Anybody who thinks that the victim is to blame for sexual assault is a vile and despicable creature. It’s this kind of thinking that promotes rape culture. Instead of teaching our sons to respect women, we’re scaring our daughters into believing that if they show skin, they’ll get raped. It’s like saying, “Every guy is a rapist deep down inside and girls should avoid being their target.”
Shouldn’t the lesson be the other way around? As in: “Every girl – every human being, for that matter – should be treated with respect and you have no right to engage them sexually if they don’t want you to.”
Why is it that the norm on these 7,107 islands is “Don’t get raped” and not “Don’t rape?” Why is it that a comedian can insult a woman on national TV for being a victim, and tell her to her face that she was wrong because she was out drinking? Apparently, this comedian thinks that it’s a free pass to sexually assault women who go out drinking. It’s victim-shaming at its finest (or more appropriately, most heinous.)
The sadder part of this story is the fact that this comedian is also a senator of the republic – someone with the power to influence the masses and the way laws of this nation are crafted.
When asked to comment further, the senator said as quoted by Rappler, “I was merely moralizing for the protection of [the] institution of marriage.” So now, apparently, it’s the woman who is immoral because she was – it seems in his head – clearly asking to be assaulted. It’s not the aggressor who was immoral; he was an innocent guy who had the right to consume alcohol, and the right to force himself on any woman, married or otherwise, around him who also happened to be consuming alcohol.
Because again, women should not be out drinking in the company of men, especially married women, for that matter. It’s wrong, it goes against the institution of marriage, and it’s immoral. And if you get taken advantage of sexually in the process, it’s your fault. And also, you were wearing short shorts (because women who don’t want to get raped don’t wear short shorts). It’s definitely your fault. You’re the victim? Boo hoo! It’s your fault and you should be ashamed.
At least, that’s what the senator believes and wants us all to believe.
How dare that mother*cker even utter those words? Not only is it an insensitive and misogynistic point of view, it’s disgustingly arrogant and a blatant opposition to gender equality by way of an endorsement of male entitlement. And of course, it is obviously just one of the many ways that rape culture (or the justification of rape and sexual assault) endures.
With all due respect, Mr. Sotto, I don’t know if you’re truly a chauvinist pig, but your remarks make you seem that way. You hold one of the highest elected positions in the land, but no one appointed you Chief Morality Officer. And even if you think that you are our country’s moral compass, I implore you to keep your opinions to yourself because they’re clearly, at best, misguided and comical. But what I truly mean to say is that they’re repulsive, obnoxious, and incredibly and mind-bogglingly offensive.
By victim-shaming a poor woman on national TV, you actually shamed yourself more than anyone else. For your own sake, I hope that you acknowledge your mistake, apologize, not only to the woman, but also to all of us, and please, I beg of you – again, with all due respect – stop being such an asshole.