The Real Story
"Blame the victim: Religious leaflet claims ‘ungodly’ dressed women provoke rape. "
http://www2.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/blame_the_victim_religious_leaflet_claims_ungodly_dressed_women_provoke_rap/42253/
My Story
"Welcome to the Westborough Baptist Church Rape Outreach Group." Penelope Gurman looked at the group of shy woman sitting around her on chairs in a circle in the Church basement's Social Hall. These women were all members of the Westborough Baptist Church, and had been identified through an outreach program as recent rape victims. "So just that we can all understand who we all are, everyone here has been raped, am I correct?"
Everyone gave different head nods of varying degrees. A woman to her right barely raised her hand.
"Did you have a question?"
"No, I just wanted to say I was raped 12 times."
Penelope's eyebrows shot up as several other women gasped. "Oh my, that's... quite a few."
"By my father."
"I see. Well, so just to understand, all of you have been involved in rapes. Now our pastor, the Reverend John Waldron, has recently begun preaching about rape. It has come to the pastor's attention, that many women in fact may have been compilcit in their rape, by dressing provocatively, causing men to lust in their hearts, and then in their loins. No, please understand," she quickly cut in as loud grumbles arose, "I am not denying these men are guilty. But most likely by wearing provocative clothing, you may have invited the rape attack to occur."
A woman to her left who looked aghast didn't even bother to raise her hand. "Excuse me, have you ever been raped?"
"No, and I can assure you I have never worn any attire that would cause a man to lust or sin in God's sight." Penelope adjusted her beige turtleneck sweater underneath her flower pattern vest. It was warm inside the church hall but she had no intention of removing the vest, as it would reveal too much even though the sweater was quite thick.
"So how do you know what we were wearing when we got raped?" the woman bent over to look at Penelope.
"Well, many woman are raped during dates, after visiting bars and clubs, while out jogging in tiny spandex outfits, and other such provocative attires." Penelope noticed the woman was wearing a skirt right above her knee and didn't even have her legs crossed. She wanted to tsk tsk.
"I was attacked in my bedroom, in the middle of the night. The man broke into my house, and I was underneath blankets and a comforter. I don't think he had any idea what I was wearing." She sounded angry.
"Well, were you wearing a sexy negligee, or are you one of those women who sleep in the nude?"
"Honey, this is Kansas, and it's cold as hell outside. I keep the heat down to keep the heating costs down, and I was wearing flannel pajamas. And believe me, they ain't sexy." Some of the other women snickered.
"Well, perhaps he had seen you at some other venue and followed you."
"No, he was a burglar, who when he discovered I was home, decided to help himself. I was about as ugly as can be."
"well, I still think-"
"I was raped by my father," a diminutive voice across from her cut in. "I was eight years old, and my mother used to dress me. I don't think anything I wore was sexy or provocative."
"Well, perhaps your father-"
A much older lady shouted out, "Hon, I'm 72 years old. And the man who attacked me in my nursing home room was blind as a bat. But blind or not, he was stronger than I was, and I was too weak to resist. But, at my age you can't complain, and I didn't even press charges, just asked that he be confined to his room. But sexy? At my age I can't even spell it, much less dress it."
More woman began to shout out their explanations of how that could not possibly have been the cause of their rapes.
Penelope was getting flustered. This was not proceeding at all as she expected.
"Excuse me, excuse me!" she shouted over them, trying to get them to quiet down. Finally the hubbub dimmed. "So are you all saying that none of you were dressed provocatively?"
"Well, many woman are raped during dates, after visiting bars and clubs, while out jogging in tiny spandex outfits, and other such provocative attires." Penelope noticed the woman was wearing a skirt right above her knee and didn't even have her legs crossed. She wanted to tsk tsk.
"I was attacked in my bedroom, in the middle of the night. The man broke into my house, and I was underneath blankets and a comforter. I don't think he had any idea what I was wearing." She sounded angry.
"Well, were you wearing a sexy negligee, or are you one of those women who sleep in the nude?"
"Honey, this is Kansas, and it's cold as hell outside. I keep the heat down to keep the heating costs down, and I was wearing flannel pajamas. And believe me, they ain't sexy." Some of the other women snickered.
"Well, perhaps he had seen you at some other venue and followed you."
"No, he was a burglar, who when he discovered I was home, decided to help himself. I was about as ugly as can be."
"well, I still think-"
"I was raped by my father," a diminutive voice across from her cut in. "I was eight years old, and my mother used to dress me. I don't think anything I wore was sexy or provocative."
