Some of the posts of OFWAAR contain wrong or unchecked information. Some oversimplify the matter at hand. Others contain partially true information combined with untrue information.
Then, there's this:
*scratches head* Um...okay. I'm not going to pull punches here. I know what this graphic (I hope) is trying to say. What I think its intention is is to convey that the girl in the photo (portraying any woman) would most likely rather have to explain to the police why the intruder in her home has a gunshot wound in his chest rather than be raped and murdered. And if that's the intent, then yes. I agree that explaining you committed a shooting in self-defense is a better outcome of being raped and murdered.
But.
Big But.
But why, then, does the graphic not say that? Instead, it uses the words, "...than to have them explain to my loved ones why I was raped and murdered." Explain? Why explain? I know what the intent (I hope) is of this, but the word "explain" used in this context mirrors the first use of the word "explain" in the graphic, which by definition of the original context used means to "account for (an action or event) by giving a reason as excuse or justification." This definition of "explain" makes sense in the context of the murder of a home intruder, because any time a murder is committed for a good reason, the person who committed the justifiable murder must give their reasons for why the killing was justified.
However, in the second context, if we apply "explain" to the situation of a rape/murder, this graphic ultimately insinuates that the police would be explaining to the victim's family that the victim was murdered because she didn't defend herself. After all, if a victim is raped and murdered, the police wouldn't need to "explain" to anyone what happened. A vicious person forced himself on her and then killed her. Maybe they'd fill the loved ones in on the details of where the murder happened or when, but explain it to them? I daresay the parents don't want to hear a "reason as excuse or justification" for why their daughter was violated and killed. I doubt her husband or children or friends do, either.
You might call that semantics, but here's the thing: semantics matter. Semantics deals with the meanings of communications. What you mean matters (For more on this, check out this article), and statements like this one that could (and do often) imply that victims should bear even partial responsibility for being attacked add to the ongoing problem of women who are victimized being afraid to report rapes, to get medical treatment for assaults, and to testify in trials for sexual crimes due to the fear of being blamed and the shame that is inherently bound to crimes that are sexual in nature.
So, if you want to empower women the way I hope this post intends to do, say what you mean and mean what you say. Words are powerful; they shape communications of ideas. When you're trying to get your point across, being unclear in meaning can easily sabotage your message, and we all know your message intends to convey to the world that you're right. If you want people to believe you're right so badly, don't give them a reason not to.
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