sex”, partly due to the fact that sex is such a casual thing to many people of the millennial generation. Thus if these situations “are sex” then they are just as casual as consensual sex. That’s the way I perceived the messages any…
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carolynh9 6 months agoWhy do all the men assume that women are just like them? It is male culture that women’s bodies are accessible to guys. It is women’c culture to be pretty passive. Statistics say the big cultural problem is male appropriation of women - so the ads should tell men not to rape and explain that only yes really means yes.
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rebeccarodriguezb 6 months agoGreat campaign, but I think the term is “rapist” not “raper”.
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Klo732 6 months agoAside from the fact that none of the photos actually represent a woman as a rapist (which I don’t think is terrible, it seems to be an ongoing campaign. We might see this scenario in the future), I don’t think the tagline is so bad. I don’t feel like it limits to males. A guy is a term for a man but I feel when used as part of this expression it really isn’t limited to a gender. It’s just an expression. I know I would use it for a woman as well as man. Maybe that’s just me though. It could be easily changed to a more feminine term when used for the women rapists ads. As far as it not being serious enough for the topic I disagree with that as well. It seems like they want to target people who don’t actually see themselves as rapists. If that’s the case it would probably be more helpful for these people to see a phrase they can relate to or feel familiar with.
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gcs3 6 months agoI went home with a girl one time and she was really drunk and I said no and she got violently aggressive that I turned her down. Obviously I left, but could you imagine if the roles were reversed? That said, men are much more likely to be the attackers than the victims and it’s important to remember that. But I don’t think that means we pretend it’s impossible for a woman to be an attacker.
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A.Leigh 6 months ago
I agree. There was some sort of campaign on my campus freshman year called Don’t Be That Guy. I can’t for the life of me remember what it was for, but I do remember seeing lots of people (of both genders) wearing shirts with DBTG on them. No girls seemed to think it didn’t apply to them. We use “guys” as a colloquial for “people” all the time, like “Hey guys, wanna go to a movie?” or “Come on, guys, we’re gonna be late!” And I don’t think it’s too casual at all. It’s simple, straightforward, and memorable. I could theoretically see a guy remembering the phrase when he finds himself in a similar situation and having it remind him to think about what he’s doing. But there DEFINITELY needs to be more awareness of male victims and female offenders (with either gender opposite). My health book for that stupid mandatory fitness class in college had a section in the back that discussed rape, and it had a part directed to girls on how to lower their risk of being victims and a part directed to guys on making sure they get consent before having sex. Which I mean, it’s great that they addressed preventing being a rapist, but they made it sound like anything other than male-on-female rape was impossible. It annoyed me.
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Ali Wherewithall 6 months ago
Holy fuck, some men on here are insulted that the campaign doesnt tell women not to date rape drunk men? So these guys still need crime stats, pie charts and shit to convince them that 99.9999% of rapists ARE men? W T F
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gcs3 6 months ago
I think most men don’t report being raped or don’t view it as rape. Reporting stats will be skewed because in the case where a man was raped it’s extraordinarily taboo for them to openly admit it. They’re not even the victim, their the butt of everyone’s jokes. If a sober woman has sex with a drunk man, not rape right? Technically maybe but what police officer would take him seriously? If two equally drunk people have otherwise consensual sex, the woman was assaulted and the man can’t use his drunken state as a defence. In cases of incest, at least in the states, the blame rests almost exclusively with the male. I personally know two men that were sexually assaulted as children by female babysitters who thought it was funny. Maybe you can tell them it’s not a big deal because they are a tiny minority. Yes men are mostly the perpetrators, by a gigantic margin and men as a gender need to own that. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t impact male victims nor does it mean we should exclusively focus on men.
