The Toronto Mayor’s Niece offers women better advice than the feminist movement

I can certainly see how the victims of the Bloor Annex groper could be offended by Krista Ford's infamous tweet. Nevertheless, the inescapable conclusion from a fair reading of her tweet is that Krista’s heart was in the right place but she worded it poorly. Unfortunately, she is the daughter of Councillor Doug Ford and the niece of Mayor Rob Ford, and the last thing the mayor’s enemies - which comprise the whole of Toronto's left – want to do is to interpret her statement charitably.

To see the truth of the matter, let us review what she actually said:

"Stay alert, walk tall, carry mace, take self-defence classes & don't dress like a whore. #DontBeAVictim #StreetSmart"

All good advice, but advice that feminists don’t appreciate, particularly the last bit.

Earth to feminism: nobody is talking about restricting the right of women to dress as they see fit, not Krista Ford nor the unfortunate cop at the York University safety conference (who unwittingly inspired the latest Childrens' Crusade of the left, the Slut Walk). You can dress any way you want. You can legally even go topless. But, as Krista Ford and the cop advise, there are certain precautions that you can take to make yourself safer from predators. And one of them is to refrain from dressing provocatively.

At this point feminists will object that women have a right not to be raped.

Actually, no. They don’t have a right not to be raped. Just like you don’t have a right not to be murdered. To be sure, we have stringent laws against rape and murder, laws that I and fellow conservatives would like to see strengthened, but laws against rape and murder are a prohibition on would-be criminals not a guarantee by the state to prospective victims that these things won’t happen to them.

And even if the government were so silly as to guarantee such things, what good would it do? Crime doesn’t happen in front of a police station at shift change time. It happens at the time of the predator’s choosing, when you and he are all alone and the deck is stacked as much as possible against you. As a retired police officer friend liked to point out, the police are not there to protect you, they are there to catch your murderer.

This sort of logic surfaced first in the French Revolution when the revolutionaries became obsessed with positive rights emanating from the government. They believed that the best way to solve problems was to hand out rights. Edmund Burke described this thinking best:

What is the use of discussing a man’s abstract right to food or medicine? The question is upon the method of procuring and administering them. In that deliberation I shall always advise to call in the aid of the farmer or the physician, rather than the professor of metaphysics.

People who look to the government for every solution are still governed by this logic. They - feminists among them - will be in for a rude shock when the confront a psychopath in the alley.

The advice of Krista Ford is much more practical – and empowering to everyday women: take sensible precautions, learn self-defence and “walk tall”. The only thing missing in her list is to carry a handgun – the only true equalizer between a woman and a rapist.

Oh, can’t get a concealed carry permit? I guess the feminists shouldn’t have supported Alan Rock and the Chrétien Liberals.

Comments

[Jim]

Tall walking, sensible, mace carrying, karate experting, non whore dressing women get raped too. That's the point dumbass. It doesn't make sense to blame the victims.

[Cincinnatus]

Dear Jim:

Let me guess: you had a problem with reading comprehension at school.

Because it seems you completely missed the main point of my article, which is that there is a difference between assigning culpability and giving advice. I guess sentences like "nobody is talking about restricting the right of women to dress as they see fit" are a bit too complex for you to parse.

Here's a debating tip for you: debate the argument that was presented rather than the argument that you think was presented (or wish was presented).

And when it comes to safety tips, since when is a precaution practical only if it is 100% effective? People who wear seatbelts die in car crashes all the time, but in order to survive, prudent people do what they can to move the odds in their favour as much as possible.

[Dollops - Eric Doll]

Come on Cincinnatus, you made up Jim in order to underline the point of your piece. Good post, good comments.

[bmatkin]

Don't run into a busy street even at an intersection without being sure both ways.

Don't let strangers into your house particularly at night.

Lock your doors

Make sure your brakes work

Don't dress like a slut

Teach your kids to run from strangers offering them a ride.

It seems becoming a Liberal is checking common sense at the door.