"Well, perhaps your father-"
A much older lady shouted out, "Hon, I'm 72 years old. And the man who attacked me in my nursing home room was blind as a bat. But blind or not, he was stronger than I was, and I was too weak to resist. But, at my age you can't complain, and I didn't even press charges, just asked that he be confined to his room. But sexy? At my age I can't even spell it, much less dress it."
More woman began to shout out their explanations of how that could not possibly have been the cause of their rapes.
Penelope was getting flustered. This was not proceeding at all as she expected.
"Excuse me, excuse me!" she shouted over them, trying to get them to quiet down. Finally the hubbub dimmed. "So are you all saying that none of you were dressed provocatively?"
One woman, sitting caddy corner to the side, raised her hand. Penelope had noticed her when she first came in. She was wearing a thin emerald green sweater with lots of cleavage showing, and it did not appear she had a bra on. And she had thigh high black leather boots and green iredescent tights under a short skirt. Yes, she was the perfect example. "Yes?"
"Well," the middle aged woman began with a big smile on her face. "I was at Finnegan's pub, down there on Chester and 13th street, celebrating St. Paddy's day last year."
Everyone quieted down and gave this woman their rapt attention.
"And I had just gotten my divorce a month earlier, and so this was my first time out on the social scene. You know it's never too soon for a woman to find an eligible partner to share her home and bed with.
So I had this leather skirt I hadn't worn since my days at Kansas State University, but it fit perfectly, and, oh my, I had this very same green sweater on. You know how you're supposed to wear green on St. Patrick's day? I thought it would be perfect. So me and a few girlfriends went down, and we were having a wonderful time. The green beer was flowing and then we were doing lime green Jello shooters, and I even threw back a few Bailey's Irish Crème liqueurs.
There were some gentleman sitting at the bar, and they joined us. They also had had a few pitchers already and we were just having the best time. Well this one gentleman started to take a fancy to me. He snuggled up to me in the booth, and his elbow kept "accidentally" nudging me in the side of my boob.
I was being polite and pretending I didn't notice, but then when it was finally closing time, we went out to our cars, and he offered to give me a ride since I clearly was in no shape to drive.
Well when we got to my place and parked in my driveway, he was all over me. Well, I just didn't feel right about having sex on the first date, and then I noticed the wedding band on his finger. So I told him I didn't think it would be appropriate, but he got upset and said after buying so many drinks, he deserved a little reward. Well, I just didn't feel like it would be right, so I tried to get out of the car. But he grabbed me by the skirt and dragged me back into the car and had his way with me."
"Well," the middle aged woman began with a big smile on her face. "I was at Finnegan's pub, down there on Chester and 13th street, celebrating St. Paddy's day last year."
Everyone quieted down and gave this woman their rapt attention.
"And I had just gotten my divorce a month earlier, and so this was my first time out on the social scene. You know it's never too soon for a woman to find an eligible partner to share her home and bed with.
So I had this leather skirt I hadn't worn since my days at Kansas State University, but it fit perfectly, and, oh my, I had this very same green sweater on. You know how you're supposed to wear green on St. Patrick's day? I thought it would be perfect. So me and a few girlfriends went down, and we were having a wonderful time. The green beer was flowing and then we were doing lime green Jello shooters, and I even threw back a few Bailey's Irish Crème liqueurs.
There were some gentleman sitting at the bar, and they joined us. They also had had a few pitchers already and we were just having the best time. Well this one gentleman started to take a fancy to me. He snuggled up to me in the booth, and his elbow kept "accidentally" nudging me in the side of my boob.
I was being polite and pretending I didn't notice, but then when it was finally closing time, we went out to our cars, and he offered to give me a ride since I clearly was in no shape to drive.
Well when we got to my place and parked in my driveway, he was all over me. Well, I just didn't feel right about having sex on the first date, and then I noticed the wedding band on his finger. So I told him I didn't think it would be appropriate, but he got upset and said after buying so many drinks, he deserved a little reward. Well, I just didn't feel like it would be right, so I tried to get out of the car. But he grabbed me by the skirt and dragged me back into the car and had his way with me."
Penelope finally felt like she had found justification. "And now, do you think that with your thin green sweater and your leather skirt and boots, you hadn't provoked him into doing this act?"
The woman crossed her arms and smirked. "I don't know, but at least Reverend Waldron bought me a nice pink Cadillac like those Mary Ellen Cosmetic girls have. He's a very thoughtful man. So you think it was all my fault? Gee, maybe I shouldn't be wearing this green sweater again."
***
The woman crossed her arms and smirked. "I don't know, but at least Reverend Waldron bought me a nice pink Cadillac like those Mary Ellen Cosmetic girls have. He's a very thoughtful man. So you think it was all my fault? Gee, maybe I shouldn't be wearing this green sweater again."
***
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