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Ali Wherewithall 6 months ago
You needed to write 3 long winded paragraphs to agree with the fact that sex offenders are most all MEN? Thanks
A campaign needs to know it’s TARGET MARKET. Rapists are 99% MEN. END OF ISSUE. -
A.Leigh 6 months ago
Actually, no. That’s not the end of the issue. It is an entire issue in and of itself. Men rarely report rape because in our society, many people think men cannot be raped (by women). For one, we’re taught that men are supposed to always want sex, anytime they can get it. For a man to admit he was raped, he’d have to admit to not wanting to have sex, which makes him “not a real man.” For two, men more or less have to be physically aroused to have sex, and many people think that means it can’t have been rape, even though that’s common for rape victims of either gender simply because of the physical stimulus. Also, men tend to be physically larger and stronger than women, so it’s embarrassing to admit a woman managed to take advantage of them. Think about the media/public response to teachers having sex with students. When a male teacher has sex with a female student, he’s called a perv and a pedophile and people get really angry with him for ruining innocent children’s lives. But what do (many, not all) people say when a female teacher has sex with a male student? “Atta boy!” “Lucky dog.” “Ha I wish I was that kid.” But the boy is EVERY BIT AS MUCH a victim as the girl. BOTH were preyed upon by an adult authority figure. But only the girl is actually seen as a victim. And the female teacher isn’t usually seen as the gross, creepy, pedophile, perv that the male teacher is. I’ve mostly seen people say things like she’s a pathetic hag who couldn’t get a man her own age. So in our society, women are either victims or desperate and men are either pervs or lucky. We really, REALLY need to raise awareness of the fact that men can be victims and women can be perpetrators of rape. But that probably needs to be an entirely separate campaign, because it’s so far from the usual line of thought.
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mariab6 6 months agoYou know, I get that this ad campaign leaves out women who rape men, and women who rape other women - but good god people, this is a small step in the right direction (of raising awareness over consent, not victim blaming, including a gay couple) and I, for one, will accept the victory. It’s the small steps that count in the long run.
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mandolinh 6 months agoClearly the target audience is dudes who have probably been drinking and/or using drugs and looking to force themselves upon someone. “Don’t be that guy” is pretty straight forward and direct. It can’t be misunderstood. Anything else is pandering to over-politically correctness.
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copyranter 6 months ago
I don’t want it replaced with anything, just get rid of it, it’s stupid overkill.
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MoniMoLove 6 months agoNever say never. I had a friend and this happened to him, it’s the same as women changing their minds.
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gubbabump 6 months ago
Never understood why drunkenness excuses poor decision making. Yes I realize your judgment is impaired, but when you were of sober mind you knowingly decided to ingest enough alcohol to impair your judgment, which after all is the entire purpose of drinking alcohol to begin with: to alter your state of mind to one less burdened by the demands of conscious, responsible thought. Consent is consent is consent. It isn’t anyone else’s responsibility but yours to make sure you are of sound mind when you make decisions; no one can make decisions for you. If you don’t want to be in the position of regretting your actions, don’t put yourself in that position. “My decision doesn’t count because I was drunk” is the same as “My decision doesn’t count because I was angry, or sad, or tired, etc” because they are all states of mind, and state of mind is a choice. Dressing sexy is not asking for rape. Flirting is not asking for it. Even drinking in and of itself is not asking for it. Nothing excuses rape. But getting yourself drunk is always asking for trouble, no matter the kind, and you’re not excused from the decisions you make while drunk.
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gubbabump 6 months ago
Actually that isn’t what happens. I repeat: no one can make decisions for you. You made the decision to get too drunk to consent - yeah it’s still rape and it’s unfortunate but if you hadn’t decided to get yourself so wasted you couldn’t respond then you wouldn’t have been in the position to have some else ‘make that decision for you’. I sound like I never went…. where? I drank plenty in my teens and early twenties, which is exactly how I learned how idiotic drinking to get drunk is.
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Hatter 6 months agoI’m sorry but that makes no freaking sense. “Don’t put yourself in that situation” is victim blaming. The responsibility lands on the rapist NOT the victim. Apply the same logic to domestic violence. “Don’t put yourself in the situation where you’ll get hit. Don’t date or marry anyone because if you do then you have it coming” Rape is something that someone else does to you irregardless of state of mind. What about the girls who have 1 drink that is spiked!?!? the message shouldn’t be “well she shouldn’t have had the 1 drink” it should be “Don’t date rape people”. Sure people can get irresponsibly drunk to the point of falling over but it doesn’t mean the deserved to be raped or punished for being blind drunk. Taking advantage of anyone because you know they don’t know any better is wrong (that applies to any situation).
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gubbabump 6 months ago
It makes perfect freaking sense. No one is blaming the victim. “Don’t put yourself in the situation where you’ll get hit” makes just as much sense. A relationship is not a guarantee of domestic violence - drinking is a guarantee of becoming impaired, even slightly. If someone hits you, you leave them. If you stay, yeah they’re still to blame for the violence, but you’re equally as culpable for sticking around to take it when you have the freedom to leave. I never said getting drunk was asking to be raped, but that getting drunk is choosing to put yourself in a position of compromised mental, emotional and physical safety. You have the freedom to not drink even one drink, spiked or not - drinking is a high risk activity that you choose to engage in and the repercussions of that choice fall to you if you make it. Irregardless is not a word.
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Hatter 6 months ago
The rapist chooses to rape. It is their responsibility not to rape. That is why it should be taught that they should not rape. There is no excuse to rape someone. We live in a culture where they teach “don’t get raped” in stead of “don’t rape”. They don’t teach what rape is. It’s not just some guy who jumps a girl in a back alley. And victims get blamed because “they shouldn’t have ______”
(been drinking, been wearing skimpy clothes, not agreed to come in for coffee after a night out, agreed then changed their mind) instead of placing the blame on the rapist. Stop blaming alcohol and start blaming rapists. And “drinking is a high risk activity that you choose to engage in and the repercussions of that choice fall to you if you make it.” the repercussions of drinking is getting drunk, not raped. If you’re drunk and you run out out onto the road that’s your fault, if you’re drunk and someone pushes you onto the road that’s their fault. You cannot blame a drunk person for the actions done to them by another. Drinking is a legal activity. Rape is not. So what if they choose to get so drunk they pass out or can’t give consent it doesn’t give anyone the right to rape them. Go to any emergency room where someone comes in with a altered level of consciousness they cannot make decisions about their own medical care, the doctors make it for them because they deemed unable to give consent. If you’re slurring your words, don’t have much control of your body and don’t know who or where you are you’re not able to give consent (medically or sexually). - Show 2 More Contributions ...
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Pedropedro 6 months ago
When an adult woman sleeps with a boy under 16, that’s statutory rape. Shame it’s not included here. DON’T BE THAT WOMAN, ladies. DON’T BE THAT GUY, gentlemen.
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Pedropedro 6 months ago
Ah, is tht a loophole copyranter?
I’m sorry that the concept of women raping is hard for you to accept. But if this campaign is “just about date rape” it should still include women. They’re still capable of date-raping a man. Or another woman of legal age. - Show 1 More Contributions ...
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WhatTheHolyHeck 6 months agoI wish all the legal precedent supported this, #5 in particular. A developmentally disabled girl was raped and the rapist was set free because the judge said there was no proof the girl said no. She had the mental faculties of a five year old. So in that case, the judge stated explicitly that the answer is YES every time, unless you specifically hear her say no. The whole thing makes me feel ill.
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ninjapornstar 6 months ago
Clarification: If you’re referencing the Fourtin case out of CT, then you should probably know that the media got basically every single fact about the case wrong. Seriously. See ThinkProgress’s update to their story here:
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/10/03/947981/court-requires-disabled-rape-victim-to-prove-she-fought-back-calls-for-evidence-of-biting-kicking-scratching/?mobile=nc Also, see this very lengthy post (with multiple follow-ups) by a CT public defender explaining what really happened. http://apublicdefender.com/2012/10/04/supreme-court-hates-disabled-people-and-eats-children-for-lunch-probably/ Short Version: the prosecutor charged under the wrong statute. Instead of prosecuting the sexual assault on grounds that the victim was “mentally defective” (subsection 2 of this code), the prosecutor charged that sexual assault took place because the victim was “physically helpless,” but then the prosecutor did not present any evidence that the victim actually was “physically helpless.” Basically, the entire prosecution from start to finish was a massive blunder.
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trollprincess 6 months ago
So because you may have heard a story or two about women lying about being raped, ACTUAL rapes don’t count. Got it.
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FlickMontana 6 months ago
Hey, if you’re so worried about false rape charges, maybe, I dunno, only sleep with people you know and trust, not whatever drunken frat chick falls in your lap?
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